TOP 3 NEWS STORIES

• Australian Games Industry Grows Significantly In Jobs and Revenue, Thanks To COVID-19
  Industry body IGEA released the results of a survey that takes a second look at the impact of COVID-19 on the sector. And things are pretty good.
• South Australian budget plays darts with precise objectives for screen sector
  $29.5 million guaranteed to the sector in some key areas over the next half-decade is not to be sneezed at
• Testing Times: the unpaid labour of auditioning from home
  Actors are struggling with increased requirements for self-testing, while casting agencies save time and money. The MEAA is formulating a new set of guidelines to make things fair and clear for both parties. 

MOVES & SHAKES

• Kristy Matheson, ACMI’s dynamic and innovative director of film programs will take up a newly created role as the creative director of Scotland’s Centre for the Moving Image (CMI). The CMI incorporates independent cinema Filmhouse, the Edinburgh International Film Festival and Belmont Filmhouse in Aberdeen. Matheson was the 2017 recipient of the Natalie Miller Fellowship and has been with ACMI since 2009. During this time she instituted many public engagement and outreach programs. She will join CMI following the Edinburgh International Film Festival in August, and will lead the vision for the festival’s 75th anniversary edition in 2022. 
• Patrick McIntyre has been announced as the new CEO of the National Film & Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA). The former Sydney Theatre Company executive director will begin work in October. He succeeds Jan Müller, who resigned in December to go back to the Netherlands to be with family.
• SBS unveils new scripted leaders with a certain zest to their backgrounds
  The scripted space at SBS will be run by Julie Eckersley with Donna Chang promoted to Commissioning Editor Scripted.

Read: TV Review: Jack Irish gets more than a farewell tour

MAJOR FILM FESTIVALS ROLL OUT

Revelation Perth International Film Festival: July 1 – 11

• Revelation Film Festival and the shining lights of low-budget indie art
  This year, Revelation Perth International Film Festival showcases some low-budget indy adventures in true art according to director Richard Sowada.

Melbourne International Film Festival: August 5 – 22

• The Drover’s Wife leads MIFF’s opening night, plus a brand new trailer
  Leah Purcell’s reimagining of the Henry Lawson classic will show on MIFF’s opening night. The subversive film is the culmination of years of reflection and artistry.
• First look at the MIFF 2021 program: from Nitram to Zola
  MIFF’s 2021 program, running 5-22 August, already boasts a particularly strong showcase of local films, reinforced by some key international features

Sydney Film Festival: August 18 – 29

• Sydney Film Festival: first glimpses of a program to confound Covid
  With less films, the Sydney Film Festival is making ultra-sure that the program distils the times.

REVIEWS

• Film Review: Rhapsody of Love is a warm and diverse rom-com
  Billed as the first Asian-Australian rom-com, Joy Hopwood’s ‘Crazy Middle-Class Asians’ bridges a big gap in the industry, says Andy Trieu.
• TV Review: Starstruck brings comic fizz to celebrity-normie romance
  NZ comedy star Rose Matafeo has created a genuinely charming and hilarious series, says Mel Campbell.
• Film review: Fast & Furious 9 makes no sense but so what?
  The franchise that takes jaw-dropping action seriously had lost a bit of its fizz. This one isn’t perfect, but it’s a welcome course-correction, says Anthony Morris.
• Film Review: Cousins is a deeply emotional story of resilience
  Beautifully told and collaboratively made, Cousins is a powerful story of three Māori girls separated by forced assimilation, says Didi de Graaf.
• Youtube: Hug the Sun Review: A Circus of Chaotic Comedy
  From the Aunty Donna production house, Hug The Sun’s brand of sketch comedy disguised as a fictional children’s program is hilarious, absurd, and sometimes uncomfortable. 

EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

• First Look at Sam Neill in Stan’s The Portable Door
  Stan and Jim Henson Company have partnered on adapting The Portable Door from Tom Holt’s popular seven-book series, and now audiences get their first peek into the Queensland production.
• Screenwest opens funding rounds for documentary and scripted content
  Offering millions in funding to WA productions, this is the film body’s first production round for the 2021-2 financial year.
• Wolf Creek 3 to film in SA this year, Altitude to sell at Cannes
  Greg McLean looses the horrifying John Jarrett onto the international scares market again through Australia-friendly Altitude Film Sales.
• Spielberg concedes to Netflix in new deal for the small screen
  Once Spielberg saw Netflix as a kind of gremlin. Now the little beast has grown so large, he has partnered up. In a dignified kind of way.
• Six First Nations films receive over $600k production funding through ‘No Ordinary Black’ initiative
  More First Nations stories are heading to Australian screens in 2022, with Screen Australia and NITV announcing the six films funded by the No Ordinary Black Initiative.
• This is the last chance for Australian screenwriters to apply for Impact Australia 2, the highly coveted mentorship program launched by Impact – the company co-founded by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer. Deadline is this Sunday, 27 June 2021. Apply here. The eight-week mentorship program commences in Melbourne on 13 September. 

Read: TV Review: Eden finds new perspectives on the missing girl mystery

ON SCREENS

• Box Office: Peter Rabbit happy in the US as shark film slumps here
  Playing With Sharks opens slowly, perhaps because the Australian audience doesn’t realise the sheer wow factor of sharks in a cinema. Or maybe they do. We hear the film is going to Disney+ very soon so you can watch it from under a blanket at home.
• Stan resurrects some intriguing Aussie shows we bet you missed first time
  Serangoon Road, Mystery Road, Wake in Fright and High Ground were all challenging titles, and some paid the price. Watch and decide for yourself.

GAMES

• Wholesome Direct’s journey to E3
  From Discord to the front page of Twitch, Wholesome Games is changing the face of games. Founder Matthew Taylor tells us the full story of the grassroots organisation’s strange journey to E3.
• ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ back on PlayStation Store after six-month suspension, with a warning
  The controversial Cyberpunk 2077 has reappeared on the PlayStation Store, six months after Sony removed it from sale due to major performance issues.
• Videogame peak body IGEA slams News Corp coverage of technology and loot boxes
  The Interactive Games and Entertainment Association has responded strongly to a series of articles across News Corp publications about children and videogame addiction.
• 9 Australian Games you can play for free during Steam Next Fest
  Hundreds of videogame demos are currently available to try during the week-long Steam Next Fest, including plenty of titles from Aussie developers and publishers.