Non-traditional markets have been neglected

According to the founders of the upcoming Australian Film Festival in India, Australia is yet to benefit from a relationship with non-traditional markets such as India, the Middle East and Latin America.

“I believe Australia is yet to properly benefit from its relationship with the world’s biggest film industry –India – and other non-traditional markest. This was the fundamental principle behind an Australian Film Initiative and it has been most encouraging to see the Australian Film Festival in India receive support from Australian government and industry alike within hours and days of the announcement. I hope this initiative grows in the coming years providing loads of commercial and creative benefit to our film industry in Australia,” said festival co-director Anupam Sharma.

The festival will feature an industry element, with invitation-only roundtables on investment and distribution and industry speakers at various sessions. It’s been conceived as a “much needed platform for the Australian film industry to effectively promote itself” in that territory.

Co-directed by Sharma and Peter Castaldi, AFFI is the first event from the organisation An Australian Film Initiative, which plans to market, promote and distribute the Australian industry in emerging global markets.

The contemporary film selection for the festival includes:

• Samson and Delilah
• Blame
• Bran Nue Dae
• Red Hill
• Kings of Mykonos
• Mary and Max
• The Loved Ones
• Uninhhabited
• Restraint
• The Horseman

The festival will also include a retrospetive of Bill Bennett films: Paperback hero, A Street to Die, Backlash, Malpractice, Mortgage, Spider and Rose, Two if by Sea, Kiss or Kill, In a Savage Land, Nugget and Tempted, as well as a selection of AFTRS and VCA graduate films.

The five-day Australian Film Festival of India will be held in conjunction with the Indian industry conference FRAME in Mumbai, starting on March 23.