Held on the final day of the Australian International Movie Convention (AIMC), the in-person conference hosted by Event Cinemas will build on the discussion and participant feedback from the hugely successful Virtual AFFS attended by 440 people in October. The follow up sessions will be geared towards solidifying the steps the screen industry can take to bring about change in how it does business for Australian feature films going forward, including capturing audience data, building audiences and incentivising success.
Program highlights include the opportunity to join AACTA Award winner Leah Purcell and producer Bain Stewart for a business case study on The Drover’s Wife. Moderated by Sandy George, the innovative duo will talk about how their creative process and business strategy combined over a number of years to deliver investors, audiences and an award-winning film. A full list of speakers will be announced in April.
The innovative Road Test Pitch Forum will also take centre stage at the May event providing creatives with an insight for the first time on how exhibitors, small and large, select and program films for their specific audiences. The esteemed panel of exhibitors includes Michelle Gater (General Manager Programming at HOYTS Group), Alex Moir (Head of Marketing at Palace Cinemas), Claire Gandy (General Manager of Content at Event Cinemas), Ingrid Van Den Berghe (Managing Director of Luna Palace Cinemas), Sasha Close (Program Manager at Brisbane & Gold Coast International Film Festivals) and Kieren Dell (Chief Executive of Majestic Cinemas Qld & NSW).
A shortlist of 10 producers will pitch their early-stage feature film ideas to the panel followed by the opportunity to receive five minutes in-session feedback on their pitch, further facilitating a valuable information exchange between the often-siloed parties of the screen industry. The Road Test Pitch Forum is an initiative of the AFFS in conjunction with the Compton School and with the support of Screen Australia and all state screen agencies.
“The selected films cover a broad range of genres. Not only will creatives hear feedback from the panelists, but all AIMC members in the audience will be surveyed for their response,” says Summit Director, Sue Maslin. “Added to this, exhibitors will be exposed to how (and why) filmmakers develop particular ideas for the big screen. We thank the AIMC for their support of this ground-breaking initiative and we are keen to see this conversation between creatives and exhibitors develop over time.”
CAPTURING THE AUDIENCE
Focus: How can we ask better questions, capture better data and aggregate anonymized data so that it benefits all parties along the value chain and results in greater connections between films and audiences. What are we not capturing? How can producers access and work with data?
BUILDING AUDIENCE
Focus: Audience development at every stage of the value chain. From strategic unit publicity, social media campaigns, film festivals through to distribution and exhibition strategies. What can we do better to grow Australian audiences over time? Can exhibitors be incentivised to better support local films and give them time to find their audience?
INCENTIVISING SUCCESS
Focus: How can we leverage investment in Australian films, significantly increase marketing spend, offset producer and distributor risk, incentivise streamers to support theatrical windows and make it feasible for exhibitors to screen films made by streamers? How do we deliver an equitable risk/reward ratio in the recoupment waterfall that works for all parties along the value chain?
CASE STUDY – THE DROVER’S WIFE
Moderator: Sandy George
Speakers: Leah Purcell, Bain Stewart
Focus: What makes an idea cinematic? The creative process and how it informed the business strategy. Transforming the film into a screen experience that engages audience on a culturally significant work. An opportunity for exhibitors to see up close how a production comes together and for delegates to gain further insight into an entrepreneurial business approach.
ROAD TEST PITCH FORUM
Manager/Moderator: David Court
Speakers: Michelle Gater (General Manager of Programming at HOYTS Group), Alex Moir (Head of Marketing at Palace Cinemas), Claire Gandy (General Manager of Content at Event Cinemas), Ingrid Van Den Berghe (Managing Director of Luna Palace Cinemas), Sasha Close (Program Manager at Brisbane & Gold Coast International Film Festivals), Kieren Dell (Chief Executive of Majestic Cinemas Qld & NSW)
Focus: An exhibitor panel comprising both majors and independents/mini-majors. Ten producers will be given 3-4 minutes each to test a feature concept with this panel. The purpose is to determine if there is an audience for the idea and answer, “Would you play this film at your cinema? If so, why? If not, why not?”. The exhibitor panel will give 5 minutes in-session feedback on each pitch. All AIMC delegates present will also be invited to complete an online survey on each pitch. All feedback will be collated, ranked and shared privately to filmmakers.
NETWORKING DRINKS (Sponsored by Coca-Cola Europacific Partners)
Places at the Summit are limited. Delegates are encouraged to book early or confirm their existing booking to secure a place. For tickets and more information visit www.affsummit.com.au.
