One of the largest international events for television –INPUT – comes to Sydney next week with hundreds of delegates from across the world attending, including significant numbers from Australia’s neighbours in the region.
Senior program makers, commissioning editors and acquisitions executives from Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Brazil, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ghana, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tonga, United Kingdom, Uruguay, USA, Zimbabwe have registered to attend the conference, being held in Australia for the first time in its 35-year history.
Dubbed the most free thinking television event in the world, INPUT begins Monday May 7 at Hoyts Cinemas, The Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park (next to Fox Studios) and runs through to Friday May 11.
INPUT Sydney will screen and debate around 80 hours of programming from more than 30 countries to hundreds of Australian and international delegates, made up of acquisitions and commissioning executives, independent production companies and program makers from around the globe.
The selected programs represent some of the most inventive and provocative television broadcast over the past year and each screening will be followed by a spirited discussion and debate session with the program makers.
There are many highlights in the program including:
· The new series of The Hour, the acclaimed BBC period drama executive produced and written by Abi Morgan (The Iron Lady, Shame).
· The controversial US production (PBS) Wham! Bam! Islam! – is it propaganda, is it educational, is it supporting an honourable cause?
· The first ever drama series produced by East Timor, Suku Hali (Shade Tree). The series was developed and produced by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), which has been active in East Timor for many years, in partnership with the community as a way to opening a dialogue about many of the social issues facing the country.
· The US documentary Southern Belle which depicts the week long living history event in the “1861 Athenaeum Girls’ School“ where young American woman can apply for the higher education that once was reserved only to white women. Is this way of approaching history in the public interest?
· The hit South African series 90 Plein Street – said to be braver than news and current affairs programs in South Africa. 90 Plein Street was created by acclaimed South African director Khalo Matabane who is currently in pre production on his film about the life of Nelson Mandela.
· The documentary Dad Made Dirty Movies, to be presented at INPUT by Bulgarian producer Martichka Bozhilova, winner in 2006 of the International Trailblazer Award, launched by Robert Redford and Sundance Channel at MIPDOC in Cannes. Dad Made Dirty Movies chronicles the life and films of Stephen C. Apostolof (aka A. C. Stephen) – a former political prisoner, devoted Christian and family man and one of the greatest erotic filmmakers in the U.S. The film traces A. C. Stephen’s escape from communist dictatorship in Bulgaria and his journey to Hollywood where he made his American dream come true.
· The Finnish comedy Beauty Sleep. A group of drag queens takes justice into their own hands. They kidnap the wife of a member of parliament who is known for his homophobic remarks. The drag queens find themselves in a greater mess than any of the people involved could have ever anticipated.
· Participation in the WOMEN & GIRLS Special Session by legendary Indonesian producer and actress Christine Hakim (who is coming to Australia with the support of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade). Christine Hakim is an Indonesian actress turned producer, and one of the most experienced and respected figures in the South East Asian film industry. Her films feature regularly in international film festivals, including Cannes. In 2004 Christine was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Indonesia and, in 2010,she was awarded the FIAPF Award at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards for outstanding contribution to the Asia Pacific screen industry.
INPUT, hosted in Australia by ABC and SBS, is based on the principal of television in the public interest – a meeting place where broadcasters, commissioners, programmers, producers and directors from 50 countries and five continents come together to share programs, ideas and aspirations.
(From a press release)
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