screenings PD & seminars

ATOM Vic Professional Development 2013

Full-day professional development workshops and seminars presented by ATOM Vic.

Cineclub Primary PD Day

Using Film to Enrich Learning

This fun, practical and intensive PD day is the only course of its kind that focuses on developing the confidence of primary teachers in using film to enrich learning in the classroom. The course is run by professional filmmakers who are also qualified primary school teachers. The course will help to prepare your teachers for the new National Curriculum for the Arts, in particular Media Arts.

MIFF Next Gen 2013 – Approved for Adoption

A hybrid of stylised animation and autobiographical documentary, Laurent Boileau and Jung Henin’s adaptation of the latter’s graphic novel weaves memories and moods into a thoughtful meditation upon the adoptee experience.

MIFF Next Gen 2013 – Bekas

In 1990, two Kurdish orphans catch a glimpse of a Superman film screening and set off to find the hero they believe has the power to fix all their problems. While intending to make it to the USA, the homeless brothers’ quixotic journey takes them instead through increasingly risky adventures in an Iraq under the pall of Saddam Hussein.

MIFF Next Gen 2013 – Blackbird

In a culture of fear, the line between victim and aggressor becomes hard to trace. But Sean, a high-school outcast, finds himself on the wrong side of that line when he posts a revenge-fuelled tirade online. The comments spark the darkest fears of his rural town and he is convicted of planning a mass shooting and saddled with the nickname ‘Columbine’.

MIFF Next Gen 2013 – Capturing Dad

In the pretty town of Numazu, two young sisters discover their estranged father is dying and are sent by their still-bitter mother to be by his side. When he passes away while they are en route, the girls are left to attend the awkward funeral of the man they don’t know, deal with his relatives and come to terms with their own abandonment issues.

MIFF Next Gen 2013 – Day of the Crows

This debut feature from skilled French animator Jean Christophe Dessaint is both beautifully crafted and very moving. Featuring the voices of Jean Reno and the late Claude Chabrol, Day of the Crows follows the isolated existence of an ogre-like father called Pumpkin and his semi-feral son. When Pumpkin injures himself, Junior ventures outside their forest home to seek help. Here he meets a kindly doctor and his sweet daughter, who introduces him to life in the outside world.

MIFF Next Gen 2013 – Foxfire

In 1950s upstate New York, the prospects are limited for a teenage girl. But when the unassuming Maddy becomes involved with the girl gang Foxfire she’s exposed to a new and exciting proto-feminist world. The leader of the gang, Legs, and her comrades Goldie and Rita have traded subservience for rebellion and retribution.

MIFF Next Gen 2013 – I Declare War

Pre-teen and military tactician expert PK Sullivan gathers his friends together for their usual game of Capture the Flag. As his opponent Quinn grows tired of constantly losing, Quinn’s own second-in-command develops a lust for power. Both teams deal with power and betrayal, and the stakes have never been higher.

MIFF Next Gen 2013 – Moon Man

Adapted from Tomi Ungerer’s 1967 children’s picture book of the same name, Moon Man follows the adventures of its title character as he grows bored living alone on the moon and hitches a ride on a comet to visit Earth. Unfortunately for Moon Man, the President mistakes him for an invading alien and sets out to hunt him down. On the run, Moon Man enlists the help of a renowned scientist – the inventor of everything! – and the children who miss his comforting presence in the night-time sky.

MIFF Next Gen 2013 – Patty's Catchup

In Tina von Traben’s feature debut, smart, ambitious Patty dreams of abandoning her mother’s struggling sausage stand for a career as an upmarket chef. She gets her chance when she’s offered an internship at a famous five-star restaurant, but her mother’s nervous breakdown complicates things. Determined to make a go of it, Patty leaves her younger sisters in charge of the stand, but when their interfering uncle – who runs a successful fast food franchise – tries to steal the family’s secret curry sauce recipe it sets off a chain of events that force Patty to decide what’s more important: her family or her career.

MIFF Next Gen 2013 – Touch of the Light

In the heart of modern Taiwan, two young artists find themselves cast adrift. Huang, a blind pianist, struggles to adapt in the prestigious arts college he has been accepted to, while Jie’s dreams of becoming a dancer threaten to slip away under the weight of her mother’s debts. Thrown together by circumstance, they will find in each other a strength neither knew they possessed.

MIFF Next Gen 2013 – Valentine Road

‘He was solving a problem.’ That’s how one juror describes the actions of Brandon McInerney, a fourteen-year-old from Oxnard, California, who shot and killed his cross-dressing classmate Lawrence King. Serving a 21-year sentence for second degree murder, Brandon has been cast as both monster and victim, but the truth of the matter is far more complex – and uncomfortable.

MIFF Next Gen 2013 – Werewolf Boy, A

After moving to a farmhouse in the countryside, teenager Suni discovers a bedraggled feral boy her own age living on the property. She is initially repulsed: he can’t speak or read, and shows no other signs of civilisation. Overcoming her hesitation, Suni attempts to draw the boy out of the beast – like a pet at first – and they soon develop an affectionate bond. But it becomes apparent that Cheol-su, as she names him, has a mysterious secret and when their blossoming relationship is challenged, his bestial instincts return.

MIFF Next Gen 2013 – What Richard Did

Eighteen-year-old Richard, a golden boy from Dublin’s privileged south side, has the world at his feet until one night in summer, out partying, he lets things get ‘out of hand’. The fall from grace is shattering for him, his family and all those affected.

MIFF Next Gen 2013 Program Launch

MIFF invites teachers to attend the launch of the 2013 Next Gen program to discover the films programmed with school groups in mind. MIFF will then present a special advance screening of the 2013 Next Gen film What Richard Did, described by The Guardian as ‘An engrossing and intelligent drama that throbs in the mind for hours after the final credits.’

NFSA's Schools Screening Program

The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), through its Education Program, offers opportunities for school students to access and engage with Australian screen culture. It celebrates the Australian film industry by bringing screenings of contemporary and classic Australian feature films, documentaries and short films to schools throughout regional Australia. These films cater specifically for both primary school and high school students. These screenings take place during school hours at local cinemas and the films screened are programmed in consultation with the local area schools.

Puppetry News Teachers' Workshops

Puppetry News is pleased to present a series of live puppetry courses to be held at the Batesford Hub in Chadstone, Melbourne. The courses are designed for a wide range of people, including teachers, filmmakers, performers and storytellers, as well as anyone with an interest in puppetry.