After the Berlinale, BLACKBIRD was invited to screen in Washington DC for the Smithsonian’s Mother Tongue Film Festival. This festival aims to “amplify the work of diverse practitioners who explore the power of language to connect the past, present, and future”. Here’s a few lines from my introduction to the BLACKBIRD screening: “For me, telling this …
I was invited to speak at an event centred around climate change and filmmaking – the intersection of this environmental issue, science and the medium of film and how this crossover can have an impact. It was an honour to be welcomed to this conversation as part of the Berlinale NATIVe program. We watched short narrative films about climate change by students, engaged …
In February, our short film DOCKED had it’s Melbourne premiere at the Melbourne Women in Film Festival. Leading up to the festival, actor Nyawuda Chuol and I were very grateful to do a few national newspaper interviews and also (for the first time) have our short film reviewed by film critics. Interviews: THE AGE (pictured above) …
BLACKBIRD has been invited to screen at the 69th Berlinale International Film Festival in February 2019 as part of the Berlinale NATIVe Program. It’s an honour for our film and this story to be recognised at an international festival of this calibre especially as it’s part of a program focusing on indigenous storytelling in the Pacific region. BLACKBIRD is one of 16 films selected. …
BLACKBIRD to Screen at Berlinale International Film Festival
After last year’s NITV national screening debut, BLACKBIRD (13 mins, PG) is now available to screen online for free for those in Australia, via the SBS OnDemand platform. Watch on your computer or phone until [EDIT: 17 January 2019] previous showing 9 December 2018. UPDATE: If you missed this date, you can watch anytime: CLICK …
imagineNATIVE AWARD In October 2018, I was very surprised to receive a phone call from Canada with news that our short 360VR documentary ‘AEASI – as far as the eye can see above the sea’ received the Best Digital Work award at imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival in Toronto. My family and I made this film together …
TIFF is a festival that I’ve always wanted to attend, so when I found out that I’d been selected for the TIFF Filmmaker Lab I was over the moooooon! 22 filmmakers, with feature films in development, were selected from around the world. And I’ve got to say that these peeps were so inspiring in terms of …
I’ve just finished up a Director Placement on ABC ME’s Mustangs FC with Roger Hodgman who’s directed TV shows like Secret Life of Us, Blue Heelers, City Homicide and recent episodes of Wentworth. “Mustangs FC is a goal kicking comedy drama about girls who are abandoning the sidelines and starting their local football club’s first all-female team”. It …
In October 2018, the 360 virtual reality work produced for my solo exhibition last year will screen at imagineNATIVE Film Festival in Toronto, Canada and in Sydney and Canberra as part of the Pasifika Film Festival. There is no direct translation of the word ‘horizon’ in my family’s language but ‘aeasi’ means: as far as …
‘AEASI’ 360 Virtual Reality Documentary Premieres in Canada and Australia
BLACKBIRD DVD INTERNATIONAL RELEASE 4th JULY 2018: https://bit.ly/BlackbirdRonin BLACKBIRD is a short film by Australian Solomon Islander filmmaker Amie Batalibasi, that sheds light on a little known part of history – Australia’s sugar slaves. Ronin Films will release the BLACKBIRD DVD 4th JULY 2018, 9am AEST. BLACKBIRD screened at the New Zealand International Film Festival in …
This February I was catapulted via a 24 hour trip, from Melbourne’s summer to the middle of a Berlin winter and the biggest film festival in the world: Berlinale – the Berlin International Film Festival. I was honoured to be invited to be one of 250 participants from 80 countries for Berlinale Talents – a …
Berlin International Film Festival: Inspiration at Berlinale Talents!
In March, LIT, a video art work featuring Nyawuda Chuol was screened alongside 15 other artists/collectives at VU at MetroWest’s Come Together: International Women’s Day Exhibition. It was a pleasure to exhibit this work again with a group of diverse and creative women. More about LIT here. Also for International Women’s Day, Naomi Ball (filmmaker, friend, 1st AD on BLACKBIRD, DOCKED) took the …