50th Festival 2003

The 50th anniversary of the Sydney Film Festival was a deserved cause for celebration, with the event having successfully transitioned from a university-based gathering to having an essential place in Sydney’s calendar, all the while defending the content of the festival’s films against censorship. In looking back the festival held a symposium entitled The Persistence of Vision; and also had a screening series called 54>03, in which notable films from past festivals were screened, including Gate of Hell, Ikiru, The Exterminating Angel and Al Reinert’s For All Mankind. Meanwhile, a shorts program called Bright Sparks showcased previous winners of the Australian Short Film Awards (which began as the Benson and Hedges Awards, and were then and have since been the Dendy Awards).

As for contemporary cinema, the festival presented George Clooney’s Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Gus van Sant’s Gerry, Peter Sollett’s Raising Victor Vargas, Steve James’ Stevie, Geoffrey Reggio’s Naqoyqatsi, Jeffrey Blitz’s Spellbound and Kim In-silk’s Road Movie.

Like many years before it, a censorship fiasco emerged with Larry Clark’s controversial film Ken Park, which was refused classification by the Office of Literature and Film Classification even after the film had successfully screened at numerous international festivals, including one in New Zealand.

The Ian McPherson Memorial Lecture was delivered by Dr. David McKnight.

Opening Night Film: The Honourable Wally Norman (directed by Ted Emery)

Closing Night Film: Swimming Pool (directed by François Ozon)

Award Winners

Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films (General):

Fugue, directed by James Brown

Dendy Award for Australian Short Films (Fiction over 15 minutes):

Roy Hollsdotter Live, directed by Matthew Saville

Dendy Award for Australian Short Films (Fiction under 15 minutes):

Black Talk, directed by Wayne Blair

Dendy Award for Australian Short Films (Documentary):

Desperate Man Blues, directed by Edward Gillan

Yoram Gross Animation Award:

The Projectionist, directed by Michael Bates

Community Relations Commission (CRC) Award:

The Mascot, directed by Lina Caneva

Rouben Mamoulian Award:

The Mascot, directed by Lina Caneva