events

Short & Sharp Pitching Competition

in association with the Human Rights Arts & Film Festival (HRAFF)

The Judges - Biogs

SUE MASLIN
Sue Maslin is an award winning screen producer with credits including the feature films Road
to Nhill (1997), winner of Best Film at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival and Japanese
Story (2003) winner of Best Film at the Australian Film Institute Awards. She has also
independently produced many documentaries that have screened on ABC TV including A Mirror
To The People (2000), The Highest Court (1998), The Edge Of The Possible (1998), Conspiracy
(1994), Mr. Neal Is Entitled To Be An Agitator (1991) and Thanks Girls and Goodbye (1987). The
Edge Of The Possible, a film about Jorn Utzon and the Sydney Opera House, won the Gold
Plaque for Best Television Documentary at the 1999 Chicago International Film Festival. Mr
Neal is Entitled to be an Agitator, a film about Justice Lionel Murphy, won the Australian Human
Rights Award for Best Documentary in 1991. Her most recent projects include the broadband
interactive documentary about William Bligh launched on ABC On-Line and the non-fiction
feature film, Hunt Angels which won 7 major awards in 2006 including Best Documentary at the
L’Oreal AFI Awards. Sue is Artistic Director of the Australian Film Festival which screens in
Israel each year and currently serves on the Boards of the Australia Israel Cultural Exchange,
Australian Screen Council and the Adelaide Film Festival. She is also a member of the VCA
Course Advisory Committee.

ALKINOS TSILIMIDOS
Born in Melbourne, Australia 1966. Alkinos has been described as one of Australia’s most
important contemporary film directors. He has a reputation for being an actor’s director and is
renowned for his uncompromising approach to stories of social relevance. He graduated from
Swinburne School of Film and Television (now VCA) in 1988. His début feature film
Everynight…Everynight (1994) won international critical acclaim. It was awarded Best First Film
(Prix D’Montreal) at the Montreal World Film Festival and was in Official Selection at the Venice
International Film Festival. His second feature Silent Partner (2001) was nominated for Best
Adapted Screenplay at the AFI and Film Critics Awards and was in Official Selection at the
Toronto and Montreal International Film Festivals. In 2004, Tom White was released to
extensive critical acclaim. It received thirty-one Australian feature film award nominations,
Colin Friels winning the FCCA and the IF AWARD for Best Actor. Tom White was invited to
participate at many international events including Montreal, Hof, and Pusan International Film
Festivals. Em 4 Jay (2006), his fourth feature, participated at numerous international film
festivals. Variety said: “Authenticity makes EM 4 JAY a Down Under low budget TRIUMPH.”
Alkinos is currently working on his fifth feature, Rambles.

EWAN BURNETT
Ewan has worked in the Australian film and television industry for more than 25 years. With
Arts Degrees in Philosophy and Cinema Studies, he initially worked in the area of commercials
and documentaries before embarking on a career in drama television for adults and children.
His extensive credits include the series Last Man Standing as Executive Producer, the
mini-series Kangaroo Palace and Bootleg as Producer, The Farm as Executive Producer, the
children’s series The Wayne Manifesto, Eugénie Sandler PI, Short Cuts, Sleepover Club and
Fergus McPhail as Executive Producer, The Henderson Kids II, Round The Twist, Sky Trackers
(telemovie) and Lift Off! as Associate Producer and More Winners as Series Producer. Ewan
also produced the successful stage show Mum's The Word. Before establishing Burberry
Productions, Ewan occupied many positions within other companies including Production
Supervisor at Crawford Productions, Program Manager at the Australian Children’s Television
Foundation and Executive Producer at Artist Services. He has occupied many board and
committee positions over the years including for Film Victoria and the Screen Producers
Association of Australia. He is currently Adjunct Professor in Media in the School of Applied
Communication at RMIT University.

IAN DIXON
Ian Dixon has worked as a professional actor for over twenty years (he took over from Guy
Pearce to play the lead role in Grease). He graduated from VCA School of Film and Television in
1998 and went on to direct TV for SBS, as well as receiving director training on Blue Heelers
and Neighbours for which he went on to direct full episodes. Ian directed the SBS film Wee
Jimmy and most recently produced, directed, wrote and edited his first feature film Crushed
which recently premiered at Cinema Nova. Ian was Assistant to the Artistic Director of the
Australia Korea Foundation and has worked as teacher and lecturer at tertiary institutions,
notably the University of Melbourne, Monash University, Victorian College of the Arts and
Open Channel. He recently completed his PhD on the films of John Cassavetes through the
University of Melbourne at VCA. Ian currently tutors at Open Channel, the Australian Centre
for the Performing Arts, Homesglen TAFE, SAE and Swinburne.

2008 SHORT & SHARP PITCHING COMPETITION IS PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY FILM VICTORIA