Dungog Film Festival 2009

The third Dungog Film Festival - held over 4 nights and 3 days during the last weekend of May - was a resounding success and the event is testament to the marketing and organisational skills of Allanah Zitserman and her committed team. Dungog is unique in being the only major film festival in the country to exclusively screen Australian films, shorts and documentaries and the festival is a golden opportunity for industry professionals to network in a relaxed and laid back country setting.

Some of the many highlights of this year’s festival were the multi-talented Matt Newton’s feature film directing debut, Three Blind Mice, featuring the late great Bud Tingwell; the premiere of Richard Frankland’s hilarious road trip comedy Stone Bros; the confronting action-packed moral tale Hobby Farm; and the documentary-style jigsaw puzzle mystery Lake Mungo.

Amongst a sea of well-known faces, Ray Argall (President of the Australian Directors Guild) was also in attendance this year, as the ADG has joined the growing list of Dungog Film Festival sponsors.

The Dungog Film Festival has grown in leaps and bounds since it’s inception in 2007 and unlike many of the big film festivals where it is next to impossible to network with industry professionals Dungog is open access for one and all. So if you are an actor, acting student or a budding filmmaker, then head for Dungog next year and network like crazy – the huge party on Saturday night alone is worth the drive. Then you can happily chant the festival mantra: Done Sundance; Done Cannes; Dungog.

Alan Nurthen, Matt Newton and Vera Polianskaia

Alan Nurthen, Bruce Callaghan and David Friend

Peter Phelps and Alan Nurthen

The infamous Saturday Night Party at Dungog 2009!

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