journalism on screen program guide

8/3/2019 Journalism on Screen Program Guide

1/8

Journalismon screen

film festival

The Centre for Advanced Journalismpresents a sparkling collection of classicand contemporary films reflecting the portrayalof media on screen, plus lively discussions withaward winning filmmakers, prominentbroadcasters and renowned journalists.

All screenings at Village Cinemas,Jam Factory South Yarra.

Tickets on sale June. For full program visit:www.caj.unimelb.edu.au11-18 July 2010

Festival Supporter:

Principal Media Partner:

A DVANCED JOURNALISMCENTRE FOR


2/8

2 | JOURNALISM ON SCREEN FILM FESTIVAL | 11-18 JULY 2010 JUNE 19-20, 2010

These offers are introductory for new subscribers only and only available within Australia(excluding NT) where normal home delivery exists. * For full terms and conditions click here.

Subscribe today and enjoy the benets of home deliveryNational Affairs. World News.

Business. Legal Affairs. Wealth.

Higher Education. I.T.

Sport. Media. Arts.

Think. Again.

WEEKEND OFFER

Receive The Weekend Australian homedelivered for just $2. 00 a week *.Subscribe with easy monthly recurring paymentstotalling up to $10. 00 *

6 DAY OFFER

Receive The Australian Monday to Fridayand The Weekend Australian home delivered for

just $6. 95 a week *. Subscribe with easy monthlyrecurring payments totalling up to $34. 75*

Subscribe now www.theaustralian.com.au/homedelivery or call 1800 022 552These offers are strictly for new subscribers only and only available where normal home delivery exists. Payment by 4 or 5 week credit / debit card payment only (not available in WA or TAS). See website for full offer terms and conditions.

JOURNALISM and lm are both the best and worst of friends.

Filmmakers would have you believe they make worthy, entertaining lms that journal ists system-atically tear down with nary a concern about thetoil. Journalists would counter even screen de-pictions by Robert Redford in All The Presidents

Men and Cary Grant in His Girl Friday dont gofar enough in portraying the singular importanceand dynamism of their profession.

But both lmmakers and journalists must set-tle on an uneasy truce in agreeing the journalismprofession is well-placed to provide terric cin-ematic protagonists, characters who are centralto the action but observing it, characters who

witness history while hopefully being objectiveabout it, characters who by their very natureneed heavy supplies of ego, verve and industry tosurvive in the profession and thrive on screen.

The Journalism on Screen Film Festival offersnot just some of the best lms about journalism

but some of the best lms ever. That is not over-

stating the importance or appeal of journalism.After all, journalists know better than most howdespised their profession is (a tip for journos

who are down on their luck: watch GlengarryGlen Ross or American Beauty to see how bad itgets for real estate agents).

The quality of lms concerning journal-ism merely represents the litany of issues andthemes confronting their profession most daysand the usefulness of the journo as a narrativelead on screen.

The media provides juicy issues to ponder inmany areas, whether it is the power of the mediatycoon in Citizen Kane, the morality of plagiarismin Shattered Glass , the thrill of the chase in AllThe Presidents Men , the consequences of investi-gative journalism in Veronica Guer i n or the plain,desperate ambition in To Die For .

And screenwriters, it must be said, a re drawnto characters similar to themselves. There is adisproportionate number of writers, whetherthey be screenwriters, copywriters, authors or

journalists, featured as characters in cinema,possibly far more than in theatre. Journalists

just happen to be a little more accessible to thepublic than other kinds of writers.

One rough estimate suggests journalists haveappeared as characters in more than 1000lms and many of those characterisations one

wouldnt even begin to recall as journalists. Journalistic hubris accepts without hesitation

that Superman, or rather Clark Kent, is a jour-nalist; our collective memory wouldnt put thetwo together though.

How can cinema serve a job that regards itself so highly? Actually, the reverse is true. Cinemaregards journalism as a handy mechanism for itsown ends. At a fundamental storytelling level,

journalists are great conduits for a story. As USacademic Matthew C. Ehrlich argues in his book,

Journalism in the Movies , Hollywood has, sincethe introduction of sound, used journalists onscreen as people who see through malfeasance,question authority, defend the general public andin broad terms, serve democracy. Archetypal leadmaterial.

Entire screenwriting theories are based onthe heros journey and what clearer hero, atleast in storytelling terms can there be than the

journalist, the objective observer close to his-tory? The profession is an easy way in whichto personalise a story, by focusing upon the in-

vestigator who brings to light the bigger storyor simplifying the process by which a tale can

be told, in much the same manner private de-tectives, police and lawyers have been used onscreen. Again, that is not overstating the impor-tance of journalism; rather it emphasises the keyfocal role a journalist can play as a storytellingconduit.

But cinema has a rather romantic view of jour-nalism. Contemporary views of the newsroom

in US studio lms such as Broadcast News andThe Paper show an overly collegiate atmosphereand an over-emphasis on the one big story forthe front page. Newspapers and television news-rooms are more complex beasts.

Indeed, they are currently in a state of uneasyux as technological and audience change bringsenormous, perhaps panicky, upheaval. Little

wonder a convincing recent drama about a USnewspaper investigation, State of Play , starringRussell Crowe and Helen Mirren, attracted mel-ancholic reminisces from old journos who lookedfondly at the end credits featuring a newspapersproduction and looked quizzically at the screen-plays commentary on the parlous state of thenewspaper.

There certainly wont be another newspapermovie coming out any time soon, so its kind of frozen in that way, said RB Brenner, The Wash-ington Post editor commissioned to consult onthe lm. And contemporary foreign correspond-ents might look strangely at their antecedentson lm lounging in exotic press clubs in lmslike The Quiet American and The Year of Living Dangerously . Todays foreign correspondents aredriven by a 24-hour news agenda and constantling across all forms of media from print andradio to online and TV.

Times have changed, as will journalism onscreen, although you can bet there will still be a

journalist or two framing the story.

Observing the observerprovides many interestingthemes for lmmakers

MICHA EL B O D EY

CHANGING TIMES

Dustin Hoffmanand Robert

Redford in AllThe Presidents Men


3/8

According to TheWashington Post (and if any newspaper shouldknow its The Post),ournalists have appeared

as characters in close to1000 movies - mostly forentertainment value. Onlya few lms, such as AllThe Presidents Men, have

been based on real eventsand real reporters. There

were Robert Redford andDustin Hoffman who

worked on the Watergate

story and brought down apresident Or should that be Bob Woodward andCarl Bernstein who starredin the movie?!

At the Journalism onScreen Film Festival,presented by the Centrefor Advanced Journalism,University of Melbourne,

we cant offer you 1000movies, but we haveselected some of the bestand most interesting.They include rare classics,screen gems and award-

winning contemporary

lms. So, of course, Citizen Kane is on the list and AllThe Presidents Mentoo.Were condent weve alsofound some rarely seenand very intriguing lms.

As well as the lmprogram, well bepresenting lively paneldiscussions with some

of Australias leadinglmmakers and journalists.Over the week, theyll beexploring the changing ways in which movies,popular culture, and the

media themselves, portray journalism and journalists.Knowing the journalistsand lmmakers weveinvited live, we predictthat the entertainment- and maybe even thedrama - will not beconned to the screen!

The Film Festival reectssome of the Centresmain objectives. It wasformally established in2009, under the leadershipof its Director, MichaelGawenda, a distinguishedAustralian reporter and

editor, to stimulate publicdebate on importantissues facing journalismin all media, to undertakeresearch which illuminatesthose issues, and toprovide a learning andideas environment for journalists.

On the Centres behalf I am grateful for the veryencouraging support wevereceived from the Festivalskey media sponsor, TheWeekend Australian, and tothe Melbourne Press Clubfor their support of our

opening night showcase.And a special thanks to allthe critics, commentators,creative artists and cinemafans on our panels, notto mention the working journalists who are there totell the real story.So book early. Book often.See you in July.

UNCOVERING THE TRUTH MONDAY 12 JULY 6PM

Investigative reporting requiressustained research to expose thesecrets that governments andpowerful institutions want neverto see the light of day.Chris Masters is one of Australiasnest investigative journalists.His report The Moonlight Stateinvestigating police corruption inQueensland initiated the FitzgeraldInquiry and a raft of legislativereforms. Hedley Thomas revealedto The Australian readers explosivefacts on the Dr Jayant Patelmedical negligence case and thepolice investigations into terrorsuspect Dr Mohamed Haneef.ames Button talks with Chris and

Hedley about the responsibilitythey feel to tell not only a goodstory but one that serves thepublic interest.

COVERING CONFLICT:TO DIE FO R? TUESDAY 13 JULY 8PM

War correspondents have existedas long as journalism. Onassignment in war zones, theyface the real threat of injury ordeath to get the story.Why do they do it? And is thestory really to die for?Featuring BalibodirectorRobert Connelly, photojournalistfor The Age, Jason South andThe Australians GregSheridan.

HEROES ORDIRTBAGS? THURSDAY 15 JULY 8.20PM

Most surveys tell us that journalists rate somewhere between politicians and usedcar salesmen in public esteem.Villains seem to dominate theclassics such as Sweet Smellof Successand Citizen Kane.Theyre depicted more as rascalsand rogues in His Girl Friday and To Die For but since Allthe Presidents Menand morerecently, Good Night and Good Luck , journalists have beenportrayed as public watchdogs -holding the powerful to account.So, which is closer to the truth?Featuring Australian lmmakerDavid Parker, acclaimed novelistand journalist Helen Garner, thecontroversial and entertainingDerryn Hinch and The Australians Cameron Stewart.

FROM PRINT TOBROADCAST TO BLOG FRIDAY 16 JULY 8.20PM

At a time when newspapersaround the world are in decline,

what is the future for quality journalism? This centuryhas seen dramatic changesin the way news is published and consumed. Is this theend of factual reporting or the

beginning of a new freedom of expression?ABC TVs Jennifer Byrne, The Drums Jonathan Green , socialcommentator Sally Warhaft andThe Australians Evan Williamsdebate the future of quality

journalism.

JOURNALISM: A LOVE STORY SATURDAY 17 JULY 6.10PM

Armed with sassy one-liners,elaborate hats and a reportersnotebook, women journalists inearly cinema were either one-of-the-boys, romantic interests orcomic foils. During the the 70sand 80s we saw the likes of JaneFonda, Faye Dunaway, MerylStreep and Holly Hunter playsmart, ambitious and talented

journalists striking a balance between work demands andmatters of the heart. Herald Sunlm reviewer LeighPaatsch, Latelines Leigh Salesand The Australians MichaelBodey and Michaela Bolandexplore gender wars, romanceand occasionally true love in thenewsroom.

DONT LET THEFACTS GET IN THEWAY: ETHICS IN REPORTING SUNDAY 18 JULY 4.10PM

Join the debate that continuesto rage: does the media makeunethical compromises, howaccountable are publishers,news editors and reporters foraccuracy and balance? Are theethical standards depicted incinema a true reection? Are

reporters who invent storiesthe rare exception many in themedia claim them to be?The Ages Jim Schembri, ABCTVs Virginia Trioli, The Chaser sChris Taylor and Alan Attwood,editor of The Big Issue, steer theship through the murky waters of ethics in professional journalism.

Sunday 11 July: Opening Night Gala

6.30 Special guest: Margaret Pomeranz (ABC TV)

8.00 Screening Citizen Kane

Monday 12 July : Uncovering the Truth

6.00 FestivalForum

James Button In Conversation with Chris Mastersand Hedley Thomas

7.00 Screening Veronica Guerin

9.00 Screening All The Presidents Men

Tuesday 13 July: Covering Conict: To Die For?

6.00 Screening The Year of Living Dangerously

8.00 FestivalForum

Peter Cave (ABC), Robert Connelly (Director, Balibo), Jason South ( The Age) Greg Sheridan ( The Australian)

9.00 Screening Balibo

Wednesday 14 July: No Screenings

Thursday 15 July: Heroes or Dirtbags?

3.40 Screening Frost/Nixon

6.00 Screening Good Night & Good Luck

8.20 FestivalForum

Derryn Hinch(3AW Broadcaster), Helen Garner (Novelist, Journalist),David Parker (Filmmaker), Cameron Stewart ( The Australian)

9.20 Screening Sweet Smell of Success

Friday 16 July: From Print to Broadcast to Blog

3.30 Screening The Soloist

6.00 Screening To Die For

8.20 FestivalForum

Jennifer Byrne (ABC TV), Jonathan Green (Editor, The Drum),Evan Williams ( The Australian) Sally Warhaft (Social Commentator)

9.00 Screening State of Play

Saturday 17 July: Journalism: A Love Story?

2.00 Screening The Devil Wears Prada

4.10 Screening His Girl Friday

6.00 FestivalForum

Leigh Paatsch ( Herald Sun), Leigh Sales (ABC TV),Michael Bodey and Michaela Boland (The Australian)

7.10 Screening Roman Holiday

Sunday 18 July: Ethics in Reporting: Dont let the facts get in the way

12.00 Sc reening Capote

2.10 Screening Network

4.30 FestivalForum

Jim Schembri ( The Age),Virginia Trioli (ABC TV),Chris Taylor ( The Chaser ), Alan Attwood (The Big Issue)

5.40 Screening Shattered Glass

7.15 FestivalConclusion

Join us for a drink at the festival bar!

Sam Lipski AMCHAIR

Welcome

Festival Forum Diary

Program

JOURNALISM ON SCREEN FILM F ESTIVAL | 11-18 JULY 2010 | 3 JUNE 19-20, 2010


4/8

ALAN ATTWOODAs a journalist, Alan Attwoodhas covered events as diverseas the rst free elections inSouth Africa, soccer in NorthernGreece, political intrigue inMorocco, four Olympic Gamesand all four Grand Slam tennistournaments. He was the NewYork-based correspondent forThe Age and Sydney Morning

Herald newspapers (1995-1998).He won a Walkley Award forcoverage of sport in 1998. He isalso the author of two novels, oneof which was short-listed for theCommonwealth Writers Prize.Alan began writing for The Big

Issue in 2003 before becomingeditor in 2006. Alan is a memberof the Centre for Advancedournalisms Advisory Board.

CAMERON STEWART Cameron Stewart is The

Australian s Associate Editor,specialising in investigativereports on national securityissues such as terrorism, defence,federal politics and international

affairs. After graduating fromMelbourne University he workedat the spy agency DefenceSignals Directorate before

joining The Australian in 1987.He has been The Australian sVictorian Editor, foreign affairs

and defence writer and NewYork correspondent. He has wonve Melbourne Press Club quillawards, two News Limited NewsAwards, the Graham PerkinAward for Australian Journalistof the Year 2008 and this year,

was awarded the MonashUniversity Gold Quill.

CHRIS MASTERS Chris Masters retains the recordfor the longest serving reporteron Four Corners . Between1983-2008 he made over 100reports for the program, manyof them nation shaping. TheBig League (1983) triggered theStreet Royal Commission andreforms to judicial accountability.French Connections (1985), anexclusive on the sinking of theRainbow Warrior earned Christhe Gold Walkley. Chris is nowa contributing editor for The

Daily Telegraph and an author.Chris book Jonestown (2006)has won three awards includingBiography of the Year.

CHRIS TAYLORChris Taylor is a writer andperformer for The Chaser team,responsible for The Chasers War on Everything, CNNNN and TheChaser Decides on ABC TV. He

worked as a journalist for veyears before joining The Chaser newspaper as its senior writer.Chris also co-hosted TodayToday on Triple J and wrote themusical comedy Dead Caesar (2007) for the Sydney TheatreCompany. More recently Chrisco-hosted the US electionprogram The Race Race, which

became the number one podcastin the country. This year hecreated, wrote and performed inThe Blow Parade for Triple J.

DAVID PARKERDavid Parker is one of Australiasforemost lmmakers. Malcolm

was the rst feature lm whichhe wrote, shot and produced

with director Nadia Tass, winning eight Australian FilmInstitute awards and numerousinternational awards. In 1989

Parker shot The Outsiders forFrancis Ford Coppola, the pilotfor the television series. Parkerthen wrote, produced and shotThe Big Steal with Nadia Tass,

winning Parker the AFI awardfor Best Screenplay. In 1991

Parker shot his rst US feature, Pure Luck . In 1992 he producedand shot the BBC mini-seriesStark , based on Ben Eltons noveland was awarded the AustralianCinematographers SocietyAward for Best Achievement inCinematography.

DERRYN HINCH Veteran broadcaster DerrynHinch is host of 3AWs Drive.Hinch has reported from China,India, Africa, Canada, England,Europe and the United States- from Cape Canaveral whenman rst went to the moon. He

was there for such turning pointsin history as the assassinationsof Martin Luther King Jr. andBobby Kennedy and Nixonsresignation at the peak of theWatergate scandal. DerrynHinch rst joined 3AW in 1979,

becoming King of Melbourneradio - before leaving to host

Hinch on the Seven Network andlater Ten. Since 2003 hes been

back with 3AW.

EVAN WILLIAMS Evan Williams, a formernewspaper editor andWalkley Award-winning

journalist, has been a lm criticfor The Australian since 1981.He previously reviewed lmsfor the Sydney Morning

Herald , Australian Playboy ,Quadrant and The Critics (ABC), and was chairman of the Commonwealth Film andLiterature Board of Review from1988 to 1993. He has been apress secretary and speechwriterto the Hon. E.G. Whitlamand was head of the NSWGovernments cultural sectorfrom 1977 to 2001. He is amember of the Sydney OperaHouse Trust and was made aMember of the Order of Australiain 2006.

GREG SHERIDAN Greg Sheridan is The Australian sforeign editor. He is a veteranof international affairs who hasinterviewed leaders all over theAsia Pacic and America. He

began journalism in thelate 1970s at The Bulletinmagazine. In 1984 he joinedThe Australian as an editorial

writer. Greg has been Beijingcorrespondent and Washingtoncorrespondent for The Australian ,

returning to Sydney in 1988 aschief editorial writer then toCanberra as the foreign affairs

writer in 1990. In 1992 he wasappointed the papers foreigneditor. His work has appearedin international newspapersincluding The Sunday Times, The

Asian Wall Street Journal , the Jakarta Post and the South China Morning Post .

HEDLEY THOMAS Hedley Thomas is The

Australians National Chief Correspondent, specialisingin investigative reports witha particular interest in legalissues, the judiciary, publicadministration, corruptionand politics. Hedley is theauthor of Sick To Death , a bookrevolving around surgeon Dr

Jayant Patel who was tried formanslaughter in Queenslandafter working as a director of surgery in a public hospital fortwo years. Hedley rst joined The

Australian in 2006 after stints

CITIZEN KANE (1941)144 mins. Considered by many to be the best lm ever made, OrsonWelless 1941 masterpiece, made when he was only 26, still unfurlslike a dream. In an attempt to decipher the meaning of publishingtycoon Charles Foster Kanes nal utterances, a reporter tracks downthe people who worked and lived with Kane; they tell their stories ina series of ashbacks that reveal much about Kanes life. Welles playsCharles Foster Kane, based on real life newspaper magnate WilliamRandolph Hearst, who aggressively attempted to sabotage theproduction. Written by Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz.Citizen Kaneis perhaps the one American talking picture that seemsas fresh now as the day it opened. It may seem even fresher.PAULINE KAEL, NEW YORKER

VERONICA GUERIN (2003)98mins. Based on the true story of famous Irish crime reporterVeronica Guerin (Cate Blanchett), this lm explores activist

journalism and the price one is willing to pay to expose the truth.After visiting the Dublin housing projects and witnessing thedevastating impact that the drug trade was having on the workingclass citizens, particularly the young children, Veronica began acourageous yet reckless journey to uncover and expose some of the most powerful and dangerous drug lords in Ireland. As herinvestigation deepened, Veronica and her family became targets of

violent threats and attacks. However, Veronica was not dissuaded andultimately sacriced her life in order to pursue her story. Dir: JoelSchumacher

ALL THE PRESIDENTS MEN (1976)136 mins. This compelling story chronicles the Pulitzer Prize-winninginvestigative reporting of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein fromtheir initial report on the Watergate break-in to their revelation of theNixon Administrations deep corruption. Robert Redford and DustinHoffman portray the duo writing for The Washington Post, uncoveringthe truth, naming sources and inciting a landmark investigation. Dir:Alan J. Pakula.The Washington Post described the lm as journalisms nest 2 hoursand 16 minutes.

SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (1957)96 mins. This classic lm noir tells the story of a powerful newspapercolumnist named J.J. Hunsecker, who abuses his connections todestroy the reputation of his sisters anc. Burt Lancaster plays themonstrous Hunsecker, who coerces fawning press agent Sidney Falcoto orchestrate a set-up. Tony Curtis, tired of doing pretty-boy rolesand having something to prove, fought to play the role of Falco, whopossessed the scruples of a guinea pig and the morals of gangster.Hunseckers character was based on real life columnist WalterWinchell, who invented the gossip column for the New York EveningGraphic. Dir: Alexander MackendrickTime magazine ranked the lm as one of the All-Time 100 Movies.

THE SOLOIST (2009)117 mins . Los Angeles Timescolumnist Steve Lopez (Robert Downey

Jr.) is desperate for story ideas. He discovers Nathaniel Ayers (JamieFoxx), a mentally ill man who possesses extraordinary musical talentand writes a column speculating the circumstances that broughthardship to Nathaniel. The two men form a friendship that is tested when Lopez tries too hard to improve Nathaniels life by getting himoff the street and on medication. A poignant true story about thegenuine personal investment a journalist makes in the subject of astory. Dir: Joe WrightThe story it tells, essentially true, is remarkable and moving.EVAN WILLIAMS, THE AUSTRALIAN

TO DIE FOR (1995)106 mins. Nicole Kidman delivers a deliciously devious performanceas Suzanne Stone, a small-town housewife who fancies herself as thenext Diane Sawyer. So determined is she to have a successful careeron TV that shell stop at nothing even the calculated murder of her husband (Matt Dillon) to get t he attention she feels entitled to.Gus Van Sant directs this darkly comical lm in the style of a tabloidnews show.A sharp, consistently funny blend of black comedy and satire on thedeleterious effects of television TIME OUT

Guest Biographies


1 2 3

9 10 11


5/8

FROST/NIXON (2008)122 mins. In 1977, threeyears after being forced fromPresidency in shame, RichardNixon agrees to an exclusive

with British lightweight talk-show host David Frost. Chargedperformances from MichaelSheen (Frost) and FrankLangella (Nixon) authenticatethis historic encounter. Dir:Ron Howard

GOOD NIGHT ANDGOOD LUCK (2005)93 mins. In the early 1950s, thethreat of Communism createdan air of paranoia in the UnitedStates and exploiting those fears

was Senator Joseph McCarthy.CBS reporter Edward R.Murrow and his producer FredW. Friendly challenge McCarthylive on air. Dir: George Clooney.This is a stunning lmM ARGARET POMERANZ, AT THE MOVIES

at The Courier-Mail , South China Morning Post , News LimitedLondon Bureau as foreigncorrespondent and a cadetshipat the Gold Coast Bulletin. He has

won ve Walkley awards and in2007 he won the Gold Walkley

for exposing the conduct of the Australian Federal Policein wrongfully pursuing DrMohamed Haneef.

HELEN GARNERHelen Garner is an award-

winning Australian novelist,short-story writer, screenwriterand journalist. After graduatingfrom The University of Melbourne, Helen became ahigh-school teacher beforepublishing Monkey Grip in1977. Helen has written twoscreenplays: Two Friends (1986),directed by Jane Campion andThe Last Days of Chez Nous(1992), directed by GillianArmstrong. Monkey Grip wasmade into a lm in 1982. In1993 she won a Walkley Awardfor feature journalism for herstory in Time Australia magazineabout the Daniel Valerio case.Her most recent novel, TheSpare Room has been widelyacclaimed since its releasein 2008.

JAMES BUTTON James Button has spent 20 yearsin journalism, working as deputyeditor, opinion editor and senior

writer at The Age. He startedat The Ageas a cadet in 1986,after co-editing the MelbourneUniversity newspaper. While at Time Australiamagazine in 1992he won a Walkley award forfeature writing. Button was theEurope correspondent, based inLondon, for The Ageand TheSydney Morning Herald. Jamesrecently worked as speechwriterin the Department of PrimeMinister and Cabinet.

JASON SOUTH Born in New Zealand, JasonSouth began press photographystraight out of school on theSunday Newsin Auckland. In1993 he moved to Australia

with a job on the Townsville Bulletin. Since joining The Agein 1995, Jason has covered jobsas varied as 100th birthdays toassignments in 15 counties. Jasonhas been awarded Australian

Press Photographer of the Yearin 1999 and again in 2003.

JENNIFER BYRNE Jennifer Byrne started her careerin journalism as a cadet journalist

with The Age in 1972. In 1993, Jennifer became the morningpresenter of ABCs Radio 2BL andin 1995 was appointed publishingdirector of Reed Books. Jenniferlater joined Foreign Correspondent ,

working both as host and reporterfor the program. In 2003 Jennifer

joined The Bulletin magazine, writing the weekly Lunch Withcolumn; after her rst year she

won two national magazineawards: for columnist of the yearand story of the year. Jennifernow has what she describes as herdream job as host of ABC TVs

First Tuesday Book Club .

JIM SCHEMBRI Jim Schembri began workingat The Agenewspaper in 1984,

where he presently worksfull-time as a feature writer,lm reviewer and culturalcommentator. After a decade

dedicated solely to journalism, Jim began developing his other writing interests. His rst book Room for One, was published in1994. He has since written over 40

books, including eight novels foryoung adults, several novelettes

and numerous illustrated booksfor children some of which have been published in Canada andthe United States. Jim loves to

write, catch mice, sing in the spa,talk on the phone and collect star

wars toys.

JONATHAN GREEN In his own words, JonathanGreen has been a journalistsince before you were born,

working as a senior editorand columnist at The Age formany years, including as editorof The Sunday Age, before

becoming editor of Crikey in2007. Jonathan is now editor of The Drum , ABCs online opinionand analysis site.

LEIGH PAATSCH Leigh Paatsch is Australias most

widely-read lm critic, with his

reviews reaching over 6 millionreaders weekly in newspaperssuch as Sydneys DailyTelegraph, Melbournes Herald Sun and Adelaide Advertiser , Brisbanes Courier Mailand online at ww w.news.

com.au. In a wide-reachingcareer since 1990, Leighs workas a feature writer andcolumnist has also gracedthe pages of publications suchas The Age, Rolling Stone,The Big Issue, The Sydney Morning Herald, The NewYork Post, Time Out Londonand the new Australianhumour website TheScriveners Fancy.

LEIGH SALES Leigh Sales anchors LatelineonMonday, Tuesday and Fridaynights. From 2006-2008,she was ABC TVs nationalsecurity correspondent andfrom 2001-2005, Washingtoncorrespondent, covering themomentous years after theSeptember 11 terrorist attacks.Leigh won a Walkley awardin 2005 for her coverage of issues surroundingGuantanamo Bay and was alsonominated for her on-the-ground reporting of Hurricane

Katrina. Leighs book, Detainee002: the Case of David Hicks

was published to widespreadcritical acclaim and won the2007 George Munster Awardfor Independent Journalism.Her second book, On Doubt

(2009), was published as partof Melbourne UniversityPublishings Little Book on BigThemesseries.

MARGARET POMERANZ Margaret Pomeranz began herprofessional life as a stringerfor The Bulletinand for ABCRural Radio. Margaret laterattended the PlaywrightsStudio at NIDA and began

writing for television, radio andlm. She joined SBS in 1980,establishing The Movie Show

with David Stratton in 1986.During that time Margaret wasexecutive producer of Front Up,Subsonics, the AFI Awards andthe If Awards. In July 2004,Margaret and David movedto the ABC where they have

been presenting At the Moviesever since. Margaret is a pastpresident of the Film CriticsCircle of Australia, currently

vice-president of Watch onCensorshi .

THE YEAR OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY (1983)117mins. An outstanding political thriller that instigated death threatsagainst its Australian Director (Peter Weir) and star, Mel Gibson(fresh from Mad Max and Gallipoli, poised for mega-stardom). GuyHamilton (Gibson) is an ambitious Australian foreign correspondentposted to Jakarta. He befriends the mysterious photographic

journalist and writer Billy Kwan (Linda Hunt), who has contacts inhigh places and organises interviews for Hamilton with rebel leaders.Kwan introduces Guy to Jill Bryant (Sigourney Weaver), a BritishEmbassy ofcer, and a passionate love affair begins. On the eve of the communist coup of 1965, Hamilton risks lives and relationshipsto chase the story of his career. Linda Hunts ground-breakingperformance as the Tolstoy-quoting Chinese-Australian cameramanstill astonishes.

BALIBO (2009)111 mins. The startling political thriller based on the real story of warcorrespondent Roger East (Anthony LaPaglia) and the young JoseRamos-Horta (Oscar Issac) who travel to East Timor to investigatethe murders of the Balibo Five in 1975. As Easts determinationto uncover the truth grows, the threat of invasion by Indonesiaintensies and an unlikely friendship develops between the lastforeign correspondent in East Timor and the man who will becomePresident. Director Robert Connelly will participate in our FestivalForum, To Die For.An important lm for this country MARGARET POMERANZ, AT THE MOVIES

STATE OF PLAY (2009)128 mins. A fresh political thriller following old-school reporterCal McAffreys (Russell Crowe) investigation into the death of congressman Stephen Collinss (Ben Afeck) mistress. Along withyoung political blogger Della Frye (Rachel McAdams), Cal workstirelessly to uncover the murder mystery that seems to be a smallpart of a much larger conspiracy. This is a gripping tale about therelationship between journalists and politicians. Helen Mirren, RobinWright Penn and Jason Bateman are great supporting characters.Dir: Kevin MacdonaldA top-ight thriller which not only racks up the suspense to an

almost unbearable pitch but also keeps you guessing right to the endDAVID STRATTON, AT THE MOVIES

HIS GIRL FRIDAY (1940)92 mins. Director Howard Hawks had the inspired notion of reworking The Front Pages Hildy Johnson - the ace newsman

whom editor Walter Burns is trying to keep from quitting andgetting married - a she instead of a he. Whats more, in this classicadaptation, shes not only Walters star reporter but also his ex-wife.When Hildy (Rosalind Russell) comes to tell Walter (Cary Grant)shes quitting the business, he bamboozles her into carrying outone last assignment; a death-row interview with a man convictedof killing a policeman. It sounds like a snap, but before you can sayscrewball comedy, the press room of the Criminal Courts Buildinghas become ground zero for all the lunacy of a jailbreak, a shooting,an impromptu suicide and

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA (2006)109 mins. Aspiring journalist and fashion tragic Andy Sachs (AnneHathaway) views her new job at Runway Magazine as secondassistant to editor-in-chief as a stepping stone to more serious work.Despite this, the icy and demanding Miranda Priestly (magnicentlydelivered by Meryl Streep) soon seduces Andy into the high life of fashion and frippery. Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt also contributeto a sensationally entertaining peep inside high-camp, haute-couturepublishing . Di r: David Frankel

CONTINUES NEXT PAGE

JOURNALISM ON SCREEN FILM FESTIVAL | 11-18 JULY 2010 | 5 JUNE 19-20, 2010

4 5 6 7

12 13 14


6/8

| Journalism on screen Film Festival | 11-18 July 2010 June 19-20, 2010

How To Book ticketsW s t s t s pp t t.

ticket types:

A c

Single

SeSSion(no orum)

$13.50 $10.50

SingleTickeT &

orumenTry

$16.50 $13.50 includeS admiTTance Toa eSTival orum WhereScheduled. See The

eSTival orum diaryor more deTailS

WeekdayPaSS

$28.00 $25.00 Se e uP To 3 ilmS Per day PluS orum. SelecT TheWeekdayS you WanT ToaTTend beTWeen mon12 July- ri 16 July andPurchaSe a PaSS oreach day (Save $$!)

oPeningnighTviP PaSS

$45.00 $42.00 includeS drinkS andcanaPS. limiTed TickeTSavailable

How to Buy single tickets: i P sv c b x o t t J t , c p StS t y .

online: v s t www. s. . t p s p ss s s t ts. a t ts p s . a t ts p s p t

p p t J t x .

telepHone:

c s ss s p 1300 555 400

How to Buy weekdAy pAsses: c 1300 993 150 t t -s ss w p ss w t t .

T ts t p st tt x t t 15 t s p t t t ss ss t t st s ss p s . P s

t p ss s t t ts p

op t s w s s pp t m P ss c

a t viP p t t ts p s . T ts sp s C t z K ,

s p s. y t s s tt xt t w -w j st !

FestivAl Forum: T t t st , s t w t s w t sp sts. a tt

st s t w t t t ts s q t . . tt t t p s ss u

t T t m 12 J s w t t p s t t tV r c G r. W s t t s

s ss s s w xp t t ts. S tst d t s.

venue: T J s S st s t st t t t st . c e p

J t s t t 1st f sts p t s . T t t ts s s s

j t s t ts t w t .

Address: 500 c p St, S t y , 3141m w s m p: 58, e4

disABility Access: a ss sp s l s 1 3 p l t ss t s p a ss t t t p a ss t t t s c s h t t t t

complimentAry tickets: v c s p -t t ts, g t v s t t s t J s S st s s.

vAlid concessions: Student/Pensioner = t st t id t .Senior =

S s ss t t.Melbourne Press ClubMembers = t mPc s p

commencement times: a s w t tt s t p s p pt t s pp t t.

S t s s . W p t s t d s t t w p pp x t 15 t s pt s ss t . l t s t tt .

door sAles: W t p t t t s s w st s ss s, t t s t t . st p t p s t ts t s t s ss

t s pp t t.

FestivAl conditions: a st s p s ss s st t t p s s 18 s ss sp

t w s . T s t s t ss t t t t t s, t q ts t st , s s t t o

l t t c ss t (o lc). st t ts, q , - - x . l st st t ts w

p . a s t s s .P s t t t s s t s s j t t . W

t t s t t t w t w, p p w t t t .

MiCHael Bodey m b s w t Th a str .P s w s s w z

t Th d T gr ph t Th ag .

T t w t mb -w t a ss : a str s g ct rs

r ct rs t h th c q r H .

MiCHael Gawendam g w s

a st s st w j sts t s. i j s spt s, m s

p t p t ,

sp t s l W s t , st, t w t , s ttT m m g z t

e t - -c Th ag (1997-2004). h s w s j s w s t W w s. m

s w d t t c t a J s ,

p w t t s t

p t q t j sp t , t J s

t t s p j ts.h t t s tTh ag , Th a str , Th M th Cr k t

ws t ts.

MiCHaela Bolandm b s t

ts w t Th a str , s m . b

s st t w w t Th a str F c R v V r t s w t

t t ,t t s w s ss. S

s w s p t p m , w s t C m P p rs

t t tTh agTh S ag. b -

t , w t m b ,a ss : a str s g

ct rs r ct rs t h thc q r H .

RoBeRT Connolly r t c s t w t

t t t

sTh B k (2001),Thr d rs(2005), B b (2009). h s -p t w -w sTh B s(1998) R m s, M F th r (2007). r t s wtw a st i st t t

w s s w t Th B k Thr d rs. R m s, M F th r w a i aw s b st .r ts s s

30 j t tst s t T t

i t t st S S st st .r t c tm 2001 w s p t P m st k r s2020 s s t.

Sally waRHaFT S W t s P d

t p s t t t sts w M w

S : Th Sp ch s Th t M a str .a tl T u s t rmiT

t Th M th z , a st s tz p t s, s t

t ts. S s t c t a

J s s a s b . Ss s t t

abc .

ViRGinia TRioli v T j abc lr 2001 Th B t.b t t s w s ws

p t , t s w t , ss st tws t st w t

Th ag . v s t t G r t F: S x, P r

th y g F m st(1996).i 1995 s w W aw

s ss p t .i 1999 s w t mP ss c s Q b stc st w . i 2001 s w W aw

t w w t st P t r t t

c o ss .S 2008 v s p s t aBC n s Br kf st.

roman Holiday (1953)118 mins. g s ss w e pp ss ( t a h p , st st )

s p s t s j s w s w t a J (g P ). J , w st t , s p t t t

tt t x s . h w w J t t t s p t P ss? T s s t t t t s j !d : W W

capote (2005)144 mins. W Th n y rk T m s, T c p t s

t t st t s k s s . h st t t t Th n y rk r t t t p st t w t s sp ts. d t t t , c p t(P p S h ) s t t w t P S t ,

t s t st s t t . c p t ssp t w ti C B - - t .

T xp s c p t s st tw s t s s w t s t tt t w t s s j t. d : b tt m

it t s s, s t s, ts enTeRTainMenT weeKly

network (1976)120 mins. h w b (P t ) s t t 25 s st t ws t t t w . h s

w , s t s t t t st t st t s t st w w

s s , i s i t tt !. d w s t xp t t p p ts s s t s w s h w s t t ss. d :S l t.o t s... t , THe new yoRK TiMeS W (w t ) c s t h w b ,

J Sp , h w St t W W stt ?roger eberT, re-revieWed in CHiCaGo Sun TiMeS

sHattered Glass (2003)94 mins. T t st j st St p g ss (hc st s ) w s t t ts s tw t s,

st w t tTh n R p b c t s w , s t t t , st s p s st s w t

s p t t . S , t t t t s t s s q st s s s w . Ts p s s S pt 1998V t F r t h.g.b ss , w tt t b r . a s st P tS s , r s d ws c S .a s s, w - s x t t p t j s THe new yoRK TiMeS

Guest Biographies

14 15

16 17


7/8

IF a lm about journalists makes you want to be a journalist, it has probably succeeded. If youare already a journalist, and the lm still makesyou want to be a journalist, it has doubly suc-ceeded.

Reporters enjoy Russell Crowes portrayal of shambolic reporter Cal McAffrey in State of Play (2009). McAffrey is cynical, middle-aged andslightly fed-up, but knows hes got the best job inthe world at least, when things get going. And

when he realises he has just met the killer, hedoes what any self-respecting journalist woulddo: he runs.

Journalists are not issued side-arms or given

powers to interrogate. This means we crave ac-tion more than soldiers and more than cops, butaction can be broadly dened. It can be foundsitting at a desk, when the phone calls are com-ing fast and furious and you look up, hours oreven days later, and realise the rest of the worldhas not existed.

It can be the simple excitement of rst touch-ing down in a city in Asia on assignment, walk-ing unfamiliar streets, looking at the people. Itcan be found walking those same streets andlooking at the same people, only everything hasturned upside down: disaster, terror, war or con-ict has struck.

Because the dead dont speak, it is not possibleto ask those reporters who have died coveringsuch events whether they considered their mis-sion worthwhile. But this much can be said ontheir behalf by the living. They wanted to go, be-cause if they didnt go, that can only mean onething: they didnt go. The Balibo Five went.

Australia does not have a long history of lmsabout reporters, even though you might havethought The Year of Living Dangerously (1983)

would have spawned a grand tradition. It did nothappen because the work of repor ting is passiveand observational. You may need to escape, butyou cant shoot your way out. Cops and soldiers,

as characters, are easier to explain.And so it was with doubt and fear and a care-

ful noting of the escape routes in the cinema that I went to see director Robert Connellyslm, Balibo. It is seen through the eyes of RogerEast, last reporter standing in East Timor whenthe Indonesians invaded in December 1975. He

wasnt standing long. He was immediately takento the waterfront and executed. East, played byAnthony LaPaglia, is a 53-year-old with strongleftist sympathies, looking for a cause.

The lm backtracks as East and the young Jose Ramos Horta take a journey to Balibo tond out what became of the ve. This journeyis balderdash it never happened. By then theIndonesian well and truly controlled the west-erly parts of East Timor, including Balibo, but itdoesnt particularly matter. It gives us a chanceto meet East, who was based in Darwin. La-Paglias East reminded me of some older lefty

journos I met in Darwin newsrooms when I wasstarting out, which was only a few years afterEast was killed.

Where Balibo really hits its straps is in its por-trayal of the ve who died reporter MalcolmRennie and cameraman Brian Peters (Channel9), reporter Greg Shackleton, cameraman Gar-ry Cunningham and soundman Tony Stewart

(Channel 7). These young men had no honedpolitical axes, just the generic mission statementof reporting an injustice. It made them in some

ways journalistically purer of motive than East, who went to Dili to work as a propagandist forthe edgling Revolutionary Front for an Inde-pendent East Timor, aka Fretilin.

The key to this lms success is that Connollydoes not fall into the trap of bestowing on theve noble political motives, or making theminto something more than what they were. Heacknowledges that the nest motive of all, forany journalist, is to get the story.

Shackleton, in a quiet way, comes across asdeeply moved by the plight of the Timorese,

who will be abandoned by Australia and the world. This is perfectly valid. If a reporter can-not recognise an injustice, then he cannot rec-ognise a yarn in the rst place. Mercifully, theve are not given to ne speechmaking or eerieintrospection as their deaths approach.

They are mostly raw blokes, ordinary working journalists who wanted to do something excit-ing but underestimated the ruthlessness of theIndonesians. None of them suffers a lingeringmovie death. Their deaths are savage, swift andterrifying. Its probably exactly as it happened.

It took them more than a quarter of a cen-tury but the Balibo Five, through their sacrice,did, nally, get the story out. It is all the moreremarkable that a lmmaker was able to rep-resent them without disturbing the dial on the

bullshit-o-meter.

IS it any surprise the journalistic love storieson screen are from another era? His Girl Fridayand Roman Holiday, for instance, evoke a time in

which lms played more like fairytales.Audrey Hepburns debut in Roman Holiday

plays like an old Disney animation with the

handsome young prince in the guise of a jour-nalist played Gregory Peck awakening the prin-cess from her slumber.

Certainly journos were a little more dashinglast century if we recall Cary Grant in His Girl

Friday or Burt Lancaster as the conniving gossipcolumnist in Sweet Smell of Successor Clark Ga-

ble in It Happened One Night , playing a charac-ter who was a journalist in name only. Contrastthem with the slovenly journo Russell Crowedepicted in State of Play or the emotionallyaddled Roger East Anthony LaPaglia playedin Balibo. Journalism appears to have worn

men down while the women, as ever playthe effervescent producer making the

men look good, like Holly Hunters Jane in Broadcast News, or the

pesky reporter who breaks toomany rules, such a s Sally FieldsMegan Carter in Absence of Malice.

But lm hasnt been kind tofemale reporters. In the 1930sand 1940s, female charm or wiles were used to land the

scoop, and partner, notintelligence or wit. In herpiece in Slate earlier thisyear questioning whyfemale reporters inlms are so pathetic,Sara Libby noted thederogatory term sobsisters was coinedaround the 1940s todescribe women re-

porters in lm and real life who were seen to of-fer emotional and sympathetic coverage of sto-ries involving other women. Even as recently inCrazy Heart , where Maggie Gyllenhaal playeda maddeningly nave reporter, Hollywood hasseen the female journalist as little more than alove-struck thing using her profession to landa man.

The gender imbalance in lms about journal-ism has scarcely changed. Men are the tough-talking, brave searchers for truth; women usesexual charm to get stories that serve their ownpurposes.

Yet arguably, this gender imbalance haschanged no more than in media organisationsthemselves. Back in 1994, Glenn Closes castingas a newspapers managing editor in The Paper

was something of a novelty until we saw she wasfrozen from further advancement by the blokeynewspaper culture.

And the career path of Nicole Kidmans des-perately ambitious weather girl in To Die For isseemingly played out on Australian televisionevery six months by another ingenue tappedfor stardom by a male executive. Even televisionpresenters have plastic surgery these days.

Consequently, love stories in lms about jour-nalism are blighted by an unequal reading of the roles of the male and female in journalism.Besides, there is nothing particularly specialabout love stories in newsrooms because thereis nothing particularly romantic about love inthe newsroom.

Its a messy business often brought on by working closely in a stressful, deadline-fuelledarena. A short lm would sufce.

Journos were moredashing in thelast century

MICHAELBODEY

Anthony LaPagliain Balibo

ALL ISFAIR INLOVE

A QUESTBalibo acknowledges thatthe nest motive for any

journalist is to get the story

PAUL TOOHEY

Cary Grant,Rosalind Russell,and Ralph Bellamyin His Girl Friday

JOURNALISM ON SCREEN FILM FESTIVAL | 11-18 JULY 2010 | 7 JUNE 19-20, 2010


8/8

STUDY MEDIA, PUBLICATIONSAND COMMUNICATIONS AT THEUNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE.

The Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences at The University of Melbourne offers programs that equip graduates with theskills and knowledge to understand the changing nature of media industries and professional practices in the contemporary world.

Master of Creative Writing, Publishing & EditingMaster of Global Media CommunicationsMaster of Publishing and Communications

Visit www.arts.unimelb.edu.au/graduate/mpc

STUDY MEDIA, COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLISHINGAT THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE.

THE Year of Living Dangerously stands not onlyas a great Australian lm but as one of the trulygreat lms about journalism.

And like a good newsroom clash of egos, PeterWeirs 1983 lm starring Mel Gibson and Sig-ourney Weaver sparked its own stoush betweenco-screenwriters Christopher Koch and DavidWilliamson.

No, youre never happy with these things,laughs Koch, on whose novel of the same name

the lm was based. There was a lot of bad bloodat the time but it was a long time ago. I went toWeir with this because basically I admired his

work and of course its a lm with some terricqualities. I think it could have been better butits a pretty good lm.

The tale of a group of foreign correspondentsin Jakarta on the eve of a coup to unseat Presi-dent Sukarno in 1965 was loosely based on theexperience of Koch and his brother Phillip inIndonesia at the time. Koch was an ABC radioproducer lent to UNESCO to help establish aradio education service in Indonesia after thecoup; his brother Philip was the ABCs corre-spondent in Indonesia during the coup.

It has long been cited as an exemplary lm

about the passion and relentlessness of aforeign correspondents life. Koch admitsone of its subsequent joys has been thenumber of journalists, some prominent,

who have told him his novel and lminspired them to become foreign corre-spondents.

But the double Miles Franklin Award- winner laughs he doesnt want to disap-point anyone when he admits his rstinstinct was not to write about journalists,later played by Gibson and Weaver. Hismain interest was Billy Kwan, who be-came the dwarf cameraman and contactor xer for Gibsons Guy Hamilton. Billy

was played by Linda Hunt in an AcademyAward-winning performance next to Gib-sons awed hero.

I had a false start with it, Koch admits.I wanted a character who was rather like

the dwarf jester of the Middle Ages whosable to tell the king the truth. Im interest-ed in mythology and this is what Billy does he tells people things they dont want tohear.

Originally, Billy was a dwarf working ina bookshop and the novel was going to becalled The Dwarf of Melbourne.

The main theme was Billy would hero worship a leader gure who he would theneither try to assassinate or do somethinglike that. I thought (then Victorian Pre-mier) Henry Bolte really doesnt have a lot of impact though, Koch laughs.

Ultimately, Kochs novel very much endedup being a story about news coverage after he

thought of placing Billy in a situation in whichhe could tell unholy truths in the court of Su-karno.

He concedes the novel was largely authenticthanks to his brothers help although Koch was

part of the journalistic milieu and knewmany of them.

Strangely enough I would have liked to be a correspondent myself but that neverhappened so I can view them a bit moreromantically than if I actually did it, hesays, before adding total immersion in

journalism wasnt crucial.One of the things about being a novelist

is you do invent. A lot of people dont un-derstand that, they think youve somehowtransmuted reality straight down and itsnot like that.

Koch returned to journalism in his MilesFranklin Award-winning novel about anAustralian war photographer in Indo-Chi-na, Highways to War , which has recently

been optioned to be turned into anotherlm.

He notes a journalist can be a great pro-

tagonist and driver of a narrative.Journalists see history being made infront of them and theyre not involvedin terms of steering the action, theyre

watching almost as outsiders. That meansyou can put a charac ter into very interest-ing situations, he says, still holding ontothe romanticism of an old-style foreigncorrespondent. Thats a very special oc-cupation.

And the novel and lms legacy as a rep -resentation of journalism? Koch is hum-

ble. I hope it was seen as ction which it is,he notes. I like to set a ctitious story againsta real background and try to make the back-ground as accurate as possible.

MEDIA THRIVES ONNOVEL TRANSFORMATIONThe Year of Living Dangerouslyis about the passion andrelentlessness of a foreigncorrespondents life

MICHAEL BODEY

The poster for The Year of Living Dangerously


journalism on screen program guide

Documents