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Film
January 29, 2022 @ 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm
We all love the movies, but have they become a cultural battleground? Critics love Nomadland but Thor packs in the audiences. Women Oscar nominees are a talking point. Studio heads (yep, Harvey) have been ousted. Coppola calls comic-book movies ‘despicable’, while Scorsese says they aren’t even cinema. Are the Hollywood days over, or are the movies as good as they ever were?
Our speakers have produced, directed, written, bought and distributed award-winning films in Australia, Europe and the US. They give us their views on film and the film industry – what’s great, what’s not, and what’s changing.
Submit a question
If you like, you can send the speakers a question at [email protected]. Each speaker will pick their favourite question to answer on the night.
SPEAKERS
George Miller
George Miller began his professional life as a doctor and detoured into filmmaking, as a writer, a director and producer. His films include the Babe, Happy Feet and Mad Max movies. He is a patron of the Sydney Film Festival and the Australian Film Institute. He has won an Academy Award and was awarded the Order of Australia and the French Order of Arts and Letters for his services to cinema. He served as President of the Jury for the Palme d’or at the 69th Cannes Film Festival.
Rachel Okine
Rachel Okine is the Head of Features for Stan, Australia’s leading national streaming service.
Her career began at FilmFour in London in 2001. Returning to Australia in 2002, Rachel was the first employee of Hopscotch Films, later becoming General Manager and Head of Development at Hopscotch Features. Rachel moved to Europe in 2015 to become Paris-based Vice-President of International Production and Acquisitions for Studiocanal, a film production and distribution company that owns one of the world’s largest film libraries; and was subsequently appointed Vice-President of International Acquisitions for STX Entertainment in the UK.
Now back in Australia, Rachel is Head of Features & Development Executive for Stan, Australia’s leading national streaming service.
Troy Lum
At age 22, Troy was head of distribution at Dendy Films. In 2002, he launched Hopscotch Films, Australia’s leading independent distributor of films like Mao’s Last Dancer and La La Land. Lum’s film acquisitions were nominated for over 80 Academy Awards and grossed over $1bn at the global box office.
In 2009 Troy co-founded Hopscotch Features – a ‘one-stop shop’ for film finance, development, production and distribution. Its first films included Disney production Saving Mr. Banks; and Russell Crowe’s directorial debut The Water Diviner, Australia’s highest grossing film for 2014. Upcoming projects include All That I Am, starring Kate Winslet as war correspondent Lee Miller; and The Ruin, a TV series featuring Colin Farrell.
In 2004, Troy was listed as one of the ‘Top 50 Young Film Executives in The World’ by The Hollywood Reporter.
The Dinner
Venue – Ooralba, one of Kangaroo Valley’s most exclusive estates.
Our Michelin-trained chef for this evening is Nick Gardner, with wines from award-winning Tertini Wines.
CHEF - NICK GARDNER
Nick Gardner has a peerless pedigree. He trained at Quay restaurant – ranked No.1 in Australia by The Good Food Guide; was Sous Chef at Tetsuya’s; and won the Sydney Morning Herald Young Chef of the Year in 2013. Nick and his partner Stevie-Lee Bounader then travelled the world, allowing Nick to perfect his skills at a slew of triple-Michelin-starred restaurants including The French Laundry (a fixture on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, including the revered ‘Best of the Best’ category), Arzak in Spain, De Librije in Netherlands, Tom Aikens in England and Restaurant Frantzen in Sweden.
After returning to Australia, Nick and Stevie happily chose Kangaroo Valley to set up their Hampden Deli, Dining & School in 2018, delighting guests with their daily-changing deli goods, pop up degustation dinners and cooking classes … and now, the Milking Stool dinner.