After a long selection process, Alexander ‘Storry’ Walton is appointed director, taking over from retired Professor Jerzy Toeplitz. Walton had previously been head of the Interim Training Scheme in 1973 and upon its completion in 1974 remained as Assistant Director in charge of Fulltime Training.
In 1976 he was appointed Deputy Director. Walton started out at the ABC working on radio programs before becoming one of the pioneering producers and directors of Australian television, working on the likes of Mr Squiggle and the TV series adaptation My Brother Jack (1965).
In 1984 Walton was made a Member of the Order of Australia for service to the Australian film industry, particularly as director of the Australian Film and Television School.
Amendments to the Act in 1976 add radio and audio-visual communications to the School’s training responsibilities. Research into the needs of the radio industry is commissioned in 1978, and is followed by specific Open Program courses for broadcasters.
In 1981 a longer, more intensive radio course for people newly employed in commercial radio is added to the Australian Film and Television School and deals with copywriting, production and presentation. Facilities on campus include an announcer-operated presentation studio, a separate news and voice-over booth, a program make up area, and a full telephone talk-back system, provided with a digital seven-second delay.22
The School hosts the 21st Biennial Congress of CILECT (le Centre International de Liaison des Ecoles de Cinema et de Television) in Sydney. The two themes of the congress are television training and training for the developing world.23
First fulltime radio students
Following on from the radio training program that was launched in collaboration with FARB (Federation of Australian Radio Broadcasters) in 1981, the school introduces a three-month fulltime radio course in February 1983. Six women and six men from four capital cities and five regional centres undergo training. The course is extended to four months in 1984.25
On the appointment of Anne Deveson’s role as director, she announces a review of the role, functions and future directions of AFTRS. The findings and recommendations are published in The New Directions Review. The document is made public on 20 June 1986 – the same day a ceremony is held to commemorate the start of construction on the new building in North Ryde.
Jan Kenny becomes the first woman to receive ACS (Australian Cinematographers Society) accreditation.26 Kenny – who becomes Head of Cinematography at AFTRS from 1997-2009 – also holds the title of being the first woman to shoot a feature film in Australia (Fran in 1985).
Across her career, Kenny shot documentaries, commercials, two feature films and approximately 30 hours of television drama as well as working as a clapper loader, 2nd DOP, and focus puller. Kenny has been inducted into the Australian Pioneer Women’s Hall of Fame and ACS Hall of Fame. She is one of 20 women with ACS accreditation,27 with the list also boasting AFTRS tutor Carolyn Constantine ACS and alumni including: Jane Castle ACS, Leilani Hannah ACS, Velinda Wardell ACS, Nicola Daley ACS, Bonnie Elliot ACS, Zoë White ACS, Tania Lambert ACS, Justine Kerrigan ACS and Emma Paine ACS, as well as honorary Doctor of Arts recipient Mandy Walker AM, ACS, ASC.28
AFTS Becomes AFTRS
The Film and Television School Act is amended to include ‘Radio’ in the title, making AFTS now the Australian Film Television and Radio School, or AFTRS. An October 1986 issue of Filmnews wrote: “The Australian Film and Television School has added “radio” to its name.
The name change, to Australian Film Television and Radio School, which has to be passed through Parliament, is proving quite a mouthful for the hardworking switch people answering phones in the Sydney and Melbourne offices…”
The Industry Training Fund for Women (ITFW) initiative is established and follows the earlier On the Job Training Scheme for Women. A national program, it’s designed to upgrade the skills of women already working in the industry, with the underrepresentation of women highlighted in the 1987 survey Women in Australian Film, Video and Television Production.
Among the many beneficiaries over the years is Cate Shortland, who, ten years later while completing the Graduate Diploma of Arts (Film & Television) Directing, was supported in her attachment to James Bogle’s 1998 feature film In the Winter Dark and one of five successful applicants for ancillary assistance29. Shortland’s debut feature Somersault (2004) would go on to win multiple AFI Awards and screen in Un Certain Regard at Cannes Film Festival. She followed this up with Lore (2012), Berlin Syndrome (2017) and the Marvel/Disney movie Black Widow (2021).
On 12 October 1988, Prime Minister Bob Hawke opens the new AFTRS premises at North Ryde.
In 1988, when a new AFTRS building was opened at North Ryde, the library was named in honour of the School’s inaugural director, Jerzy Toeplitz.
When he began as director on 1 August 1973, Toeplitz had previously worked for the School as an advisor31 and was the former head of the Polish film school at Lodz and President of the International Federation of Film Archives. He retired from the position in 1979.
Toeplitz said at the library opening, that AFTRS, “has given impetus to new filmmakers and played a crucial role in the cultural life of the country.”
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