New CEO
Sandra Levy is appointed CEO of AFTRS, after previously holding positions including Director of Television at ABC, Head of Drama at Zapruder’s Other Films, Director of Development Nine Network, Head of Drama Southern Star and Head of Drama ABC.
As a producer, she worked on series such as Police Rescue, Palace of Dreams and G.P., and produced including Serenades, High Tide and The Well, which was selected for competition at the Cannes Film Festival. Levy’s previous Board member appointments include Film Finance Corporation Australia, the Australian Film Commission and the Australian Film, Television and Radio School, and the Sydney Theatre Company.
AFTRS relocates from North Ryde to a state-of-the-art, purpose-built facility at the Entertainment Quarter in Moore Park, adjacent to Fox Studios. The building is officially opened on 22 May by Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts Peter Garrett, who says, “The Australian Film Television and Radio School’s new home will provide our next generation of film-makers, radio broadcasters and technicians the best chance of success in a challenging and dynamic industry.”40
The fulltime Foundation Diploma is directed at a younger cohort of students with an interest in working in the film industry, new media or television broadcasting. The inaugural intake is of 51 young students, the majority of them aged 18-23. Foundation students rotate through the following workshops: Character, Performance & Script, Juxtaposition & Rhythm, Creative Experiences, Image, Story & Audience, Emotional Noise, Observation and Research, Designing Worlds and Professional Practice.
AFTRS cinematography alumni Warwick Thornton is awarded the prestigious Camera D’Or at Cannes Film Festival for his directorial debut Samson & Delilah, which he also lensed. Among other accolades, Thornton’s 2017 feature Sweet Country went on to win the Special Jury Prize at Venice Film Festival and in 2023 he was nominated for Un Certain Regard at Cannes with The New Boy.
The first issue of the biannual LUMINA, the Australian Journal of Screen Arts and Business is published and distributed. From 2009 to 2015, the LUMINA journal publishes essays, interviews and reflections on topics impacting the screen and broadcast industries. Each issue focused on a particular theme with the first exploring ‘Genre’.411
AFTRS is ranked in The Hollywood Reporter’s list of best film schools in the world and the only Australian institution on the list. It continues to appear on intervening years lists, including in 2023, the school’s 50th year, as one of 15 top global film schools. The article states: “Australia’s leading screen arts and broadcast school benefits from a beautiful Sydney campus and a deep pool of industry lecturers and close ties with the Australian film community.”
The first intake of students begin the Master of Screen Arts (MSA) and the Master of Screen Arts and Business (MSAB).
In the Master of Screen Arts, students can specialise in directing (drama or documentary), screenwriting, producing, production design, cinematography, sound design, screen music, editing, digital media, factual television or a cross-disciplinary field.
Meanwhile the Master of Screen Arts and Business (MSAB) aims to teach the next generation high-level skills in leadership, management, and finance as well as providing a hub to network with peers and mentors.
After two years at the Met School in London, Neil Peplow returns as CEO, having previously worked at AFTRS as Director of Screen.
Peplow remains on board until 2019 and said at his last graduation ceremony as CEO: “This School was set up in ‘73 precisely because, at that time, few film and TV shows were produced by Australians. Gillian Armstrong once said that when she saw Phillip Noyce’s first film, she felt unsettled and didn’t know why. Then it struck her: the actors were speaking with an Australian accent on a big screen—a rarity in those days. We must ensure that we never lose sight of that progress and evolution. To keep moving forward, Australian stories must still be told; Australian voices must continue to be heard. Above all, your skills must serve that higher goal—to define and defend the values that make this country special.”
Alumna Margaret Sixel sweeps the awards circuit for her editing on Mad Max: Fury Road beginning with her AACTA Award win for Best Editing, and followed by the ACE (American Cinema Editor) Eddie Award, BAFTA, and Academy Award for her mammoth task of wrangling 480 hours of footage into the two-hour feature. Sixel completed the 1989 Specialist Extension Certificate in Editing at AFTRS.
The first intake of students for the Bachelor of Arts (Screen) begin study. The new BA aims to provide students with a comprehensive screen education that is broader and deeper than specialised technical training.
From 307 applications with creative portfolios, 114 students enrol, with 35 of these Foundation Diploma alumni. Now called the Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production, the degree continues to this day.
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