Well this is more than disappointing it’s bastardry. The Melbourne International Film Festival has refused to accept Global Shuffle, the documentary story of 20 years of Melbourne Culture as it has spread throughout the world in it’s festival this year.
Why ? They prefer hiphop and music from America rather than their own culture.
We call this the Cultural Cringe in Australia a feeling of repulsion some people have to their own culture because of deep seated feelings of inferiority in themselves. Overseas culture or the homeland is always better, Melbourne culture is nothing.
Of course local artists completely disagree and so do most of the world including 45 million or so, so far, who have watched the Melbourne Shuffle single by LMFAO the past few months in America (Update: and now Number 1 on charts around the world). So it appears MIFF is really out of touch not only with today’s audience and local culture, but also the USA and the other 100+ plus countries around the world who love the Melbourne Shuffle. See the international Shufflers who read this blog - live stats
This despite MIFF’s grand claims to champion local films ( and taking our $75 entry fee) in it’s
About MIFF http://miff.com.au/about
is Australia's largest showcase of new Australian cinema and most vocal champion of both emerging and established local filmmaking talent.
---------------------------------------------------------------
It’s just plain pathetic and NO, they are not the ‘most vocal champion of both emerging and established talent’, instead they cringe in favor of other countries product and do not represent local artists and culture. They shun them.
I will boycott the MIFF out of disgust to this decision, and suggest you do the same if you want to.
Please feel free to express your anger direct to MIFF for neglecting local culture for local audiences in this, the 60th Melbourne International Film Festival where we don’t rate a mention.
We’ve just made these public. This is what the Melbourne International Film Festival does not want to show you. WARNING: Racial issues and explicit language. May offend some viewers
UPDATE 28 May 2011
We have decided to formally withdraw our endorsement of the Melbourne International Film Festival for Global Shuffle.
Global Shuffle does not get any screening fee or any share of the box office money, the Melbourne International Film Festival keeps all of it, with nothing going to the film makers or shufflers in the movie.
The movie is entirely self funded by Garry Shepherd. - I’ve never had any government cultural funding I gave up after 10 years of rejections by our local state and federal governments. Unless it’s football or ballet, they think local culture is undeserving of our own local taxpayers money or inclusion in any official recognition in publications, ceremonies public events etc. We don’t exist in their world, we embarrass them because we’re not like Europe or America. In fact it’s they who insult us with their parochial insecurities and demeaning treatment. Only when locals receive acknowledgment and praise from Europe or America will our feeble governments publicly accept us of being of worth. Then we are paraded around to sell their new taxes and re-election ploys, or miss out on any promised film investment… A plague on their groveling cowardice.
So there is little incentive for film makers to be involved even if there was a change of heart. It’s pretty shabby treatment. All we get if included is a bit of publicity tucked away in a last minute dead zone programming schedule when everyones at work or school. There’s no pride in that, just insulting tokenism. [ Update: Nope, we didn’t even get a token gesture, that’s the low and typical treatment we artists get in Melbourne ]
We will now be looking to an arts or fashion festival in Melbourne to be involved in, and hold a meetup with the new Australian Melbourne Shuffle Championship which will be filmed for GS2 – due for release in 2013. All appearing shufflers and artists get a share of the box office.
We wanted to hold a meetup before and after the screening so shufflers could meet each other and try out all the new steps they’ve learned in the movie, and conduct the first ever Australian Melbourne Shuffle Championship. We contacted MIFF in october 2010 hoping to arrange this but there has been no interest and no contact regarding it.
Please check the forum for details of the new events
UPDATE 1 JUNE 2011
Here’s an example of our corrupt film funding system in Victoria as reported today by Melbourne’s Herald Sun The film makers get maybe $2000 (– yes to make an entire movie, shows you how serious they aren’t) but the film bureaucrats consumed $30,000 in booze and food in 3 hours just a few weeks ago, and spent more than my entire movie budget on a tribute dvd to the woman throwing the party. Apparently this was a secret drunken binge on our money, which a quite rightfully disgusted insider tipped off the press about. That’s film makers money from taxpayers, which taxpayers have been led to believe was funding our culture, not a private ego stroking party.
This is how artists are treated in this town, don’t be fooled by the glossy PR, the reality is very different and shameful.
--------------------------------
BUREAUCRATS boozed and scoffed their way through a $45,000 taxpayer-financed Film Victoria farewell party described by a State Government minister as an "outrageous and sinful waste of money".
The farewell for Film Victoria chief executive Sandra Sdraulig has resulted in the future of the government body being called into question in a review.
Despite offering grants of only $2000 to many Australian film producers, the bureaucrats and their friends ate and drank their way through almost $30,000 worth of food and booze in only three hours on March 22 while patting Ms Sdraulig on the back for her nine years in charge.
They spent $10,601.81 making a DVD tribute to Ms Sdraulig and more than $1000 on having photos taken for the gala cocktail party at the GPO.
------------------------------------------------
Update 9.50 AM 1 June 2011
Things are hotting up the Minister has cancelled all events – and drinks until these grubby deeds are investigated.
their (Film Victoria) core business is to support film and they've been more generous to themselves in their own entertainment than they have been to supporting many, many film productions….” Victorian State Minister Louise Asher"
Full story Herald Sun
After learning of the farewell on Friday through an opposition Freedom of Information request, Tourism and Major Events Minister Louise Asher launched an investigation into whether Film Victoria was fulfilling its obligations to support the film industry.
"It's an outrageous and sinful waste of money," Ms Asher said.
"I will undertake a review of Film Victoria to assess whether they are delivering their core business effectively because, on the face of it, their core business is to support film and they've been more generous to themselves in their own entertainment than they have been to supporting many, many film productions."
Invitations to the party were sent out to 280 people, including former premiers Steve Bracks and John Brumby, Oscar-winning animation director Adam Elliot and actors including Nick Giannopoulos and William McInnes - but not current Premier and Arts Minister Ted Baillieu or other Coalition MPs.
Ms Asher has written to Film Victoria's acting head Jenni Tosi demanding all scheduled entertainment, dinners and future events be cancelled and ordering records of all board expenses for the past two years.
The Government is demanding Film Victoria set up an accountability structure and is still waiting for an explanation from its board.
A Film Victoria spokeswoman yesterday referred Herald Sun inquiries to the minister, saying the organisation was not allowed to comment.
The Herald Sun was unable to contact Ms Sdraulig.
UPDATE 16 June 2011
Wow this corruption just gets worse, no wonder there’s no money for arts funding, these corrupt government pigs with their noses in the trough waste it all before it goes anywhere. Arts Victoria director Penny Hutchinson comes in for a damning report of corruption and cover up with widespread graft inside Arts Victoria. "She has also been willing to lie to my office and to Arts Victoria to conceal her conduct." Ombudsman investigation - Tonergate.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Reported in Melbourne’s The Age today.
The Ombudsman's probe into the purchase of cartridges also uncovered a widespread culture of graft inside Arts Victoria, where staff frequently accepted - and did not declare - complimentary opera, theatre and ballet tickets. In a damning assessment, Mr Brouwer said Arts Victoria director Penny Hutchinson's justification that the gifts related to staff members' professional roles was "naive" given many of the providers of the benefits survived on the basis of grants offered by the state government.
Mr Brouwer also slammed Ms Hutchinson for being reluctant to come to grips with a lack of management and auditing that had "allowed the corrupt conduct to go undetected".
In a series of findings, the report provided details of how tens of thousands of dollars of public money had been wasted buying non-genuine printer cartridges at wildly inflated prices in exchange for iPhones, MP3 players, an LCD television set and thousands of dollars in gift vouchers.
The report also details how public servants doctored invoices and destroyed records to cover their tracks.
The worst abuses occurred at Arts Victoria, where a project officer received gifts worth $8000 for ordering printer toner cartridges through the Melbourne-based company at a cost of up to $369 each. The government-authorised seller was offering the same item for $99.
The Ombudsman estimated that the same woman also bought enough black toner cartridges to supply the department for 40 years. Toner cartridges expire after two years.
I'm disappointed that GS didn't make it into MIFF this year, but that's certainly no reflection on its content, filming or editing. I enjoyed it and I've just posted a bit of a comment on my blog.
ReplyDeletehttp://juliejoyclarke.blogspot.com.
Good luck with it all Garry - you deserve recognition.