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John Collee

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Ian McCluskey

An Oscar-nominated scriptwriter and Emmy award winning documentarian are coming to Hobart up to
run master classes at this year’s Tasmanian eco Film Festival (TeFF).

Following Tasmania’s success at the national cinematography awards last year, festival director Kyia
Clayton was determined to ensure that budding Tasmanian film-makers didn’t forget about other
important aspects of the filming process.

“Tasmania has a wonderful history of producing world-class cinematographers
and we are blessed with an incredibly photogenic island. I think we also have
compelling stories to tell and the master classes this year are centred around sculpting fascinating stories
and using script & dialogue to present the story in a rich, effective way,” says Clayton.

With a host of film festivals bursting onto Tasmania’s scene and rapidly gaining popularity, film has
established itself as a powerful communication medium. “The purpose of TeFF is to highlight our
amazing environment and all the ways it needs us, helps us and makes us feel good. If we Tasmanians can
use our existing cinematographic expertise and pair it with interesting storyline and excellent script,
imagine the strength of the messages we will be able to convey through film,” buzzes Clayton.

The two TeFF master classes will draw on the expertise of Ian McCluskey, a quadruple Emmy award
winning American documentarian making his premiere appearance in Australia and Scottish-born John
Collee, whose film credits include Tanna, Happy Feet, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the
World (Oscar nominated) and Creation (a chronicle of the time in Charles Darwin’s life while he was
trying to finish Origin of the Species).

Clayton insists that the workshops “…aren’t just for film buffs, but for anyone who has ever wanted to
pick up a camera or write a story in any form.”

The Tasmanian eco Film Festival runs from the 17th to 20th of November at the State Theatre in Hobart
with events at IMAS, TMAG and Room for a Pony. Tickets for the master classes are available through
the festival website …

www.tassieff.com
Kyia Clayton