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‘The push by Howard’s government to open up yet more uranium mines makes the moral responsibility of where and who we dump the radioactive waste sourced from our yellowcake on all the more urgent,’ he said. He has secured a Dendy Films cinema release for the ďŹ lm. It will show in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, beginning in late October. Mr Bradbury is hoping to have a local screening beforehand. At BIFF, cinema critic David Stratton screened clips and presented a history of Bradbury’s diverse career. Twice nominated for an Academy Award, David Bradbury began his career in 1972 as a radio journalist with the ABC after graduating from the Australian National University with a BA in Political Science. His ďŹ rst ďŹ lm Frontline was a tribute to his late colleague, war photographer Neil Davis who was killed in the line of duty, and it earned him his first Academy Award nomination. His second nomination came for Chile: Hasta Cuando? Locally he is known for his two Battle For Byron ďŹ lms showcasing the impact of development and the surrounding politics on the Shire.
David Bradbury, centre, receives the Chauvel Award from Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman and BIFF artistic director Anne Demy-Geroe.
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Bradbury wins Chauvel Award David Bradbury, local ďŹ lmmaker with an international reputation, picked up the prestigious Chauvel Award at the recent Brisbane Inter national Film Festival (BIFF). The Chauvel Award recognises a distinguished contribution to Australian feature filmmaking. The award is named after well-known Queensland ďŹ lm pioneers, Charles and Elsa Chauvel, and previous recipients include actors Geoffrey Rush and Bryan Brown, producers Anthony Buckley and Jan Chapman, cinematographer John Seale and documentarists Bob Connolly and Robin Anderson. ‘Charles Chauvel was one of the pioneers of Australia’s ďŹ lm industry in the 50s and 60s,’ Mr Bradbury told The Echo. ‘It is quite ironic that he was working in an environment like today’s where the Yanks had subsumed the Aussie ďŹ lm culture and they were struggling against the odds as we now are.’ Mr Bradbury showed his latest documentary Blowin’ In The Wind, on the effects of depleted uranium, at BIFF. It also explores the lack of public awareness of the extent of Australia’s military alliances with the United States.
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D I S O R D E R
Beattie gets the rub from Sandy Gandhi
Obsession, saving the world, sex and crime occupied audiences at the Byron Bay Writers Festival over the weekend. Stimulating debate peppered with a great deal of laughter proved a successful formula once again as speakers covered a wide spectrum of issues from the possibility of a nuclear powered future to the hidden depths of the Australian music scene. One of the last sessions of the weekend, Sex: different approaches to an age old subject, drew a standing ovation for the deaf signer. He rose to the challenge of Leigh Redhead’s explicit reading from her raunchy novel, abandoning sign language and resorting to mime much to the amusement of the audience. Festival director Jill Eddington said on Monday that the responses from audiences had been ‘astonishing. They were so appreciative. The interesting thing this time is that every session was chocka and this was right throughout the program.’
When local comedienne Sandy Gandhi said she wanted to rub shoulders with the rich and famous at the Writers Festival, she didn’t realise she would end up rubbing the shoulders of Queensland Premier Peter Beattie in the massage tent. The visiting politician, and now author, took the ribbing dished out by Ms Gandhi in good humour. He denied the rumour that he was changing his name to Peter Beat-Me and only flinched slightly when Sandy asked the crowd in the massage tent to turn around while the Premier took all his clothes off. Photo Jeff ‘I rub you’ Dawson
The inclusion of three international writers was trialled this year and, according to Jill Eddington, has been endorsed by the positive reaction from festival goers. Indonesian journalist Putu Wijaya took part in sessions on fundamentalism and the aftermath of natural and man made disasters and delivered a lecture on the Psyche of Bali. Nancy Fraser and Eli Zaretsky, both of whom are professors from the New School in New York, gave their insights into feminism, globalisation, social justice and love. ‘The feedback was that the international writers brought freshness to the festival. They brought different opinions and a slightly different
voice. It is lovely to have new blood and a new aspect to the festival,’ said Ms Eddington. Early estimates put the number of visitations, or bums on seats, this year at around 33,000, an increase of around 25% on last year and on the ground surveys reveal the amount of visitors from outside the region is on the rise. ‘I want to thank the audiences, but also the amazing volunteers. We had 120 volunteers doing a range of jobs from hosting people, to selling tickets to rearranging chairs. This is such a great community event and we want to give our heartfelt thanks to everyone involved,’ said a delighted Jill Eddington.
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