ACMI Stories & Ideas

What lies beneath Australia's roads?

29 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

One of the most curious chapters in Australia's cinematic history began in 1948 when petroleum group Shell Company of Australia formed its own film pr...

The story of Universal Everything – Matt Pyke

09 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For two decades, Universal Everything's Creative Director, Matt Pyke, has been working with teams of curious and creative beings worldwide to create l...

Works of Nature Soundscape: Breath

21 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As an artist collective, Marshmallow Laser Feast seeks to find emotional resonance in scientific stories – stories that connect us to the more-than-...

Works of Nature Soundscape: Death

21 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As an artist collective, Marshmallow Laser Feast seeks to find emotional resonance in scientific stories – stories that connect us to the more-than-...

Works of Nature Soundscape: Collectivity

21 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As an artist collective, Marshmallow Laser Feast seeks to find emotional resonance in scientific stories – stories that connect us to the more-than-...

Works of Nature Soundscape: Care

21 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As an artist collective, Marshmallow Laser Feast seeks to find emotional resonance in scientific stories – stories that connect us to the more-than-...

Honouring Essie Coffey and Uncle Norm Hunter(NAIDOC 2023: For Our Elders)

04 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This special episode of the Mirring Yalingwa Podcast, hosted by Wurundjeri and Ngurai-Illum-Wurrung man Jasper Cohen-Hunter, was recorded at ACMI to k...

Making Short Films with Writer/Director Greta Nash

15 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Greta Nash's most recent short film, Heart Throb (2023), is about an 18-year-old, Gray (Gabriel Cali), whose love for his best friend Angelo is compli...

Managing expectations as a solo game developer with Anthony Tan

10 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Since 2016, artist Anthony Tan has been working on Way To The Woods, a third person adventure game where a deer and a fawn must embark on a journey th...

Choosing the right form for story with Jason Christou

19 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Have you considered what form is best for your story? In this episode, we talk about Jason's path into the industry and strategy for storytelling; fi...

Making art documentaries with Eva Otsing

08 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We explore how music can inspire the filmmaking process. This episode's guest is Eva Otsing, an Estonian born and raised visual artist and filmmaker. ...

Creating art for videogames with Zahraa Al Zubaydi

14 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is for those interested in creating visual art for games. Our next guest on Inside ACMI X is concept Artist Zahraa Al Zubaydi who is cur...

What's a parasocial relationship? Talking fans and celebrity with Sarah Scales

24 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is for anyone fascinated by celebrity culture. Sarah Scales is a PhD Candidate at Swinburne University researching the theory of parasoc...

Making dark comedy with Emile Zile

10 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is for deep thinking comedy lovers. Our guest is Emile Zile, an artist, filmmaker and performer who talks to us about his darkly comic p...

How many hours does it take to be a woman? with Tyler Payne

06 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For our season finale, we interview new-media artist, PHD candidate and Lecturer at RMIT University, Tyler Payne. Tyler's work focuses on the genre o...

Making music and games with Jacob Leaney (Things for Humans)

17 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is for creatives juggling multiple passions. Meet our next guest on Inside ACMI X, Jacob Leaney, who has found a way to make music and ga...

The business of making games with Julian Wilton (Creator of 'Cult of the Lamb')

03 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Inside ACMI X, we talk to resident Julian Wilton, Creative Director at Massive Monster Games Studio, about his experience making ga...

The Drover's Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson – Leah Purcell in conversation with Bryan Andy

03 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Writer, director and star of 'The Drover's Wife: The Legend of MollyJohnson', Leah Purcell, spoke to us about her thoroughly researched, Blak feminist...

Upskilling the Australian Workforce Using Mixed Reality with Emma Parker and Chris Leaver

04 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week on Inside ACMI X, we’re talking to Emma Parker and Chris Leaver from experiential training company Isonomic, to explore how they’re usin...

Re-imagining Independent Filmmaking with Kylie Eddy

21 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we invited filmmaker, author and co-founder of Lean Filmmaking Kylie Eddy to discuss how she has re-imagined the development, product...

Narrative Design in Videogames with Alexander Swords

05 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This fortnight, we're talking to writer and narrative designer, and ACMI X resident, Alexander Swords. Alexander made the switch from writing for film...

Mentorship and storytelling with Denise Eriksen

15 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we discuss mentorship and storytelling in the screen industry with Denise Eriksen, co-founder of Media Mentors. Using her wealth of e...

Making and selling NFTs with artist Marc-O-Matic

08 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, VR and AR artist Marc-O-Matic began exploring the Crypto Art and NFT space, expanding his work into blo...

AIDC2020 - The War on Press Freedom (and What to do About It)

03 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE Is Australian press freedom an endangered species? What can be done to prevent the media being portrayed as the enemy of the p...

AIDC2020 - Real World Impact: TV with Social Purpose

27 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

CRAFT Meet the key people behind hit ABC shows that have delivered real world impact, and find out what’s next in 2020. Commissioning distinctive T...

AIDC2020 - Niche to Broad, Big to Lean: Concepts of Scale in Factual

20 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

CRAFT Leading factual producers reveal how they tackled projects of scale … and scale doesn’t always mean big budget. Leading factual producers ...

AIDC2020 - Upskill: Writing Documentary, Shaping Story with Jen Peedom

12 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

CRAFT Director Jen Peedom discusses her story-focused approach to documentary writing, from pre-production through to editing. What does it mean to...

AIDC2020 -Passport to the Big Leagues: What's Next for International Networks

06 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

BUSINESS Three major international cable networks discuss what worked in 2019, what's coming in 2020 and what they're looking for now. Discovery Inte...

AIDC2020 - Masters of Producing: Gordon Quinn of Kartemquin Films

28 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE Meet the producer and creative director at the heart of one of the world's most enduring and celebrated documentary collective...

AIDC2020 - Upskill: Creating Character with S. Leo Chiang

21 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

CRAFT Emmy-Award nominated Director S. Leo Chiang takes a deep dive into finding and developing complex documentary characters. In this craft session...

AIDC2020 - Masters: Creative Producing with John Smithson

14 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

CRAFT John Smithson discusses the creative challenges in crafting story in his new true-crime series I, Sniper. High-end crime serials have become th...

AIDC2020 - Masters: Ninder Billing on How to Make Programs That People Will Watch (and Not Sell Out)

07 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

CRAFT BAFTA award-winner Ninder Billing shares her insights on how to turn an idea into irresistible factual content. In conversation with Ninder Bil...

AIDC2020 - Masters: Multi-Sensory Perspectives with Robin McNicholas

01 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

INNOVATION Join Marshmallow Laser Feast’s Robin McNicholas as he sheds light on their multi-sensory experiences at the intersection of science, tech...

Cleverman origin stories: Muya

21 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We all have muya, the essence or aura of who we are. It's what makes you you.

Cleverman origin stories: The Cleverman

20 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Hunter Page-Lochard tells us about the person who is the conduit between the Dreaming and this world: The Cleverman. Written by Ryan Griffen. Republis...

ACMI Conversations: Art Politics Protest

01 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Join artists Gabrielle De Vietri, Hanna Brontë and Eugenia Lim to talk video art and challenging provocations in the spheres of identity, immigration...

ACMI Conversations: Electric Girlhoods and Alices Past and Future

01 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Alice was first brought to life by Lewis Carroll, but she's sparked imaginations and been immortalised on screen many times since. Join film critic a...

ACMI Conversations: Empathy Machines

01 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

With each technological advancement, from early documentaries to social issue games and immersive VR, we've heard the promise of being able to step in...

ACMI Conversations: Preserving the Artefacts of the Future

01 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

How does a museum collect WeChat? Or show a laptop that was destroyed by security agencies because it held government secrets leaked by whistleblowers...

ACMI Conversations: Pleasure Of Pixels

01 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Video games can transport players into ethereal experiences, create unique communities and become a medium for interactive and experimental art. Join...

ACMI Conversations: Interpreting Alice

01 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

There are innumerable theories of Alice, Wonderland and the characters she meets along the way. Was Lewis Carroll inspired by hallucinogens? Reacting...

ACMI Conversations: Decolonising Aboriginal Representation

01 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Decolonising the Australian film industry and how First Nations people want to be portrayed are the current debates with Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...

ACMI Conversations: Mainstreaming Disability and Appearance Diversity on Screen

01 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Did you know that twenty percent of Australians live with disability? You probably wouldn't guess that from our media. But things are gradually impro...

AIDC 2018: Brand + Filmmaker = Story

09 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In an ever-changing media landscape, and with audiences savvy and cynical about advertising, brands are looking for more subtle ways to draw their cus...

AIDC 2018: The Evolution of Impact

04 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

How do we build stronger alliances and create impact campaigns that engage audiences on issues, to create lasting change? The phenomenal rise of docu...

AIDC 2018: Errol Morris' Wormwood ... like producing 3 films at once

02 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Robert Fernandez has been producing award-winning documentaries and commercials for over 25 years - yet he still loves getting his hands dirty on budg...

ACMI Conversations: Retro Nostalgia

27 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Is the recent trend in 80s retro films and TV symbolic of a nostalgia for a simpler era? The 80s was a decade renowned for its excess - think money, ...

ACMI Conversations: A Thin Black Line

27 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this talk we explore the creative, technical, cultural and collaborative practice of creating VR from personal histories for this moving new work. ...

ACMI Conversations: Anime and Feminism

27 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Are the heroines of modern anime confronting the stereotyped female characters that preceded them? Or are they still designed merely to service the fa...

ACMI Conversations: Beyond the Binary

27 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The representation of gender diversity on screen has a complex history, from invisibility to stereotypical representations of otherness, including the...

ACMI Conversations: Changing The Game

27 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

ACMI presents Changing the Game, where speakers Steph Convery, Clem Ford, Leena van Deventer and Rae Johnston talk survival strategies for being a wom...

ACMI Conversations:The Psychology of Fear

27 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In our uncertain era full of real life horror, what's driving our appetite for true crime and fascination with the macabre? From recent documentaries ...

ACMI Conversations: Superheroes, Ethics and Justice

27 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

From the Marvel and DC cinematic universes to small screen caped-crusaders and vigilantes, superheroes are more popular than ever. But how do superher...

ACMI Conversations: Art, Science and Tech in VR

27 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

From the surface of the sun to the depths of the prehistoric seas and the earth's orbit, VR continues to open portals onto worlds we could never physi...

ACMI Conversations: The Future According to Women Documentarians

27 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This talk celebrated International Women’s Day with local filmmakers telling powerful and revealing stories. Filmmakers Sari Braithwaite, Chloe Brug...

ACMI Conversations: The Future of Storytelling

27 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Interactive digital narratives, fully-immersive VR, open source gaming, robots writing novels – what does the future of storytelling look like? What...

Retracing Crafting a Story in Audio Documentary AIDC 2018

19 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Masterclass with the creative team behind podcast Trace Despite the global success of podcasts like Serial, the team behind Trace didn’t set out to...

The Art of Cutting it Fine AIDC 2018

16 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Editing Masterclass with Erin Casper In this exclusive masterclass, Erin will share her personal approach to editing by thinking about the constructi...

Drawing Fashion: Manolo, YSL and the Melbourne Scene

21 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Fashion illustration is experiencing a renaissance. Fueled by the shareability on social media, talented illustrators can now catch the eye of both co...

Colleen Atwood: Dressing Alice

06 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In the lead up to the opening of Wonderland ACMI Curator Jess Bram spoke to Colleen Atwood about her work designing the costumes for the 2010 Tim Burt...

Enigmatic Genius - Unpicking Yohji Yamamoto

02 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Yohji Yamamoto has been reinterpreting the rules of fashion for over four decades. In light of the Australian premiere season of Yohji Yamamoto: Dres...

Series Mania 2017 Sunshine Q and A

17 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

This Q&A with Ian Collie, Wally Elnour, Ez Eldin Deng, Anna McLeish, Sarah Shaw, Matt Cameron and Elise McCredie follwed the screening of the first ep...

The Missing Picture

12 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In Cambodia's first Oscar-nominated film, director Rithy Panh uses clay animated figures, archival footage and voice-over narration to tell a deeply p...

Race, Politics and Identity

06 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

“We need to raise it up, we need to fight and to shout, but we also need to bring it down, to talk and to listen in order to make change” Donald B...

Series Mania 2017 Get Krack!n Q and A

06 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Having conquered the cutthroat world of satirical online cooking shows with The Katering Show (Australian TV's all-time most viewed digital series), t...

Code Breakers Breaking The Code

23 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

To celebrate the opening of the groundbreaking exhibition Code Breakers, join us for a discussion with some of the top female critics, developers, des...

Aardman Masterclass

09 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Join us for this animation industry masterclass with the founders of Aardman Studios Peter Lord and David Sproxton, and Academy Award-winning animator...

A Night Out With Aardman

09 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Spend a grand night out with the award-winning founders of Aardman Animations, Peter Lord and David Sproxton! In this exclusive talk the creators of ...

Aardman Podcast Part 4: Machines and Inventions

28 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

One aspect of Wallace and Gromit's world that audiences find so endearing are the fabulous inventions' and contraptions. Their eccentricities are so f...

3. Aardman Podcast Part 3: Sculpture

28 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Some puppets have complex wire structures like the wererabbit and some are simple like Morph who is pure plasticine and uses it to his advantage. He c...

Aardman Podcast Part 2:Drawing

28 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

From little ideas big things grow. Drawing and sketching is where ideas are hatched. Hear the stories behind the drawings of Shaun the Sheep and Were ...

Aardman Podcast Part 1: Who is Aardman?

28 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Peter Lord and David Sproxton started making films together when they were 12 years old and have been making films ever since. This year Aardman Stud...

Twin Peaks: No One Is Innocent

20 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Much to the joy of Twin Peaks fans, master of surrealist nightmares David Lynch has re-visited Twin Peaks after 25 years. Season three sees the return...

In Conversation with Warren Fu

07 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

“Emotional connection is almost always my goal - whether it is using humour, nostalgia, euphoria, heartbreak or fear.” Warren Fu This was a rare ...

Simon Alty Games Spot

31 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Alty has been in the video game industry for over 25 years and is currently the Managing Director at Zenimax Australia (Bethesda). Starting wit...

We Need to Talk About Denim

26 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Japanese denim is now considered the Rolls Royce of denim in the world today. In light of our screenings of Devin Leisher's revelatory documentary We...

Fire At Sea Panel Discussion

24 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Fire At Sea is a masterly work of documentary filmmaking about the Mediterranean island at the epicentre of the refugee crisis in Europe. Panel discu...

Stirring The Pot AIDC 2017

16 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

No network – commercial or otherwise – has fully escaped being the centre of some kind of public outrage and disgust over the last few years. But ...

Political Documentary In A Post AIDC 2017

11 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

At a time when fake news is said to have helped swing an election result, finding varied and reliable sources of information has never been more impor...

VR: Changing the Rules of Storytelling

11 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Storytelling is at the core of all human art. Storytelling provides a way of sharing and interpreting experiences, bringing an understanding and meani...

Jason Scott on the Internet Archive

03 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Jason Scott is a Free Range Archivist and Software Curator at the Internet Archive, a non-profit tasked with saving the content of the world. His work...

True Crime All The Time AIDC 2017

27 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

After the stunning success of Netflix’s Making a Murderer and HBO’s The Jinx, it seems that true crime is on the mind of every TV commissioning ed...

Kids In Control AIDC 2017

19 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Kids are living the content dream. As viewers, they demand content streamed direct to their personal devices wherever they are, whenever they want it....

This Is Not A Documentary AIDC 2017

31 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

When documentary and fiction collide, these films, and their creators, challenge conventions of how we tell, and how we respond to stories on screen. ...

One Film To Save The World AIDC 2017

28 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Filmmakers, their funders, sales agencies, PR firms, and festivals are all increasingly invested in knowing how exactly films can make social change -...

Criminalising Queer podcast

24 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The case of the San Antonio Four explored in Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four is one of many crimes in which the sexuality of the...

Impact Keynote Gender Tech Resistance AIDC 2017

22 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The world is entering a new era with hacking, targeted use of social media and ‘fake news’ challenging our ideas of the role of media in a democra...

Northern Exposure AIDC 2017

16 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

How local AR/VR producers can use the global market VR Plus Have you heard? By 2020, revenue from Augmented/Virtual Reality is forecast to reach $160 ...

Desperately Seeking Distribution AIDC 2017

10 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Alternative Pathways to an Infinite Audience The fast-changing evolution of the distribution landscape is one of the most vexing and unnerving issues...

Kid Warrior - Xiuhtezcatl Martinez

07 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The Kid Warrior himself, Xiuhtezcatl (shu-tez-cat) Martinez appeared in this special schools-only presentation during his debut Australian Tour. Meet...

Creative Entrepreneurship Spotlight

06 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Creative Entrepreneurship Spotlight - The story of CultureLabel.com & other creative industries pioneers Peter Tullin is a serial entrepreneur and Co...

Cameraperson Q &A with Kirsten Johnson

28 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Following the a screening on Sunday 26th February, filmmaker Kirsten Johnson and Australian International Documentary Conference CEO, Andrew Wiseman j...

Blockbusters, IP, and risk

23 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Russell Briggs, Director of Exhibitions & Collections ACMI As the source material for big pop-culture exhibitions begins to be locked up more and mor...

VR —hype, hope or just hard?

23 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Tea Uglow, Creative Director Google Creative Lab Nils Pokel, Digital Experience Manager Auckland War Memorial Museum Sarah Tutton, Senior Curator AC...

Lo And Behold: Reveries of a Connected World

20 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

An emoji smile has the same effect on the brain as a real smile...and other fascinating reveries. Werner Herzog is a self-confessed technical luddite...

Julia Kaganskiy: Cultural Incubators

02 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Julia Kaganskiy, Director of NEW INC and ACMI CEO Katrina Sedgwick discuss the role of 'cultural incubators' in our modern day institutional landscape...

Jim Jarmusch: Rock and Roll

23 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

"He looks superbly rock-n-roll in every connotation of the word." Media Production Team Leader Richard Greenhalgh talks with Senior Film Programmer Kr...

Philippe Parreno Thenabouts: Conversation with Amelia Barikin & Emma McRae

20 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Since 1988, when his first film Fleurs (1987) was presented as a background for a weather broadcast on French television, Philippe Parreno has sought ...

Designing Sound with Nicolas Becker

16 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Working with leading filmmakers such as Danny Boyle and Roman Polanski, Nicolas Becker’s many credits include Gravity, Ex Machina, Wuthering Heights...

Hope Larson Symposium Interview

13 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Hope Larson Symposium Interview