Jury Chairman

Margaret Pomeranz

Margaret Pomeranz has co-hosted The Movie Show/At The Movies

for twenty years. During her time at SBS she worked as an Executive Producer

on a number of programs including Front Up, The AFI Awards, the If Awards and Subsonics. She is a passionate advocate for freedom of expression and for our local film industry.

David Williamson
Writer, Producer, Director

His screenplays include Gallipoli, Pharlap, and The Year of Living Dangerously for which he received and American Writer’s Guild nomination for best screenplay.

His television credits include the mini series, The Last Bastion, The Four Minute Mile, A Dangerous Life, and in 2000 a new adaptation of Neville Shute’s On The Beach for US Showtime which was nominated for best Mini Series in the Golden Globe awards. David Williamson has won the Australian Film Institute film script award for Petersen (1974), Don's Party (1976), Gallipoli (1981) and Travelling North ( 1987) and has won eleven Australian Writers' Guild AWGIE Awards.

He lives on Queensland's Sunshine Coast with his writer wife, Kristin Williamson.

Caroline Jones
Writer, Producer, Director and Reporter

Caroline Jones is one of Australia's most respected broadcasters and communicators. She has been a film-radio-television writer, producer, director and reporter since 1963 and recently authored a bestselling book "An Authentic Life - finding meaning and spirituality in everyday life.

In 1997 Caroline was voted one of Australia's 100 National Living Treasures.

Leah Purcell
Writer, Singer, Director and Actor

Leah Purcell has starred in classic Australian plays, television drama and films such as Bran Nue Dae, Beasty Girl: The Secret Life of Errol Flynn, Parramatta Girls; Police Rescue, Fallen Angels, Love My Way; Lantana, The Proposition, Jindabyne; and also the creative force behind her own iconic Indigenous works Box the Pony and Black Chicks Talking.

Purcell is currently developing the QLD inspired films Netball, Black Beatles and The Whip through her company Bungabura Productions.

Leah is a proud Goa-Gunggari-Wakka Wakka Murri woman born and raised in Murgon in the South Burnett region of QLD.

Ron Johanson
Vice President Australian Cinematographers Society, Brisbane, Australia.
.Ron Johanson ACS has been at the helm of Brisbane based production company, The Roly Poly Picture Company since 1980. For the past 25 years, Ron has shot and directed countless television commercials in Queensland, Australia and around the globe.

Ron was a long standing president of the Australian Cinematographers Society (ACS) in Queensland and is currently serving as Vice President of the Society both in Queensland and Nationally. Ron was inducted into the ACS Hall of Fame in 2004 and received the Queensland New Filmmakers Kinetone Award for contribution to the Queensland Film Industry in 2004.

Cathy Henkel
Writer, Producer, Director

Cathy is a producer, writer and director of documentaries, shorts, features and online content. Her previous television credits include "Heroes of Our Time", "Walking Through a Minefield", "Losing Layla", (ATOM Award for Best Documentary, 2001) "The Man who Stole my Mother's Face", (Winner Best Feature Documentary at Tribeca Film Festival, New York and IF Award 2004) and “The Life and Legacy of Spike Milligan” (screened to over 4.7 million people.)

With her partner, Jeff Canin, they manage a digital production facility in Northern NSW called Hatchling Productions.

Loïc Valmy
Screen Music Composer, Sunshine Coast, Australia

French screen composer, now Australian Resident, Loïc brought his european musical influence to Australian Cinema Industry . His passion for cinema is as strong as his passion for music. That's why he likes to make the difference between "Music Composers" and "Screen Music Composers". He composed for international feature films, Tv series and Documentaries. While regularly giving lectures on "Film Music and Screen Composing", he devotes his life to his profession that he calls "The Second Love of his life".

www.loicvalmy.com

Holly Pittman
President, Noosa Film Society, Australia

Holly Pittman has been a member of the Noosa Film society since 2004 and is currently President. She regularly attends international film festivals, both in Australia and overseas and previewed many of the short films in the inaugural Heart of Gold Festival last year. She brings indepth knowledge and a keen passion for film to the jury.

Ed Morris
Film Reviewer Gympie Times, Gympie, Australia

Ed Morris is one of the most renowned teachers of English in Queensland. He inspires high school students to read and, more importantly, think. Ed teaches the subject English Extension (Literature) to year 12 students, and is on the State Panel for the subject with the Queensland Studies Authority.

He has written film reviews for the Gympie Times for many years.

David Hart
Contemporary Artist

The youngest son, of the late Pro Hart, David is fulfilling a promise by carrying on his father’s much-loved dragonfly paintings and using the secret techniques developed over his lifetime.

His works included in significant private collections around the world: Donald Trump (Entrepreneur), Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban (Celebrities), Jaoa Havelange (Fifa President), Lord Earl Spencer (brother of the late Princess Diana) and John Howard (Australian Prime minister) all enjoy David Hart paintings – he is indeed an internationally renowned artist.

For more information go to www.davidhartgalleries.com.au