Scott Hicks.

CinefestOZ Film Festival has announced renowned Australian film director, producer and screenwriter, Scott Hicks as the 2017 Festival Jury Chair.

Internationally acclaimed, Hicks has been nominated for and won many prestigious awards for his work. His film Shine was an international box office sensation and was nominated for seven Academy® Awards, including two for Hicks for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, with Geoffrey Rush winning Best Actor.

Hicks’ first Hollywood studio film, Snow Falling on Cedars starring Ethan Hawke, also received an Academy Award nomination and was followed closely by Hearts in Atlantis, an adaptation of the Stephen King novel, starring Anthony Hopkins.

Other directorial credits include No Reservations starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, The Boys are Back, starring Clive Owen and The Lucky One starring Zac Efron which debuted at no.2 on the U.S. box office charts. Such credits have further cemented his position as a celebrated international filmmaker.

Based in Adelaide, Hicks is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, the Australian Academy, the Directors’ Guild of America and the Australian Directors’ Guild. A stalwart of the Australian film industry he is also a passionate documentary filmmaker, work for which he has been awarded both an Emmy and a Peabody.

On being invited as Jury Chair for 2017, Scott Hicks said “I’m honoured to be involved in the 10th anniversary of prestigious film festival, CinefestOZ. The $100,000 film prize is of major significance and will provide a tremendous boost to the career of the winner.”

Festival Chair, Helen Shervington, said “Scott Hicks has carved out a stellar career in Australia and internationally and we are delighted to have such a respected Australian director head up our Jury this year. The Festival is a wonderful opportunity for the industry and wider community to come together in the spectacular South West region and enjoy and celebrate Australian film.”

Hicks will be joined on the 2017 CinefestOZ Film Prize Jury by a selection of esteemed film industry professionals, to be announced soon. The prize was created to encourage excellence in Australian filmmaking with its $100,000 award to an Australian feature film or feature-length documentary.

In 2016, this prestigious award was made to Girl Asleep, directed by Rosemary Myers, which went on to win the AFCA Award for Best Film, the AACTA Award for Best Costume Design, and the Future Wave Youth Jury Award at the Seattle International Film Festival.

The film was also nominated for a host of other awards, including AACTA Best Director, as well as being recognised at the Berlin and Buenos Aires International Film Festivals. CinefestOZ is supported by the State Government through Tourism WA’s Regional Events Program. Rio Tinto is a proud Premium Partner of CinefestOZ. The festival acknowledges its strong partnership with Screenwest, Lotterywest and Screen Australia.

The full CinefestOZ film and event program and ticket sales go live on 28 July 2017. Early Bird tickets and festival passes will be available from 7 July at the CinefestOZ website. http://www.cinefestoz.com