The film school.(Letters)

SIR: Despite its bleak view of the current state of the Australian film industry, the editorial in your January-February edition at least recognises that the industry has had many successes that have enhanced Australia's status in the world. It was disappointing, therefore, to read the gratuitous dismissal of the role of the Australian Film Television and Radio School in the editorial.

In reality AFTRS seeded the revival of the Australian film industry and has fuelled the many global successes of its films and film-makers. Very many of our most accomplished directors are graduates, including Phil Noyce, the director of Rabbit Proof Fence and Newsfront, a film rightly identified as a classic in your editorial, Gillian Armstrong (Oscar and Lucinda, My Brilliant Career), Jane Campion (The Piano, In the Cut), Rolf de Heer (The Tracker, Alexandra's Project), Chris Noonan (Babe), P.J. Hogan (My Best Friend's Wedding, Muriel's Wedding), Robert Connolly (The Bank), Rachel Perkins (Radiance, One Night the Moon) Samantha Lang (L'Idole, The Well), Sue Brooks (Japanese Story) and Ivan Sen (Beneath Clouds).

Less obvious are the hundreds of cinematographers, editors, designers and digital artists who provide a depth of high-level expertise that is internationally admired and which underpins our successful screenwriters, directors and actors. AFTRS has played the leading role in developing this production expertise in Australia--and continues doing so by building twenty-first-century skills for the evolving digital production environment.

Equally disappointing was the editorial's glib assertion that "film-making is best learned on the job", as if this was somehow in conflict with the AFTRS mission. In reality, the school is deeply committed to learning by doing. All of AFTRS student productions are made to fully professional standards and many ...