CRIS JONES DEBUT DIRECTORS PRIZE
Taking great pride in helping to put a wide variety of Australian stories up on the big screen, where they belong, the society is particularly dedicated to supporting rising Australian talent.
At each festival, the society hosts a Q&A with a debut feature film director as part of the closing night gala, in honour of the late British-Australian filmmaker Cris Jones, whose debut feature The Death and Life of Otto Bloom (2016) closed the first festival.
From 2023, the prize is named in Cris' honour as he tragically passed away only months after appearing on stage with us. We were utterly devastated and raised enough cash for seat at Regents Street Cinema to be named in his honour.
Subsequent honourees for the prize have been:
Priscilla Cameron (The Butterfly Tree, LAFF 2018)
Imogen McCluskey (Suburban Wildlife, LAFF 2019)
Renèe Webster (How To Please A Woman, LAFF 2022)
Jub Clerc (Sweet As, LAFF 2023)