CinefestOZ acknowledges the Wardandi, Piblemen, Menang and Yawuru people, the spiritual and cultural custodians of this land on which we live and work. We honour and respect the significant role First Nations people play in our community and in guiding us and allowing our festival to flourish.
Rachel Ward – Jury Chair
Rachel Ward is a director and writer of Australian film and television projects. Her film Beautiful Kate, starring Ben Mendelsohn and Rachel Griffith garnered 11 AFI nominations and screened in competition at Toronto and Palm Springs and Sydney Film Festivals. She won an ACCTA award for her short The Big House and has received three Critics Circle nominations for best director. For the ABC movie, An Accidental Soldier, Rachel received a ACCTA nomination for best director and for best film. Showtime’s six part series The Devils Playground of which Rachel directed three episodes, won both a Logie and ACCTA for best film or mini series. She has just completed the film Palm Beach, starring Bryan Brown, Greta Scacchi, Sam Neill and Richard. E. Grant, to be released in 8 August 2019. Rachel is also a multi-Golden Globe nominated actor who starred in the CBS’s biggest rating mini-series ever, The Thornbirds and the films, Against All Odds, Sharkey’s Machine and Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid among many others.
