Interview with Amelia Gilday Founder of Moontan Productions & CFIFF

Amelia Gilday Founder of Moontan Productions & CFIFF

Amelia is the Founder and Creative Director of Moontan Productions and the Festival Director for Changing Face International Film Festival.

Graduating from The University of Notre Dame in 2015 Amelia went straight into the film and theatre industries having worked on various projects and events in Australia, Oregon, USA, and London, UK. In November 2016 Amelia launched Moontan Productions. In 2017 Amelia completed her Masters at The University of New England. In early 2017 Amelia also launched CFI Film Festival which provides screening opportunities to independent filmmakers along with monthly and annual prizes.

Amelia’s most recent work includes writing, directing, and producing short film Girls Pty Ltd which just premiered at GUKIFF in Seoul, writing Pieces of You an international co-production between Moontan Productions, Ignition Films, and Tokyo Film & Movie Making Community, and writing, directing, and producing award winning 6 part web series License to Succeed. Amelia is currently producing TV series The LGBT Travel Guide.

Joshua Lee, Abigail Honey Loc_ Kangeroo Point, Brisbane Photo By Jarrod Kitto

indieactivity: Why did you get into film, what is your background as a filmmaker?
Amelia Gilday: I’ve always enjoyed story telling, I used to write a lot of short stories as a kid. I also was super into taking photos and recording skits with my sister and friends growing up. Around 16 or 17 I started to get really into filmmaking and started to think about it a bit more seriously. I decided to go to uni for filmmaking and theatre. I also spent some time living in London then Portland to check out different parts of the industry, after that I ended up launching my own company so now I do that as well as work on a mix of other projects.

indieactivity: Tell us about your film festival?
Amelia Gilday: CFIFF is currently in its 2nd season. This year we introduced monthly editions so we have a competition very month, there’s currently 11 categories. Monthly winners progress to our annual season and become eligible for more awards. I originally started the festival as a way to build a community of like-minded filmmakers. At times it can feel a bit isolating as an independent filmmaker so I wanted to create a festival where we can all hang out, discuss, and appreciate each other’s work.

Amelia Gilday, Abigail Honey, Nicholas Canvanagh, Joshua Lee Loc_ 3 Sisters. Photo By Jarrod Kitto

indieactivity: What value does your film festival bring to the independent filmmaking community?
Amelia Gilday: The main goal of CFIFF is to be an inclusive filmmaking community. We are looking for thought provoking films and short scripts from filmmakers and writers of all levels. I hope that CFIFF can provide another outlet for Australian and international filmmakers to have their work seen. I’m also really keen to grow the screenwriting side of the festival. As a screenwriter myself I often wish I could get more out of festivals so the goal is to create an environment where the screenplays are celebrated just as much as the films.

indieactivity: How does an indie filmmaker distribute his/her film?
Amelia Gilday: To be honest distribution is something I’m still learning a lot about myself. I started out making short form content and only in the last 12 months or so have started to produce series through my own company. From my experience I’ve found that distribution is all about getting creative and exploring different options. I’d recommend spending some time in your development phase figuring out who your target audience is and going from there.

The obvious thing to do is to try and get your film into festivals that buyers attend. You can also try to get your film picked up by an indie distribution company, there are more and more popping up all the time. Platforms like Amazon are also making it possible to self distribute, but I recommend building yourself or your project an audience before going down that path. Overall it’s hard not to get overwhelmed when looking into distribution but you have to remember that there are over 7 billion people in the world so there is plenty of space for you to find an audience for your work! Changing Face International Film Festival (CFIFF) is now partnered with SMG Distribution.

Abigail Honey Loc_ Brisbane Photo By Jarrod Kitto

indieactivity: At what period in the filmmaking process, does an indie filmmaker need to start planning for distribution?
Amelia Gilday: At the beginning of your project! When you start to develop a new project it’s really important to have a plan for where your film is going to end up.

indieactivity: How can filmmakers finance their projects?
Amelia Gilday: Finance can be one of the most stressful things for filmmakers, in particular emerging filmmakers. It’s always good to look into grants and see what’s out there but as filmmaking becomes more accessible it is important to get creative with funding. When I create new projects I like to consider the demographics I’m targeting. From there it becomes easier to look at crowdfunding or other fundraising options. I’d also recommend looking into in-kind sponsorships, lots of companies are willing to collaborate you just need to ask.

My main advice would be to create a campaign that gets people invested in your project, people often want to feel like they’re part of something so make them part of your film from the funding phase up to its screening whether that be by inviting them to your wrap party or sending them updates throughout filming there are always way to build a engaged community around your projects.

Amelia Gilday, Abigail Honey Loc_ Sunshine Coast. Photo By Jarrod Kitto.jpg

indieactivity: What films have been successfully acquired or distributed after being at your film festival?
Amelia Gilday: CFIFF is only in it’s second year and this year is the first year we will be having a live awards night event. Hopefully as the festival continues to grow and develop we will be able to attract more distributors.

indieactivity: Talk to us about your planning your film festival, what would you want filmmakers to know?
Amelia Gilday: Since we have monthly competitions we are pretty much constantly organising. Our monthly competition then feeds into our annual comp. We don’t have to many restrictions as we want to encourage the most diverse range of content possible. The main thing is that shorts be 20 minutes or less and screenplays are under 25 pages. If you want to come and join in on the fun of the Gala Night it’s on the 23rd of November at GU Film House Cronulla.

indieactivity: Describe your future plan for your film festival?
Amelia Gilday: Ideally I’d like to be able to expand the festival to include more screenings, opportunities for screenwriters to share their work, and of course more prizes! Ultimately my goal is to create a fun environment for filmmakers to network and enjoy each other’s work.

Abigail Honey Loc_ Kangeroo Point, Brisbane Photo By Jarrod Kitto

indieactivity: Tell us about what you think indie filmmaker need in today’s world of filmmaking?
Amelia Gilday: I think to be an indie filmmaker in the current climate you need to be ready to constantly learn and adapt. The film industry is great because it’s constantly evolving and there’s always ways you can develop as a filmmaker. You also need to be ready to put in hard work! The reality of the industry is that no one is going to be as passionate about your project as much as you, so instead of viewing that as a negative use it to keep pushing yourself to achieve your goals and create the content you want.

indieactivity: What are you currently working on?
Amelia Gilday: I’m currently producing a new travel series, The LGBT Travel Guide. It’s 12 episodes and follows our host, Abigail Honey, as she travels around Australia and New Zealand.

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