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When the creative minds of Tanya Babic and Jason Sukadana Aka Versus, whose directorial work we’ve frequently celebrated here on Dn, decided to launch Subversus – a new creative studio dedicated to creating positive cultural subversions – the output was bound to be impressive. Working in collaboration with the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Versus present Latitudes. Conceived with the objective of celebrating the diversity and often overlooked talents of Western Sydney which has historically been underrepresented both culturally and artistically, while also giving voice to the flourishing creative scene traversing movement, music and art. Through 18 months of work, 9 artists, 100 collaborators and 15 Western Sydney locations the duo surmounted several challenges along the way to bring to life a trio of films. Whilst these films each exhibit their own unique originally crafted voice, approach and theme, there is a fluid cohesion across the films which is testament to the already well-established voices of Babic and Sukadana.

Here Out West, which opens Sydney Film Festival tomorrow evening, is an anthology feature in which a baby being kidnapped from a hospital sets off a series of events that brings complete strangers together over a single day.

The project is the result of Co-Curious’ Behind Closed Doors initiative, a two year development program designed to connect new voices to experienced talent, backed by Screen Australia and Screen Nsw.

The script was written by eight emerging writers from Western Sydney, Nisrine Amine, Bina Bhattacharya, Matias Bolla, Claire Cao, Arka Das, Dee Dogan, Vonne Patiag and Tien Tran, and the film directed by Ana Kokkinos, Leah Purcell, Julie Kalceff, Fadia Abboud and Lucy Gaffy.

Newcomers Khoi Trinh, Jaime Ureta and De Lovan Zandy star alongside Das, Geneviève Lemon, Rahel Romahn and Leah Vandenberg.

Annabel Davis from Co-Curious and Bree-Anne Sykes produce the film, alongside Emerald Productions’ Sheila Jayadev. Blake Ayshford, Lyn Norfor...

Shaun Grant and Harry Cripps are among the writers aiming to win consecutive prizes at this year’s Awgie Awards.

Grant, who won the adaptation prize with Cripps for Penguin Bloom in 2020 and for the True History of the Kelly Gang in 2019, is nominated this year for his work on Nitram, against the Here Out West writing team of Nisrine Amine, Bina Bhattacharya, Matias Bolla, Claire Cao, Arka Das, Dee Duygu Dogan, Vonne Patiag and Tien Tran; Falling for Figaro‘s Ben Lewin and Allen Palmer; and The Furnace‘s Roderick MacKay in the original feature film category.

Cripps and Robert Connolly have been recognised for The Dry, which is one of two nominees for the feature film adaptation award alongside Babyteeth, written for the screen by the original playwright Rita Kalnejais.

In the television categories, Tony McNamara’s The Great is pitted against Wakefield, Five Bedrooms and Wentworth for...

With Nsw reopening for the fully vaccinated, Sydney Film Festival is set to finally go ahead, with a line-up that director Nashen Moodley believes is one the most diverse and exciting in the event’s 68-year history.

Traditionally held in June, this year has seen the festival pushed back twice, initially to August, and then November.

Yet when the Delta outbreak nixed the August edition, it was unclear that the festival would realistically be held at all. Indeed, Sff will mark the first major festival event to occur in Sydney’s CBD post-lockdown, a notion that fills Moodley with “excitement but trepidation”.

The move to November meant the festival was tasked with reconfirming every title that had been programmed so far. Overall, it lost about 20 films, but gained almost 30, including some of the year’s most anticipated out of Venice and Toronto.

Among the new additions are Jane Campion’s...