Sony’s Glenn Gainor Set as CinefestOZ Keynote Presenter

By Patrick Frater

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Glenn Gainor, president of Sony Innovation Studios and head of physical production at Screen Gems, will deliver the keynote speech at the industry program of next month’s CinefestOZ Film Festival.

The small but densely packed festival takes place in multiple venues near Busselton and Margaret River in West Australia. It runs Aug. 28-Sept. 1 and offers A$100,000 ($73,000) to the winning film in its competition section.

Gainor, who has credits including “Think Like a Man,” and “Friends with Benefits,” is expected to speak about embracing technology as a tool of empowerment and how filmmakers can have their stories heard by millions through the use of emerging technologies.

As part of his address, Gainor will present the “World Premiere of Taste,” a film fronting the global launch of ’s new Xperia smartphone technology, Cinema Pro “powered by CineAlta” which offers cinema-quality images from a pocket-sized camera. He will argue that a lean and agile production philosophy can take film makers to exotic and remote locations. “Taste” is the story of a chef who uses advanced technology to source the sub-molecular essence of the food we eat without harming the environment.

“Glenn’s vision for the future of film production is truly inspiring. With its focus on innovation and exploring ideas for future-proofing the screen industry, inviting him to participate in this year’s industry program was a no-brainer,” said CinefestOZ CEO Malinda Nixon.

Other panels, workshops, and seminars, point the industry program firmly on addressing and seeking solutions to the challenges the screen industry is currently facing and likely to face in the future.

These include: an on-stage interview with actress turned director Rachel Ward, who is also head of the competition jury this year; a panel on how SVoD, OTT and emerging platforms are changing the media and entertainment environment; and a conversation between several West Australia post production firms about changing technology and creativity.

The festival’s full film lineup will be unveiled later this week.