Sheffield DocsFest Announces Oz Director

Heather Croall, new director of Sheffield International Documentary Film Festival Sheffield International Documentary Festival has appointed Heather Croall as its new Director. Croall is formerly Director of the Australian International Documentary
Conference and will start her new post early in April.

Croall's career in the Australian screen industry has included working as a company
director, independent documentary producer, festival director and consultant. She has also worked for government film funding agency the South Australian Film Corporation, has gained international recognition for new media and cross-platform research and projects and regularly attends documentary and digital media markets, festivals, workshops and conferences around the world. 

We of Little Voice, a documentary about indigenous Australians produced by Heather CroallSteve Hewlett, festival Chair commented: "We are delighted to welcome Heather Croall to lead the festival team, I am confident that she will take this already established festival
on to new heights. With a track record of successful events management, an established reputation and boundless energy and enthusiasm Heather will make a great addition to a team ready to take on new challenges."

Croall's first Australian International Documentary Conference last year was hailed as a major international success. It attracted a record number of international buyers and award-winning guests. Croall was also awarded a fellowship in 2005 to research international developments in cross-platform documentary production with attachments at WGBH in Boston, The Bell Fund in Toronto, Nesta Futurelab and the BBC in London.

Heather Croall says "I am thrilled to be moving to the UK to work on a festival of
international repute and look forward to making the festival the premier point on the international calendar for documentary film and factual TV."

Sheffield International Documentary Festival this year runs from 30 Oct – 5 Nov, 2006

MORE INFORMATION ON HEATHER CROALL

Heather Croall from South Australia, Sheffield's new Director,  has pursued an international careeer in documentary filmHeather Croall’s career in the Australian screen industry has included producing and directing documentaries for Australian and International broadcasters, producing multi platform covergent projects, curating screen events, mentoring young documentary makers and working as a project assessor and funding agency project manager.

   REANGLE PICTURES

Heather established her company Re Angle Pictures in 1993 www.reangle.com.au. Through Re Angle, she has produced and directed documentaries for Australian and international broadcasters that have been screened at many festivals around the world. Her SBS/Channel 4 documentary Paradise Bent: Boys will be Girls in Samoa won a number of awards including the Silver Plaque at the Chicago International Film Festival. “Heather Croall has proven herself to be a passionate and humane filmmaker, dealing with a wide range of socially taboo subjects. Her ability to generate a visible place in her documentary work for what is otherwise largely unsayable is commendable” (REALTIME magazine).

Heather has programmed a number of screen events including Crossover Australia 2003 (a 4 day film and new media think tank), Digi Day at the Adelaide Film Festival http://2003.adelaidefilmfestival.org/forums_6.html and also the two events at the Adelaide Fringe Festival: Digi Docs 2002 www.reangle.com.au/digidocs and Futureproof 2004 www.reangle.com.au/futureproof/.

  SOUTH AUSTRLIAN FILM CORPORATION

As Senior Project Officer at the South Australian Film Corporation 2001-2003, Heather was instrumental in setting up the Digital Media Production Accords with ABC New Media & Digital Services and SBS New Media, and the subsequent initiatives the accords produced. High profile multiplatform initiatives that were produced under these accords include My Space is an Amazing Place (SBS) www.sbs.com.au/myspace and 4 Minute Wonders (ABC) www.abc.net.au/4minutewonders - a number of the 4 Minute Wonders projects went of to win many awards and the initiative put animators Luke Gibbs and The People's Republic of Animation into the lime light in Australia. Heather has just completed producing the critically acclaimed online project Usmob.com.au which has now attracted interest to be turned into a feature film. www.usmob.com.au. Heather is currently the director of the Australian International Documentary Conference. www.aidc.com.au.