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News

Mad Max Retro Screening

There will be a screening of the iconic Australian film Mad Max on Saturday 26 November at the Gold Coast Film Festival at Birch Carroll and Coyle Australia Fair Cinemas.

The screening will celebrate the work of Brian May, one of Australia’s most acclaimed film music composers and composer of the score to Mad Max, for which he won an Australia Film Institute Award in 1979.
 
Brian May first struck success with the 1970’s TV series Rush, his theme song for the series selling more than 100,000 record copies. He also composed the Countdown theme and, together with the Melbourne Show Band, helped launch the highly successful Countdown television series.
 
He composed more than 30 feature film scores, including Gallipoli, Tales from the Crypt, Nightmare on Elm Street, Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare, Dr Giggles and Mad Max.
 
Although he passed away in 1997, during his life Brian May was passionate about supporting and promoting the art of film composition in Australia. As such, his will established the Brian May Trust, a charitable testamentary trust that provides a biennial scholarship to promising Australian film music composers in order for them to complete a two year Master of Music Degree in Scoring for Film and Multimedia at NYU Steinhardt in New York City. The scholarship is valued at a substantial $80,000 and provides a career changing opportunity to the winner.
 
“Having known Brian, I am certain that he would be pleased with the work the Trust is doing. We offer the most promising film music composers in Australia the opportunity to go and perfect their craft at one of the best and most well regarded film scoring programs in the world. Currently the trustees are now calling for submissions for the 2012 scholarship and we look forward to honoring the 2012 winner at next year’s Gold Coast Film Festival in April.” Robert French, Trustee, Brian May Trust.
 
Joining us as a guest of the Gold Coast Film Festival and introducing the film screening is the inaugural winner of the Brian May Scholarship (2004/05winner) Anton Koch. Anton specialises in original composition, orchestration and arranging. His credits include experience in large scale and live events, theatrical and concert performances, television broadcasts including orchestrations for the feature film score The Exorcism of Emily Rose.
 
"Winning the Brian May Scholarship was an incredible experience. It allowed me to pursue my dream of composing and orchestrating and through study and training facilitated international networking opportunities and career advancement that would normally have taken decades. I am thrilled to be an ambassador for the scholarship and encourage all aspiring composers to become aware of Brian May's legacy". Anton Koch, Composer and prior winner of the Brian May Scholarship.

© 2012 Gold Coast Film Festival. All rights reserved.