FOI 21 036 Docs for release.pdf

Document 1
Application for Exemption or Declaration
This form is to be used for an application  for an exemption or declaration*  under  section  6H  of the Classification
(Publications, Films and Computer Games) Act 1995 (the Act) and section 9 of the Classification (Publications, Films and
Computer Games) (Conditional Cultural Exemption Rules) Instrument 2015 (the Conditional Cultural Exemption Rules).
* ‘Exemption’ means a waiver from, and ‘declaration’ means a variation to, the conditional cultural exemption requirements under the
Act and the Conditional Cultural Exemption Rules.
Please complete each step of this form.
Step One: Applicant details
Organisation name:  FilmFest Ltd
Business/trading name(s): Melbourne International Film Festival
ABN:12 006 902
Incorporated Association number:
Issuing state/territory:
Organisation address: Level 3, 290 Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000
Is this organisation an Approved Cultural Institution (under Section 6F of the Act)?
Yes
   No

Contact Name:  s22

Email:  s22

Telephone:  s22

Facsimile:
Contact address (if different):
Step Two: Details of the exemption or declaration sought
I attach the following as per Section 9 of the Conditional Cultural Exemption Rules:
A statement of the purpose for which the organisation was formed and information regarding the
activities, history and reputation of the applicant organisation
A statement specifying the type, extent and duration of the exemption/declaration being requested
(i.e. which standard conditions do you wish to be waived/varied for the organisation, event or material?)
A statement of the reason(s) for seeking the exemption/declaration and any supporting evidence
A statement outlining any public benefit of a waiver/variation to the standard provisions
Step Three: Details of event
Does your request for an exemption/declaration relate to a specific event?     Yes      No
If Yes, please complete the following:
Name of event: Melbourne International Film Festival
Type of event:  Film Festival
Purpose of event: Cultural event
Date event commences: 6 August 2020 Date event concludes: 23 August 2020
Venue name(s) and address(es) (please also indicate whether each venue is indoors/outdoors):
Online - nationwide
(attach a separate document if additional space required)
URL of event details/promotional information: www.miff.com.au
Does the event include (choose all that apply):
Unclassified films    Unclassified computer games    Submittable publications
Step Four: Details of relevant material
Where the application relates to a specific event, please attach details of the following as per Section 9 of
the Conditional Cultural Exemption Rules:
titles of all unclassified works to be publicly exhibited /demonstrated /displayed at the event
October 2015 – Application Form – Section 6H
Page 1 of 2

age conditions for all unclassified works to be publicly exhibited /demonstrated /displayed at the event

the number of intended screenings for each unclassified film (if any) in each location (please see attached
2.1)
For each unclassified work for which you are requesting an exemption/declaration from the standard rules:
an adequate written synopsis or description of the film/computer game/publication
AND
for films/computer games: a detailed description of any classifiable elements that would be likely to be
classified M or a higher classification
for publications: details of any content likely to be classified ‘Category 1 – Restricted’ or higher
Step Five: Certification
I am aware that if an exemption or declaration is granted, in some cases the Director may also waive the
requirement, if any, for the event to be registered by the organisation.
I am aware the Director may request further information as required for the purpose of deciding whether to
grant the exemption/declaration sought.
I am aware that  it is at the Director’s discretion to determine whether an exemption or a declaration is
appropriate and to determine the extent and duration of the exemption or declaration.
I confirm that the information contained in the application form is complete and accurate and is not false or
misleading in any way.
s22
Sig
on behalf of the organisation) Date: 30th June, 2020
Na
Send your application by post to: The Director, Classification Board, Locked Bag 3,
Haymarket NSW 1240 OR by courier to: Level 5, 23-33 Mary Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010
Telephone: s22

Privacy Notice – Privacy Act 1988
The Attorney-General’s Department is collecting personal information on this form that has been provided for the purpose of seeking an
exemption or declaration under section 9 of the Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) (Conditional Cultural Exemption
Rules) Instrument 2015 (the Instrument).
The collection of this information is authorised by the Instrument.
If the personal information is not provided, the application may not be processed.
The Department discloses some or all of this information to the Director of the Classification Board, the Minister with responsibility for
classification and to state and territory government agencies with classification or enforcement responsibilities.
For more information about the Department’s privacy practices, including how to access or correct your personal information or make a
complaint, see the privacy policy at the Classification Website or contact our Privacy Contact Officer:
Privacy Contact Officer
Attorney-General's Department
3–5 National Circuit
BARTON ACT 2600
Call: 02 6141 2660
Email: xxxxxxx@xx.xxx.xx
October 2015 – Application Form – Section 6H
Page 2 of 2

Document 2
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MIFF 68 ½ - Synopses
The below listing sets out the titles being presented in our program we
are seeking a classification exemption for.
It is arranged by mode of presentation, including:
- Program Spotlights
- Regular Program (including Shorts Packages)
- Special Previews
- Special Event (VR)
And within that, alphabetically. Runtimes are expressed in minutes.
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The Trouble With Being Born
Sandra Wollner, Germany, 2020, Runtime: 94
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9220966/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0
Requested capacity: s22
virtual capacity
A cyborg with the body of a 10-year-old girl lives with an adult man who she
refers to as her father – he tends to her and it is inferred that he also uses her
for sex. She is then reset after running away to be a young boy to be cared
for by a lonely elderly woman who is still haunted by the death of her young
brother sixty years earlier. The film features a tender but unnerving voiceover
from the cyborg expressing thoughts and memories, though the viewer never
knows her level of cognitive ability.
Classifiable Elements: Sex between an adult and a minor is inferred a
number of times – though the minor is a cyborg/non-human, the character is
played by a child actor with CGI elements.
An unnamed 10-year-old female child actor wearing a latex mask to make
her appear less human plays the cyborg character. The actor poses clothed
for suggestive/coy photos, and also appears naked with genitals replaced by
a CGI machine-like 'hole'. She appears twice nude in the presence of her
father – who it is inferred is having sex with her (not shown on-screen), and
there are uncomfortable lingering touches. He also appears nude in one
scene. Extensive notes are available as to the safe and responsible
production methods used on set when working with the underage actor in
the production.
There is also violence caused by the cyborg (gender-flipped) in the second
half of the film – he pushes an elderly woman over in her apartment and
watches her die while her dog laps up blood on the carpet.
The film was the recipient of an award at the Berlin Film Festival’s
Encounters section, and had been selected for the prestigious New
Directors/New Films screening series at the Lincoln Centre in New York
before its cancellation this year.
Requesting an Unclassified 18+ exemption: content is consistent with an
R18+ rating
s22

Document 3
Pre-Feature Short
Pre-emptive request for
Placements (where
Encore Capacity (if
Titles
applicable)
Screening Capacity
Required)
Free Access Titles
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The Trouble With Being Born
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Document 4
Step 2 Responses:
Step 2.1:
A statement of the purpose for which the organisation was formed and
information regarding the activities, history and reputation of the applicant
organisation
MIFF is a not-for-profit organisation that has been continuously running since 1952,
making it the leading film festival in Australia and one of the world’s oldest film
festivals, alongside Cannes and Berlin. Presenting a curated global program of
innovative screen experiences and the world’s largest showcase of exceptional
Australian filmmaking, MIFF is an accessible, iconic cultural event that provides
transformative experiences for audiences and filmmakers alike.
MIFF is an Australian cultural icon which has had an essential role in putting
Melbourne on the national and international cultural map. It has also been a key
player in building a sense of community and connectedness in Melbourne through a
decades-spanning commitment to the arts. The festival has an innate appreciation
of its famously loyal audience (numbering 190,000 a year in annual attendance
across a variety of screenings, events and activations), all of whom come to MIFF
for bold, entertaining and adventurous programming, the delight of the shared
festival experience, and to discover something new about themselves, or the world
around them.
The Melbourne International Film Festival’s vision for the future builds on MIFF’s
role at the centre of Melbourne’s cultural life and in particular its success in
generating both social and economic capital for Melbourne and Victoria.
Complementing MIFF’s highly anticipated festival program is MIFF's renowned
industry program that includes an investment fund (the Premiere Fund) and the
director's development program (Accelerator). MIFF's finance market (37°South)
brings the national and international screen industry to Melbourne during the festival
and celebrates Melbourne as a centre for screen business. MIFF also supports
emerging arts and culture writers through its annual Critics Campus program, and
takes the film festival experience to regional Victoria through the MIFF Travelling
Showcase.
MIFF will continue to innovate and build on its decades of achievements to ensure
that Melbourne remains the cultural capital of Australia, and that MIFF continues to
be Australia’s largest and most significant film festival in terms of international
profile, audience size, the quality and breadth of its festival and industry programs.

2.2 A statement specifying the type, extent and duration of the
exemption/declaration being requested (i.e. which standard conditions do you
wish to be waived/varied for the organisation, event or material?)
We wish to apply for a festival exemption for film titles without Australian
classification appearing within the program of our online film festival, known as
MIFF (Melbourne International Film Festival) 68 ½.
The requested exemption would apply to the dates of presentation of the festival,
August 6th – 23rd, 2020. The program would be announced publicly on Tuesday, July
14th, with ticketing available for films from the evening of the 14th.
Our finalized program includes 113 titles – inclusive of 68 feature films, 44 shorts,
and 1 virtual reality piece. A number of titles (including all package shorts, and a
small number of features) will be presented to audiences for free. It will be available
to audiences at a level of Australia-only geoblocking (ie. people anywhere within
Australia will be able to access the platform and stream titles). s22


All of the films will be presented during this period through MIFF’s own proprietary
streaming platform, available via linkthru (when development is complete) on
www.miff.com.au.
Individual feature length films and Shorts Packages submitted are specified for a
combination of either Unclassified 18+ or Unclassified 15+ exemption requests,
identified specifically on each title synopses included in the application.
s22
Features will be presented individually, short films will be presented in four thematic
packages (Australian Shorts, Animation Shorts, Documentary Shorts, International
Shorts), with a small number also being played before features.

Films will be presented within MIFF 68 ½ in the following ways:
1. Program Spotlights
Our Program Spotlights are a substitute for our former Galas/Headliners films within
a regular MIFF program – ie. they are the biggest and more anticipated titles of the
festival.
Presentation of these films is specifically limited to one particular session time
only at the festival. On top of the one-time screening, the films are additionally
subject to a specific capacity set for each title for virtual tickets. The film is declared
sold out and further unavailable to audiences if that capacity limit is reached.
2. Regular Program
These feature films, feature documentaries and short film packages are intended to
be available on demand through the festival period 6th – 23rd August (specifically
introduced to availability on the site on the morning of 7th August, following our
Opening Night Program Spotlight presentation of First Cow the evening before).
Each title is limited by a specific capacity set for virtual tickets. The film is declared
sold out and further unavailable to audiences throughout the remainder of the
festival period if that capacity limit is reached.
A very small number of features also screen specifically with pre-feature shorts –
these are noted in the synopses sections as pairings.
Capacities are included underneath individual synopses – they are also available on
the capacities chart included with this submission.
3. Special Previews
This category includes three feature length works, where there is a particular
programming preference is to limit to one particular session time only at the festival
in light of an upcoming release elsewhere or similar.
On top of the one-time screening, the films are additionally subject to a specific
capacity set for each title for virtual tickets. The film is declared sold out and further
unavailable to audiences if that capacity limit is reached.
Capacities are included underneath synopses – they are also available on the
capacities chart included with this submission.
With all screenings, we will provide a notice of classification exemption at the
attained age level (eg. 18+ or 15+), as per wording previously provided by the
board, at point of sale and as pre-roll to content. We will additionally provide
descriptive content warnings separately where necessary (ie. noting of any

impactful violence, sexual references, etc.) to best provide appropriate and
responsible levels of forewarning to viewing audiences.
2.3 A statement of the reason(s) for seeking the exemption/declaration and
any supporting evidence
The Melbourne International Film Festival seeks a festival exemption for 113 titles,
including 68 features, 44 shorts, and 1 virtual reality piece, for streaming within our
online film festival presentation August 6th – 23rd, named MIFF 68 ½.
As a festival, MIFF is iconic to Melbourne; an extraordinary annual survey of the
world of cinema, the largest celebration in the world of Australia’s own filmmaking,
and a pure point of togetherness for our city and creative communities. It is, now
and always, a terrible thing to lose.
The cancellation of MIFF’s traditional Winter delivery in Melbourne, amidst the
developing COVID-19 situation, was both a necessary and responsible decision for
reasons of public health and ongoing community safety.
At the time of writing (30th June), Victoria restrictions have been rolled back due to
an increase in identified COVID cases, with a number of hotspot suburbs identified,
and public conjecture apparent as to further restrictions being introduced locally or
second waves of the virus perhaps taking. Looking forward, there is still no certainty
to August and beyond as to what a ‘real-world’ screening and presentation
landscape may look like for Australian festivals or those within the screen culture
industry and their audiences.
The cancellation of a cinema-based delivery of our festival has been a heartbreaking
loss for our team, our audiences, and the vast networks of artists and filmmakers
who look to the festival each year - the latest blow in a local arts landscape that has
been decimated in its capacity for public expression, and in the activities that
sustain its surrounding industry and community.
s22
Our response to this situation has been to reinvent and reimagine the festival
online. MIFF 68 ½ is what, unexpectedly, comes between the 68th and 69th edition of
the Melbourne International Film Festival, presenting programming at a reduced
scale (comparatively 380+ films in 2019, compared to a posited online delivered of
113 titles in 2020).
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It is worth saying that we enter into this activity in the context of already established
international and local festival streaming precedent. Many international film festivals
have moved similarly into this space since the outbreak of COVID (for instance,
CPH:DOX, Canada’s Hot Docs, America’s SXSW and AFI Docs, among announced
upcoming plans by major world cinema festivals such as Toronto Film Festival and
Sundance Film Festival 2021). A number of prominent local Australian film festivals
have also already moved and presented programs online similarly as well (including
Breath of Fresh Air Film Festival, Tasmania, in May; Sydney Film Festival Virtual
Edition in June, and Revelation Perth Film Festival (under the program name
‘Couched’) in July.
MIFF annually manages a large-scale festival exemption to the Australian
Classification Board, regularly and responsibly reporting and administering the
exemption of hundreds of films to mass audiences. We intend to treat this new
space, which will be populated by films that align in tone, form and quality with our
regular programming, with the same consideration and rigour in which we
undertake our exemption every year.

2.4 A statement outlining any public benefit of a waiver/variation to the
standard provisions
MIFF 68 ½ will deliver significant positive public benefit at the level of project,
content and audience access.
As per response to section 2.3 of this application, MIFF sees the public benefit to
the activities, as being:
- An opportunity to continue to support artists (both financially and in profiling, at a
time of limited opportunity and high impact to the sector).
- An opportunity to find and foster audiences at a time where many are isolated,
without the positive opportunity of engagement with the arts.
- Encourage audience connection and community building, including an expanded
regional access to festival programming. The festival will also create positive access
benefits by virtue of a significant element of free delivered programming.
s22
- Provide a creative and innovative response within the pandemic to positively
contribute to the health of Australia’s broader arts and culture sector.
MIFF 68 ½ is a context-specific program offering that will bring world class cinema
to the homes of MIFF audiences this year, that will present and connect artists to
virtual audiences. It is an opportunity, in these difficult times, to keep offering
something to audiences, and to keep engaging with amazing filmmakers, and
profiling and amplifying their work.
s22
However, as a not for profit organisation, MIFF 68 ½ is a project we are committed
to presenting in its alignment with MIFF’s mission and vision, and the positive
impact we hope to bring to audiences and community at this important time, to
create connectivity, and deploy the positivity, escapism, reflection and conversation
building properties that art and creative expression can bring. To reiterate - MIFF 68
½ is intended to sustain MIFF’s amazing film programming in unique

circumstances, and our ability to connect with and foster audiences in the most
difficult of moments.
In the midst of a terrible, tragic and threatening situation, we have the opportunity
and the capacity to contribute positively to a community who is isolated, anxious,
and uncertain.
We have the opportunity to continue to build and to deliver what drives us as an
organisation: to bring our audience the story of the world – a more distant and
disconnected place in 2020 - through unforgettable screen experiences; through
wonderful and unique films; and specifically, to build community around them,
regardless of what form that now needs to take. This is the intention of the project.
Beyond this, at a level of individual content, many elements of the confirmed
program offer positive social benefits to audiences by speaking specifically and
topically to our times. Part of the driving element of the festival, ongoing, is cultural
relevance – to reflect and engage what people are thinking about and talking about
right now, and elevate the opportunities for understanding and conversation at the
level of community.
s22
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Document 5
MIFF 68 1/2 Film Details
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Proposed
document they have been removed in full
Film
Recommended
Exemption
Cinema
Proposed
Encore
Film Title
Duration
Rating
Requested
Capacity
Ticket Cap Screening Ticket
Cap
Synopsis
Classifiable Elements
Ticket Price
Program Spotlights
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Sex between an adult and a minor is inferred a number of times – though the
minor is a cyborg/non-human, the character is played by a child actor with CGI
elements.
An unnamed 10-year-old female child actor wearing a latex mask to make her
appear less human plays the cyborg character. The actor poses clothed for
suggestive/coy photos, and also appears naked with genitals replaced by a CGI
machine-like 'hole'. She appears twice nude in the presence of her father – who it
A cyborg with the body of a 10-year-old girl lives with an adult man who she refers to as her father – he tends is inferred is having sex with her (not shown on-screen), and there are
s22
to her and it is inferred that he also uses her for sex. She is then reset after running away to be a young boy to uncomfortable lingering touches. He also appears nude in one scene. Extensive
The Trouble With Being Born
104
R18+
18+
be cared for by a lonely elderly woman who is still haunted by the death of her young brother sixty years
$14/$12
earlier. The film features a tender but unnerving voiceover from the cyborg expressing thoughts and
notes are available as to the safe and responsible production methods used on set
memories, though the viewer never knows her level of cognitive ability.
when working with the underage actor in the production.
There is also violence caused by the cyborg (gender-flipped) in the second half of
the film – he pushes an elderly woman over in her apartment and watches her die
while her dog laps up blood on the carpet.
The film was the recipient of an award at the Berlin Film Festival’ s Encounters
section, and had been selected for the prestigious New Directors/New Films
screening series at the Lincoln Centre in New York before its cancellation this
year.
In a small village amongst the mountains of Lesotho, an 80 year old widow awaits the return of her only
s22

Document 6
s22

FilmFest Ltd
Level 3, 290 Collins Street
MELBOURNE   VIC   3000
Email: s22

s22
Dear
Decision on application for section 6H declaration in relation to the Melbourne International Film
Festival (MIFF) 68½
I refer to your application for a declaration under subsection 6H(2) of the Classification (Publications,
Films and Computer Games) Act 1995 (the Act).  The application was submitted on 1 July 2020.
The application sought a declaration from me to modify the conditional cultural exemption
requirements as set out in subsection 6C(e) of the Act and clause 6(1) of the Classification
(Publications, Films and Computer Games)(Conditional Cultural Exemption Rules) Instrument 2015
(the Instrument) as it applies to unclassified films to be screened as part of MIFF 68½. This event is
to be held from Thursday, 6 August 2020 to Sunday, 23 August 2020 being delivered digitally via the
New Zealand-based platform, Shift72.
I have now considered all of the information in the written application, and have decided to exercise
my power under subsection 6H(1)(b) to grant a declaration to approve the MIFF 68½ showing 110
unclassified films, as per the conditions contained in the attached Declaration.
In accordance with subsection 6H(6) of the Act, applications for review of this decision may be made
to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT), details of which are contained at the end of the
declaration.
I thank you for your time and effort in submitting this exemption application and wish you and the
MIFF 68½ every success.
Yours sincerely,
s22
Locked Bag 3, Haymarket NSW 1240   Telephone (02) 92897100   www.classification.gov.au

Document 7
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Document 8
Event Registration Summary
Registration number: E2020C115\2
Date of Registration:
19/08/2020
The following details have been recorded for the purpose of satisfying the registration
requirements in paragraph 6D(c) of the Classification (Publications, Films and Computer
Games) Act 1995 and the Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games)(Conditional
Cultural Exemption Rules) Instrument 2015.
Details of organisation operating event:
Organisation name:
FilmFest Ltd
Business Address:
Level 3, 290 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Postal Address:
GPO Box 4982, Melbourne VIC 3001
Email Address:
s22
Phone Number:
Registering person:
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Name of contact:
Contact number:
Details of event:
Name of Event:
MIFF 68 1/2
Type of event:
Festival
Url:
n/a
Dates of event:
06/08/2020 to 23/08/2020

States, event dates and locations of screening dates:
State
Location
Start Date
End Date
VIC
Online, Melbourne VIC; Indoor
06/08/2020
23/08/2020
Unclassified films:
Title
Alternate Title
Age Restriction
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The Trouble With Being Born
Restricted to
persons aged 18+
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The registering person has certified on behalf of the organisation, that they have understood the
requirements of Division 2 of Part 1A of the Classification (Publications, Films and Computer
Games) Act 1995 and the Conditional Cultural Exemption Rules, and that these requirements
will be met. These requirements include:

none of the unclassified film(s), computer game(s) or submittable publication(s) in this
event would be likely to be classified Refused Classification (RC);

none of the unclassified film/s in this event would be likely to be classified X 18+ and none
of the submittable publication/s in the event would be likely to be classified Category 2 ±
restricted;

access will be restricted to people aged 18 years and over to any unclassified film(s) or
computer game(s) that are likely to be classified R 18+, or any publication likely to be
classified as Category 1 ±Restricted;

that unless accompanied by an adult access will be restricted to people 15 years of age and
above for any unclassified film or computer game likely to be classified as M or MA 15+;

that a clear and legible notice will be prominently and publicly displayed at the relevant
venue showing regarding any age restrictions that apply in relation to access to the
material;

none of the unclassified films will be exhibited more than 4 times per State or Territory as
part of this registered event (Note Film festivals that tour to regional, rural or remote areas
under the auspices of a ͞travelling film festival͟or a ͞touring film festival͟may register
each tour stop or regional stop as a separate event);

the event must be for a specified and limited duration and not one in a series of registered
events that has been arranged primarily for the purpose of circumventing the limit of 4 film
screenings per state/territory.
Please note that any screening, demonstration and/or exhibition of the above unclassified material
other than in accordance with this registration will not be subject to a conditional cultural
exemption under the legislation.
If there are changes to the event as registered, the registration record must be updated via the
portal at the www.classification.gov.au website prior to the changes taking place.
Information provided in this registration will be provided to officials in the relevant State and
Territory governments and may be used for law enforcement purposes.