The Australian Film and Television School (AFTS) was founded in 1973 as part of government strategy to develop a local film industry. Its origins date back however to the late 1960s when Prime Minister John Gorton called for a report to investigate options for the establishment of a national film and television school. A committee comprising Peter Coleman, Phillip Adams and Barry Jones (qq.v.) was formed in 1969 and charged with investigating international models. In November that year an interim council was formed under Coleman, with the Executive Director being Storry Walton and Executive Officer John Martin-Jones.
An official announcement heralding the Australian Film and Television School was made in 1972, with the interim Director being Storry Walton. Initially located in the Sydney suburb of Chatswood, the first intake of twelve students in January 1973 included Phillip Noyce, Gillian Armstrong and Chris Noonan (qq.v.). Noyce made his award-winning short Castor and Pollux (q.v.) at AFTS that same year. Armstrong's student short One Hundred a Day, also made in 1973 was described by Cinema Papers (q.v.) as 'perhaps one of the most powerful and moving films made in Australia.' Noonan later achieved world-wide acclaim for his film Babe. In August that same year the School's Foundation Director, Professor Jerzy Toeplitz was finally appointed. A former head of the Polish Film School in Lodz his former students had included Roman Polanski and Jerzy Skolimowski. Two years later, Prime Minister Gough Whitlam (q.v.) put in place a number of initiatives to support the school, including the creation of several funding agencies.
Following the retirement of Jerzy Toeplitz, Storry Walton took over as Director and under his management the School introduced radio to the curriculum in 1981 - hence the change of name to the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS). Anne Deveson (q.v., 1985-88) oversaw the School's move to its new state of the art premises in North Ryde (adjacent to Macquarie University) during her last year as the School's Director. John O'Hara then took over the role in 1989. Under his direction AFTRS introduced indigenous films and television courses through the implementation of a three year Diploma of Arts program in television/video, radio, news, and sound engineering. Training in cinematography, sound and video were undertaken up in 1994 in conjunction with a number of outside providers, notably the Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (CAAMA) and Imparja Television (qq.v.). In 1994 AFTRS established its own Indigenous Program Initiative (IPI).
In 1996 Rod Bishop succeeded John O'Hara as Director. The late 1990s saw a renewed focus on television, with Bishop placing greater emphasis on technology, trends in production such as digital and interactive TV, and providing training for people interested in undertaking careers in television. A documentary department was also established in 1997. By 1998 AFTRS was producing more than forty short dramas, documentaries, television programs, animation and radio programs each year. In 2003, as the School celebrated its 30th anniversary, Malcolm Long was appointed as the new Director. During his tenure the School created in 1975 the Centre for Screen Business (CBS) and established the Laboratory for Advanced Media Production (LAMP). 2007 saw the appointment of the School's seventh Director, Sandra Levy (q.v.). The following year she oversaw the relocation of the school to its new home in the heart of Sydney's screen precinct at Moore Park.
Since 2000 the School has increasing embraced new technologies in film, television and radio. A number of graduates have also been accorded significant awards, including Andrew Lesnie who won a 2001 Oscar for Best Cinematography for The Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship of the Rings); Melanie Coombs who produced the Oscar-winning short film Harvie Krumpet for director Adam Elliot; and Dion Beebe who won the 2005 Best Cinematography Oscar for Memoirs of a Geisha. Many more graduates have also been accorded Academy Award nominations for their work, including Steve Pasvolsky and Joe Weathersone (Inja), Dion Beebe (Chicago), Sejong Park (Birthday Boy) and Peter Templeman and Stuart Parkyn (The Saviour). Other achievements by graduates have included the 2009 Camera D'or at Cannes for Warwick Thompson (Sampson and Deliah), and Sandy Widyanata and Courtney Wise who won a VFX award for their short film Plastic. Box office success has also been accorded Robert Connolly (Balibo) and Rachel Perkns (Bran Nue Dae).
