On today’s episode, Justin speaks with 2015 Australian Cultural (Tim Fairfax AC and Australia Council of the Arts) John Monash Scholar and New York based filmmaker and composer, Alies Sluiter about how she got into filmmaking and composing, what it was like studying at Columbia University, and her advice for other aspiring filmmakers.

Alies has recently received her Master of Fine Arts in Film from Columbia University in New York, which she attended on full scholarship from the General Sir John Monash Foundation. She also has a Bachelor of Music Performance from the Victorian College of the Arts and a Master of Arts from the Australian Film Television and Radio School. She is a composer for feature films, documentaries, television (CNN, ABC, BBC, Foxtel, SBS), music, theatre and dance productions and has guest lectured at the Elder Conservatorium of Music, University of Adelaide and Central Saint Martins University of the Arts London. As a violinist and musical director she has performed in over 50 countries performing with leading artists including Nitin Sawhney, Akram Khan, Sylvie Guillem and the Shaolin Monks of China. In 2011 she founded The Picture Box Orchestra who have performed at festivals such as WOMADelaide. Most recently, her short film Ayaan premiered at the 2020 Sydney Film Festival as a finalist for the Dendy Awards.

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