As I enter the door of the Westin hotel I am swept into a football style crowd of bustling bodies, bumping into Rebecca Gibney, thrusting her onto the red carpet. Flash lights blaze, someone takes my photo, only to lower the camera seconds later when they realise I am in fact, nobody important.

This is the first ever Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) awards luncheon, the prelude to the main event, to be held at the Sydney Opera House on January 31.

Seated at table 8 – not quite table 21 but obviously not in the top 5 – I find an artistic seafood stack at my table and a bunch of friendly nominees. As I finish my entrée and get to know my table mates, a nice young lady comes over and informs everyone they are being moved to table 2 – everyone but me. Shortly after the table is reset, I receive a fresh plate of prawns and a new bunch of filmmakers, nominated for their short animation film, The Missing Key. “Do you think you’re going to win?” I ask, “Or is it just an honour to be nominated?” Sensing his response will end up in this blog, the producer implies the latter.

Brad Bird’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol opens with a bang, or – more accurately – a bang then a whisper. The opening scene features a terse, elegantly staged foot-chase between an IMF agent (Josh Holloway) and several terrorist hoods, a sequence given the extra oomph and large-scale grandeur of the IMAX format. Later, Bird cuts to the more familiar figure of Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) in a Russian jail, and his elegant escape with the help of tech-wiz Benji (Simon Pegg), and fellow agent Jane (Paula Patton). The chase is intensely edited and framed, with emphasis on sustained tension and eventual release: the jailbreak is a loose and laidback affair (scored with Dean Martin’s ‘Ain't that a Kick in the Head?’), highlighting Ethan’s grace and sophistication under pressure. The juxtaposition between these two sequences is clear, however: although this remains a Cruise vehicle, Ghost Protocol is a more team-based film than the others in the series.

Bird and his collaborators deserve praise for the remarkable elegance and surprising restraint of Ghost Protocol. Whereas Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull suffered from narrative bloat, Ghost Protocol is easily the tightest film in the series, with a strong focus on Hunt’s ambiguity and the team’s pro-activeness. Bird – an animation director (Ratatouille, The Incredibles) – may not have aimed particularly high with his debut live-action film, but he succeeds in stylish and satisfying entertainment, which is more than can be said for other entries in the series.

The Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) is an event with all the glamour of the Oscars, on a local scale. The Awards focus on the Asia Pacific region and reward excellence in filmmaking, acting, direction and writing. Now in its fifth year, the ceremony is held on the Gold Coast and is less about competition than it is about honouring creative talent in the industry. All of the nominees are seated together on stage and rather than being awarded trophies, they are given a glass vessel, which is a one of a kind sculpture that reflects the individual creative voices of each filmmaker.

These exquisite vessels have been hand crafted by Brisbane artist Joanna Bone. They are organic and fluid and incorporate her reflections on the colour and culture of Asia-Pacific. Joanna drew much of her inspiration from the natural beauty of Queensland such as the patterns and colours of the fish and corals within the Great Barrier Reef.

The first performance of the evening was the international debut of Yao Qifeng, a ten-year-old Chinese ballet dancer. Qifeng is the subject of a documentary, chronicling her passion for dance; for nearly two years she would practice her dancing in a public square, regardless of the weather. Her family struggled financially, so she danced in broken ballet slippers on a piece of carpet. She shared the stage with Queensland Ballet’s Rachael Walsh in a beautiful performance choreographed by Francois Klaus.

With its picturesque scenery and relaxed lifestyle, Launceston (which boasts a large and very active film society), lends itself admirably to a film festival.

From November 23-27, the charming refurbished industrial heritage site, the Inveresk precinct, will be abuzz with film enthusiasts and Australian cinematic luminaries, in a feast of film, exhibitions, master classes and Q&As, for locals and visitors from interstate, and even overseas (this writer is aware of a couple who have travelled from France!)

The weather is beautiful, the locals are warm and welcoming, and the stunning location is small enough to allow out-of-towners a relaxed amble from their hotels, across the bridge, to the Inveresk precinct: the home of the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery (known as QVMAG). With its convenient cluster of venues, and modern and comfortable screening facilities, the Inveresk precinct is the ideal location for a film festival. There’s no dashing about furiously from session to session, as all cinemas are located within a small radius, requiring no more than an easy stroll.

The Fantastic Asia Film Festival in Melbourne promised to deliver the most exciting, unique and out-there films from the Asian continent. It is fitting then that they kicked off their first ever year with Helldriver, the latest from Japanese splatter maestro Yoshihiro Nishimura (Tokyo Gore Police); a zombie action film filled to the brim with dark humour and excessive gore.

The plot, as if you really need one, is straightforward: a section of Japan gets overrun by zombies and walled off following a meteor strike. The government recruits Kika, a schoolgirl with a chainsaw katana powered by the diesel engine transplanted into her chest, to hunt down the zombie leader, her own psychotic mother. The setup is minimal and Nishimura gets it out of the way quickly to concentrate on over-the-top, insane action sequences where pretty much any lunatic idea for carnage he can come up with is thrown at the screen.

As Kika slices and dices her way through the zombie hordes, the blood flows thick and fast; the sheer amount of arterial sprays which literally paint the camera red make a film like Peter Jackson’s Braindead seem like a family movie in comparison. Nishimura is not subtle in his approach, attempting to top himself in excessiveness with every passing minute; just when you think the movie cannot go any more over the top, along comes yet another body part severed in spectacular fashion.

On Day 7 of BIFF, I was treated to one of the most inspiring, hopeful documentaries you'll see on screens anywhere this year, Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey, from directors Constance Marks and Philip Shane. For anyone who's ever yearned to perform, this documentary following the rise of puppeteering superstar Kevin Clash, voice of Elmo and Sesame Street kingpin, will delight, amuse, and give you that warm, fuzzy feeling (no felt needed).

From his early days growing up in a poor area of Baltimore, staring in awe at the TV and wondering how his favourite shows and puppets were made (Captain Kangaroo and Sesame Street among them), Clash showed a prodigious skill in both hand-crafting puppets and feverishly learning the techniques that would make him one of the best living puppeteers of today.

Being Elmo features some wonderful interviews with greats Frank Oz, Joan Ganz Cooney, as well as a host of Muppet Show and Sesame Street legends and celebrity fans: rounding off the package with exclusive archive footage of the Jim Henson workshop and Sesame Street set. If this documentary has achieved anything of equal greatness to Kevin Clash's talent, it is showing how much of his heart and positive energy he puts into Elmo, who is essentially adored worldwide because of one man's combination of tenacity, genius, and pure joy for living.   

Heading to a Masterclass with one of Australia’s most successful screenwriters, John Collee (Creation, Happy Feet, Master and Commander) at 9:30am on a Sunday, I’m relieved to discover an open coffee shop at EQ Moore Park. Once caffeinated I enter the ultra-modern Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS), take a seat in the plush main theatre and notice Collee is already up the front casually shuffling papers.

Without any introduction he walks to the centre of the stage, “Thanks for giving up your Sunday to come and hear me talk. Before I begin with what I’ve planned, I’d like to know what you want to get out of today.” A vastly different opening to Robert McKee’s infamous “Story” seminar, which begins with “Get out right now if you’re doing this for the money” and “If your mobile phone rings you have to give me 20 bucks” (which he actually enforces).

What does everyone want to know? How to break into Hollywood.

He’ll get to that – the first thing Collee wants us to know, is that life experience is essential for any good writer. Since he gave years to the study of medicine and even more to its practice, he originally felt obligated to stick with it. But instead he transformed his life experience into a novel, Paper Mask, adapted it to a screenplay, and saw it produced into film in 1990.

Although he admits he learned his craft from McKee, he says he found all the structure overwhelming. His goal today is to distil the essence of Story principles, such as, “What am I going to contribute to society? What am I adding that’s different? What is the truth I’m arriving at?”

As the morning progresses I realise how innovative his approach to teaching is. He doesn’t focus on how to write a story, rather how it will be watched. Like when he teaches characterisation, he doesn’t talk inciting incidents, gaps and arcs; he describes the journey an audience makes from meeting your character, connecting to and merging with their desires.

Touted as the documentary effort that examines the Kings of Leon phenomenon and unearths their roots, Talihina Sky: The Story of Kings of Leon is a meandering puff-piece from a close friend of the band, Stephen C. Mitchell. This choice is detrimental to a film that had the potential to be genuinely riveting (well, for fans of the band), or at the very least, watchable.

Talihina Sky does indeed track the beginnings of the band, from their strict upbringing as sons of a preacher in the Evangelical South, their childhood and early signs of musical talent, as well as subsequent formation and success as a band.

However, the film simply fails to deliver anything more than a moderately juicy, mildly interesting snapshot of a band that frankly, kind of seem like assholes in real life. At least, that's what the evidence here would suggest. Just watch them fight over the volume of their parts like three-year olds; or, perhaps witness one of them lounging in their first class airplane seat as they laugh and point at the drug penalty warning on their Singaporean immigration card, showing complete ignorance of the world around them.

There are few mainstream film festivals in Australia willing to open with such an in your face genre flick such as writer-director Joe Cornish's aliens Vs. South London smash, Attack the Block, but in true northern style, BIFF have done just that.The Edgar Wright-produced film had its Australian premiere at BIFF on Thursday 3 November and if the packed out cinemas and whooping laughter heard throughout was anything to go by, the audience had a blast.   

The opening scene, which would not be totally out of place in an episode of The Wire, shows a young woman Sam (Jodie Whittaker, recently in Lone Scherfig's One Day) being mugged late at night by the boys from the Block: Moses (John Boyega), Pest (Alex Esmail), Jerome (Leeon Jones), Dennis (Franz Drameh), and Biggz (Simon Howard). Their trip down grifter lane is interrupted when a meteor blows up the car next to them and Moses is attacked by The Creature, vowing revenge. As it turns out, hunting it down and killing it mercilessly before dragging the corpse to 'boss' Hi-Hatz's (Jumayne Hunter) apartment in the Block: not the best idea. He should have just stayed home and played FIFA that night.

North of the border, BIFF has really mixed it up this year, kicking off proceedings with two nights of film prior to the official opening. The Curtain Raisers included recent release and popular paranoia flick Take Shelter, filmmaker Jafar Panahi's autobiographical documentary This is Not a Film, as well as Gus Van Sant's latest indie treasure Restless, and legendary documentarian Errol Morris' tale of love gone wrong, Tabloid. As was the intention, Tabloid and Restless certainly did whet my appetite for the rest of the cinematic palate BIFF has on offer this year.

The Opening Night film for BIFF 2011 was of course, Attack the Block, the first feature effort from British writer-director, Joe Cornish—a film more Misfits than E.T in its focus, Brisvegans responded hungrily to the Opening Night invitation, pulling a crowd in excess of 800 according to BIFF Marketing Manager, Sarah Ward. Rarely a city for posturing or pretention, guests were treated to a glass of bubbly on arrival before settling in for the film. The after-party at the Barracks treated punters to a BMX and blading display, bolstered by a pumping Rap and R&B soundtrack reminiscent to the music heard throughout the film. BIFF 2011 is indeed off to a cracking start, easing punters in to what looks to be a fun-filled, film-heavy 11 days.