The Australian Film Commission (AFC) has today announced that a significant program of Australian feature films, television programs, documentaries and short films, will screen in Berlin in early December. 21st Century Oz: New Australian Film forms part of artsaustralia berlin 02 a six-month program of contemporary Australian performance, literature, visual arts and film. Curated by the former director of the Sydney Film Festival, Paul Byrnes, the program includes the films; The Bank, Chopper, The Hard Word, La Spagnola, Rabbit-Proof Fence, Soft Fruit and the classic Newsfront. Television mini-series Blue Murder is also part of the program, with the documentaries Facing The Music and A Wedding In Ramallah. This is the first time any of these productions have screened in Berlin. Chief Executive of the Australian Film Commission Kim Dalton says that 'the Australian and German film and television industries have had an important relationship over the past decade, cemented by the signing of a co-production treaty in 2001.' A record seven Australian films were selected for the 2002 Berlin International Film Festival, with Beneath Clouds and Walking on Water receiving two awards each, he added. In describing the program, Paul Byrnes comments that the films in this series offer 'primarily a showcase of new talent, drawn mostly from films made in the new century, and there are signs of new concerns and interpretations.' artsaustralia berlin 02 is a partnership between the Australia Council, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, with 21st Century Oz: New Australian Film involving the AFC and the Friends of the German Film Archive/Arsenal Cinema.