| Anita Ondine Smith | |
|---|---|
| Born | 16 March 1974 Sydney, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian, British |
| Occupation | Writer, film producer, film director |
| Website | |
| www.touchlightmedia.com www.anitaondine.com www.seizethemedia.com | |
Anita Ondine Smith (born 16 March 1974) is an Australian-British filmmaker and transmedia storyteller.
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Born in Sydney, Australia, Anita is the daughter of Anka Makovec, a Slovene artist and Albert Arthur Smith, an Australian carpenter.
After a short period living in the former Yugoslavia Anita and her mother moved to Tasmania, where they became deeply involved in the largest environmental battle in Australian history - the battle to save the Franklin River from being dammed.[1]
The Tasmanian Dam Case (Commonwealth v Tasmania), was a landmark decision in Australian constitutional law. After years of protests and grass roots action led by Dr Bob Brown (now Senator Brown, leader of the Australian Greens), the High Court of Australia decided that the federal law protecting the Franklin River was valid, 4 votes to 3.[2] This landmark decision motivated Anita to become a lawyer.
Anita graduated with Honours in Law from the Australian National University, where she specialized in intellectual property, technology and international law. Her graduating thesis was entitled Lex Cybertoria: International Law and Copyright on the Internet.[3] Anita also holds a B.A. from the Australian National University in Political Science.
While working as a technology lawyer in 1998 for Freehills and an IBM subsidiary, Anita wrote a book called The Millennium Bomb Disposal Kit about the impact of technology on business and for several years was a frequent speaker at international conferences such as TTI/Vanguard,[4] on the intersection of law and technology.[5][6][7]
Anita moved from Australia to London, England in 1999, where she worked for Shaw Pittman (now Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman) on complex technology outsourcing transactions as well as cutting edge internet advisory work, with clients including Reuters.
Still in the City of London, Anita worked for Lehman Brothers from 2000 to 2006 in legal, operational risk and executive management functions and held the position of Senior Vice President. Anita was a key organizer in raising awareness of disability issues at the firm, including writing and directing a short film entitled Disability Diversity at Lehman Brothers.[8] Anita was also on the board of trustees for the Disability Equality in Education charitable trust.
After a decade in law and business management, Anita moved into filmmaking full time in 2006.[9]
Anita is CEO of Seize the Media, the transmedia production company, in partnership with Lance Weiler and David Beard.
Anita also writes, directs and produces via her company, Touch Light Media. Touch Light Media is specifically focused on three core themes: technology, the environment and women's stories.[10]
The Franklin River Story is one of several films in development and is an environmental tale based on the true events surrounding the battle to save the Franklin River in the early 1980s.
In 2007 and 2008 Anita co-produced the dark comedy feature film Drop Dead Gorgeous, written and directed by Philip Alderton, due for release in 2009.
Anita has an ongoing artistic collaboration with American singer and performance artist Rodleen Getsic, having filmed together many times from 2005 to 2008.[11]
John Perry Barlow, co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and former lyricist for the Grateful Dead is a member of the Touch Light Media Advisory Board.
Anita currently serves as a Founding Board Member of BlueGlobe, is a member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and supports various collaborative culture initiatives, including the Creative Commons.