Andrew Pike

Dr Andrew Pike, OAM (born 1 January 1946) is an Australian film historian, film distributor and exhibitor, and documentary producer and director. He was born in Adelaide, South Australia and moved to Canberra in 1963 to obtain a B.A. (Hons) and M.A. in Australian history at the Australian National University. Pike formed Ronin Films, an Australian films distribution company, with his first wife, Dr Merrilyn Fitzpatrick, in 1974. With Ross Cooper, he co-authored a book titled Australian Film: 1900 – 1977 and has produced/directed ten documentaries since 1982. Pike has been honoured with numerous awards including a plaque on the ACT Honour Walk in Canberra City, a Medal in the Order of Australia (OAM) and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Canberra.

Dr Andrew Pike

Career

After completing an M.A. on the history of Australian cinema at the Australian National University in Canberra, Andrew worked as a cinema manager. During this time, he wrote many articles on films, which were published in magazines and newspapers.

Pike was then given the opportunity to work for three years as a Consultant to the National Library's Film Collection. This included the acquisition of films for study purposes in schools and universities. His next position was as a Research Fellow in the Department of Pacific and South-East Asian History at the Australian National University. Between 1989 to 1992, he was a board member at the Australian Film Commission.

In 1999, Pike became a founding member of the Friends of the National Film and Sound Archive Inc., an association dedicated to support the Archive's work and to promote the principles of best practice in the film archive profession. He was elected President of the association in 2004. Pike has a keen interest in policy issues affecting the film industry and is a frequent contributor to debates on industry issues. For example, he instigated forums on film culture at both the Sydney and Melbourne Film Festivals in the year 2000. He was also engaged as a consultant on regional cinemas by the New South Wales Film and Television Office and is active in promoting an expansion of audiences and a wider public appreciation of all aspects of cinema. He also has a regular segment on ABC radio broadcast talking about film history.

Pike in 2003 was a Founding Member and Secretary of the A.C.T. Film and Television Council, Inc. Currently, Pike is a member of the ACT Government's Cultural Council, advising the Arts Minister on arts policy and strategies. He also is Chairman of the ACT Screen Investment Fund for the ACT Government, and has chaired the film development fund for the Asia Pacific Screen Academy from 2010 to 2012.

Ronin Films and Electric Shadows

Andrew Pike at Electric Shadow Cinemas

In 1974, Pike formed Ronin Films with Merrilyn Fitzpatrick. The Canberra-based company was involved in many innovative distribution and marketing activities. In its first two decades, the company imported to Australia 120 feature films from Europe and Asia, and disturbed many Australian films including the feature films Strictly Ballroom, Shine And Road To Nhill, which achieved national success. The firm also developed an interest in films from China and Japan, importing many films from the Chinese "Fifth Generation" directors in the 1980s, and organising many Chinese directors to visit Australia including Chen Kaige, Wu Tianming, Zhang Zeming, Huang Jianxin and Tian Zhuangzhuang. The firm was actively involved in the beginnings of the French Film Festival in Sydney in the 1990s, and has frequently worked with the Alliance Francaise and the French Embassy to host festivals and other French film events at Ronin's Cinemas. As an exhibitor, they ran several "art" cineams including the Academy Cinema in Sydney for four years during the early 1990s, and Electric Shadows Cinemas in Canberra from 1979 to 2006. For many years Pike wrote programme notes for a weekly newsletter that was emailed to 4,500 cinema patrons in Canberra.

Today, it is a leading distributor of documentaries and specialises in the educational market, with a collection of 500 documentaries, mainly by independent Australian filmmakers. Ronin currently represents CAAMA (Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association) and has 60 of their titles in distribution.

Author

Australian Film: 1900 – 1977

Pike researched and co-authored (with Ross Cooper) the book Australian Film 1900–1977, published by Oxford University Press in 1980.

The book is a comprehensive guide to feature films of the first eight decades of filmmaking in Australia. including h production team and cast, a synopsis of the plot and descriptions go the shooting and marketing. The book covers 488 films and more than 400 illustrations, many of them published for the first time. "Pike and Cooper remains the 'bible', the authoritative reference source on feature films...The passage of time has enhanced the value and validity of this now classic book, for its style is timeless, and factual accuracy does not date." – Dr Ray Edmondson, Film Archivist.

Filmography

Angels of War (Co-director) with Hank Nelson and Gavan Daws in 1982. The film was an award-winning documentary about the experiences of Papua New Guinea people in World War II. It was broadcast by ABC TV and won several awards including the Gold Sesterce for Best Documentary at the Nyon Film Festival (Switzerland) and Best Documentary in the Australian Film Institute's annual awards.

Man Without Pigs (Co-producer) with Chris Owen in 1990. The film offers insight into the dynamics of village life in Papua New Guinea and the antagonism aroused when conflict between traditional custom and Western values occurs in an isolated community. The film won the Best Documentary Award at the Hawaii Film Festival and was broadcast by SBS in Australia.

Oh, Beethoven! (Producer) produced by Pike in 1999. The documentary follows Dr Susan West and the children from Ainslie Primary School, Canberra, in a special performance of a work about Beethoven's life. This is followed by discussion about Dr West's innovative approach to music education.

Mznof Strings co-produced by Pike in 1999, Man of Strings (directed by Gary Kildea), portrays the life and work of Czech-born violinist, Jan Sedivka, a leading violinist and string teachers in Australia.

Betelnut Bisnis (Co-producer) with filmmaker Chris Owen. The documentary explores the life of a family in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea, who make a precarious living by trading in betelnut, one of the world's most widely use narcotics. The film presents us with a vivid portrait of present-day Papua New Guinea – not the "doom and gloom" stories that dominate the media, but the day-to-day realities of life for "grass roots" citizens.

Across The Plateau (Co-producer) with his daughter Harriet Pike in 2007. This documentary is a bicycle story from China, about a group of friends in southern China who share cycling treks of epic scale. Their adventures are an expression of their sense of personal freedom in the new China, after a lifetime of political turmoil and personal struggle. Chinese filmmaker, Zhang Zeming, directed the film and was post produced at Ronin's Canberra office. Eight different international film festivals officially selected the film.

The Chifleys of Busby Street (Director) a feature-length documentary that is an eloquent portrait of Australia's best-loved Prime Minister Ben Chifley, and his wife Elizabeth, and their spirit kept alive in Bathurst for the five decades since his death.

Electric Shadows: The Story Of A Cinema (Co-producer) with Harriet Pike in 2009. The documentary looks at the history of the cinema, and considers the cinema’s emergence as something of an icon in the Canberra cultural scene.

Emily In Japan (Director) , a documentary that tells the behind-the-scenes story of the exhibition of paintings by the Indigenous artist Emily Kame Kngwarreye, which toured Japan attracting record crowds. The film was broadcast by ABC TV.

How To Run A School Concert (Director & producer) (2010) a documentary telling the story behind a huge interactive concert for school children and the community, exploring international song through the ages. Presented by the Music Education Program of the School of Music, Australian National University in Canberra.

Awards & Positions

1986: The Australian Film institute’s Byron Kennedy Award for contributions to the film industry.

1992: A special award by the Australian Film Critics' Circle for contributions to the film industry.

2003: Appointed by the French Government to the rank of Chevalier dans L'Ordre des Arts et Lettres for his work in the distribution and exhibition of French cinema in Australia.

2004: Named by the Canberra Times as one of 75 Canberra citizens who have contributed to the shape and vitality of the local community.

2005: Plaque erected in the ACT Honour Walk in Canberra City, for contributions to the community.

2007: Medal in the Order of Australia (OAM) for services to the film industry and to the community.

2007: Honorary Doctorate from University of Canberra.

2009: Jury member for the Asia Pacific Screen Awards.

2012: NSW Cinema Pioneer of the Year by Cinema Pioneers’ Association.

References