PA/07/13 2 February 2013
Oz Fest South India Program Concludes
Australia’s Consul-General for South India, David Holly, today announced in Hyderabad the conclusion of the South India program of Oz Fest, Australia’s biggest ever cultural festival in India.
“Over the past four months, Oz Fest has showcased the creativity, dynamism and diversity of Australia through major events across South India focusing on Australian music, art, food, films, literature, dance, sport, ideas and much more,” Mr Holly announced.
Oz Fest was launched by Australia’s Prime Minister Julia Gillard on 16 October at a gala concert event at New Delhi’s historic Purana Qila. It will formally conclude nationwide with a performance on 6 February in New Delhi by Grammy-award nominated Australian musician Gotye.
In the four months in-between, the Australian Government has presented over 100 events in 18 locations across India as part of Oz Fest. This includes eight cities in South India, namely Hyderabad, Chennai, Coimbatore, Puducherry, Bengaluru, Hampi, Trivandrum, and Kochi.
“We hope that through Oz Fest, Indians have come to understand more about Australia and our nation’s story – our cultural diversity, our creativity, our strong economy, and the many links between our two nations” added Mr Holly.
Oz Fest will host a very special event 'Feast on Literature' with Australian Chef Christine Manfield and author John Zubrzycki at the enchanting Falaknuma Palace tonight. Invited guests will enjoy a five-course dinner, created by Christine Manfield, and inspired by the Nizam dynasty. Christine Manfield is known the world over as one of Australia’s most celebrated chefs as well as a food writer and gastronomic traveller.
The Hyderabad Oz Fest program also gave audiences a chance to enjoy the musical collaboration of the Australian Art Orchestra and Guru Kaaraikkudi Mani’s Sruthi Laya Ensemble, performing together as Two Oceans in the Hindu NovemberFest. John Zubrzycki, author of “The Last Nizam: An Indian Prince in the Australian Outback” and “The Mysterious Mr Jacob: Diamond Merchant, Magician and Spy”, has also conducted a number of literary seminars at leading Hyderabad universities.
A number of senior Australian leaders visited Hyderabad during the Oz Fest period, including Tony Burke, Federal Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities; Campbell Newman, Premier of the State of Queensland; and Alex Chernov, the Governor of the State of Victoria.
Australia has a strong and growing presence in Hyderabad. An Australian Trade Commission office is located in Hyderabad. There are also a number of joint science projects in diverse fields including health, renewable energy, environmental science and agricultural research funded through the Australia India Strategic Research Fund, Australia’s largest bilateral program with any country (AUD 64 million) and one of India’s biggest sources of support for international science collaboration. Australia welcomed investment by GVK, one of Hyderabad's largest companies, in a $10 billion integrated mine-to-port project in Queensland.
The Australian Government delivered Oz Fest with 24 partners. The Platinum partners were Adani, Rio Tinto and the Victorian Government. The Gold partners were the Australia-India Council, the Australia India Institute, Australia Unlimited, Cricket Australia, GVK, the New South Wales Government, Queensland University of Technology, the South Australian Government, Tourism Australia and Westpac. The Silver partners were ANZ, Jindal Steel and Power, JSW Steel, Pearls, the Queensland Government, the University of Melbourne and the Government of Western Australia.
Oz Fest’s production partners were Only Much Louder and Teamwork Productions. The hospitality partner was the Taj Group and the airline partner was Singapore Airlines.
Oz Fest is the Australia International Cultural Council’s focus country program for 2012/2013. For more information about Oz Fest visit: www.ozfestindia.com, www.facebook.com/ozfestinindia or follow us on twitter @OzFestIndia.