Andrew Pike

After completing an M.A. on the history of Australian cinema at the Australian National University, Canberra, Andrew worked as a cinema manager for a number of years while he researched and co-authored (with Ross Cooper) a major book documenting Australia's film history, Australian Film 1900 - 1977, published by Oxford University Press in 1980. Andrew also researched and wrote many articles on film, published in magazines and newspapers; and made several short films.

Andrew also served for three years as Consultant to the National Library's National Film Collection, on the acquisition of films for study purposes in schools and universities. He also worked for three years as a Research Fellow in the Department of Pacific History at the A.N.U. There he co-directed an award-winning documentary, ANGELS OF WAR [1982], about the experiences of the people of Papua New Guinea in World War Two.

In 1974, he formed Ronin Films with his wife, Dr Merrilyn Pike, a specialist in China studies. The company was involved in many innovative distribution and marketing activities, especially the theatrical release of documentaries.

Andrew has a keen interest in policy issues affecting the film industry as a whole 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.

Andrew is also active in promoting an expansion of audiences and a wider public appreciation of all aspects of cinema. For many years he wrote programme notes for a weekly newsletter that was emailed to over 4,500 cinema patrons in Canberra. He also makes occasional ABC radio broadcasts, and gives occasional courses on film appreciation for the adult education service at the Australian National University.

He is an advocate for the formation of a viable film and television office in the Canberra region, and was a Founding Member and Secretary of the A.C.T. Film and Television Council, Inc.

In 1999, Andrew was instrumental in the formation 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.

2007: Awarded a Medal in the Order of Australia for his services to the film industry and the community.
Awarded on Honorary PhD by the University of Canberra.

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

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

2003: Founding Member and Secretary of the A.C.T. Film and Television Council, Inc.

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.

2000 - 2003: Member of the Council of the National Film and Sound Archive.

1999: Founding Member of the Friends of the National Film and Sound Archive, Inc. Elected President of the Friends in 2004.

1992: Special award from the Australian Film Critics' Circle for contributions to the film industry.

1989 - 1992: Member of the Board of the Australian Film Commission.

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

1982: Director ANGELS OF WAR - Winner Best Documentary, 1982 AFI Awards and Best Documentary at the 1982 Nyon Film Festival, Switzerland.

Filmography

	ACROSS THE PLATEAU » This is the extraordinary story of seven retired Chinese men and women who embark on a 3,100 kilometer cycling journey from Lanzhou, a smoggy industrial city in northwest China, across the Tibetan plateau to Everest Base Camp...
	ANGELS OF WAR » ANGELS OF WAR captures the experiences of villagers who lived through the Papua New Guinea campaign. Caught up in a war they could not understand or influence, they had no choice but to obey whoever held the gun...
	MAN WITHOUT PIGS » John Waiko is the first Papua New Guinean to reach the status of professor. After receiving his doctorate from the Australian National University he travelled back to his village on the Gira River to celebrate the achievement with his own people...
	EMILY IN JAPAN - The Making of An Exhibition » This DVD contains the full, unabridged version of the film, with approx 25 minutes of outstanding footage not shown in the shortened TV version...
	BIG GIG, THE » The Big Gig: A Singing Odyssey presents two interactive musical events co-ordinated by the staff of the Music Education Program at the School of Music, Australian National University in Canberra...
	ELECTRIC SHADOWS: The Story of a Cinema » For 27 years, Electric Shadows served as an independent cinema in Canberra, running high quality films for discerning audiences...
	OH, BEETHOVEN! » Susan West was trained as a music educator in Australia, Hungary and New York. For 5 years she was a principal flautist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra...
	BETELNUT BISNIS » Betelnut is one of the most widely used narcotics in the world. In the coastal areas of Papua New Guinea, where it is grown, it has been a socially acceptable stimulant since ancestral times, but in the central Highlands where the majority of the population live, it is a relatively recent arrival...
	CHIFLEYS OF BUSBY STREET, THE » Ben Chifley (1885 – 1951) was a railway engine-driver who became Australia’s best-loved Prime Minister in 1945. He was a politician who lived by principles of compassion and concern for his fellow Australians...
	MAN OF STRINGS » This documentary by Gary Kildea, director of such ethnographic film classics as TROBRIAND CRICKET and CELSO AND CORA, is an intimate "family portrait" of a charismatic musician and the community of students and colleagues around him...