User:Laura Sivis

DOB 22nd December 1965 Sydney, Australia
Film Producer, Engineer, Artist



Early Years
Laura attended Thornleigh West Public School, (Sydney Australia) where academicly and sportingly gifted, she topped her classes, and brought home awards in athletics. Taking the lead from her mother who had been on the national team for gymnastics, Laura was awarded State Gymnastics champion at the age of only 10, and trained with the Australian Police Youth Citizen's Clubs.

Laura then went on to attend Hornsby Girls Selective High School, for academically gifted girls, where she continued competing in gymnastics, but also was awarded overall athletics age champion, and represented the school over the years in regional and state athletics competitions. She also took up competitive figure skating and competed at a national level. It was at high school, that she developed a love for drama, and was a permanent member of the drama group, preparing and participating in school productions such as The Wizard of OZ, The Kind and I, Bye Bye Birdie etc.

Despite studying in an all girl environment, Laura was priviledged to have been taught by one of Australia's first female engineers Hilda Ruston, and went on to pursue a technical education in the same male dominated field.

Laura's tertiary studies include an Electrical Engineering Degree UNSW, Graduate Diploma in Science UNSW, Masters in Engineering Science (top 10 graduate) UNSW, Graduate Diploma in Management APESMA/DEAKIN , an MBA (top 10 graduate) APESMA/DEAKIN/UTS/HARVARD , and Diploma in Film NY, as well as Masters Degree classes at the Australian Film & Television School.

During her studies, she worked as a tutor, but made the bulk of her money easily from specialised painting of underwater wildlife, and, as an engineering student, found it ironic that her arts degree friends were always broke.

Professional Engineer/ Technical Manager
She spent 9 years working as an engineer designing miltary combat systems, mining exploration systems, training simulators, and Under the Radar customs control equipment, before pursuing a career in the entertainment industry.

Film Producer
Laura Sivis has worked on productions originating in Australia, the USA, France, and Africa. Her producing credits include Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen’s  successful feature length production OUR LIPS ARE SEALED. 

She was script and producing consultant on Steve Pasvolsky's Oscar nominated short drama INJA and has also produced a number of other award winning short films (eg DESY in Tropfest  2000, WRONG ANSWER  in 2006 Winnipeg, Boston, Tribeca, Great Lakes etc  etc), plus documentaries, TV series and numerous commercials.

Laura also worked as studio coordinator at Fox Studios Australia (FSA), during Mission Impossible II, Moulin Rouge, Star Wars EpII, Farscape etc. A top-10 graduate from the Apesma/Harvard MBA (where she majored in the film industry), coupled with film studies in NY and AFTRS Masters programs, has also allowed her to work as a business consultant for Fox Studios Australia, Beyond, Film Australia, Future Films, Tapestry Films, Goldstream Capital etc. She has served as Treasurer, Vice President and Festival Judge for Women in Film, Sydney.

She has mentored many professional women, in both the fields of engineering and filmmaking, including award winning documentary maker Chloe Traicos' film "A STRANGER IN MY HOMELAND", with whom she is developing several projects to alert the world to the terrible plight of Zimbabwean and Sudanese refugees.

By commencing a documentary to bring to light the slaughter of protected wildlife in Cameroon by multi-national organisations, hiring poachers to kill the animals to "cheaply" feed their workers; she was also instrumental in halting that slaughter.

In 2010 she received a Best Feature Film Nomination at DIGISPAA, , The digital arm of the Screen Producers Assocation of Australia.

She is regularly invited to speak at conferences on Film Finance, Production, Stereoscopic 3D, and Career Mentoring. In 2011, she chaired the first Stereoscopic 3D conference held in Australia, which was hosted by Content & Technology, ,.

Laura currently has packaged the feature film SHADOWS FROM THE SKY, and is pioneering live action Stereoscopic 3D. She has two 3D features in advanced development, which for one she produced the futuristic sci-fi action film short film/R&D teaser S21-3D in 2008, which screened in Cannes in 2009, won best film at the SMPTE’s Dimensionale 3D Film Festival in 2009, and enjoyed a 2 month theatrical release in France in 2010.

While a great lover of pure entertainment, she continues to be driven to bring awareness and stop all that represents human injustice and environmental destruction.

Traveller
Whether through work or fun, Laura has a great love for adventure - and has travelled to over 80 countries, enjoying nature hiking, photographing wildlife, camping under the stars, enjoys markets and cultural interaction, and collects artisanal arts and crafts. She also enjoys ballroom & latin dancing, painting, reading, and creating things eg clothes, furniture, sculptures etc. As a child wanted nothing more than to write novels, but would be happy to read a good book from beginning to end, without stopping to sleep. Her passion for great stories continues, particularly those that reveal human courage - the trade mark of her production company Courage Films.