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Search for new festival director

The Perth International Arts Festival has begun a global search for a new artistic director to replace Jonathan Holloway, who bows out after next year's event.

Mr Holloway, an Englishman, began his four-year term by presenting the aerial angel-feathers spectacle Place des Anges in 2012 and retains a slim hope of securing The Giants puppet parade as his 2015 swansong.

French producers Royal de Luxe have extended until the end of this month the deadline to finance the $5.7m three-day street performance to commemorate the Anzac centenary next year.

University WA Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Johnson said the new artistic director would guide the Festival program for the four years from 2016.

"Under the artistic direction of Jonathan Holloway, the Festival has confirmed its place as one of Australia's largest arts festivals, but more importantly has married fabulous international programming with the genuine engagement of artists and audiences," Professor Johnson said.

Mr Holloway said he did not know what his next career move would be.

"Perth is far too exciting and too challenging for me to throw myself into anything else at this moment," he said. "My whole focus is on making Perth Festival 2015 fabulous."