The NSW Liberals & Nationals Government is investing in the next generation of filmmakers and script writers so they can capture the stories of our diverse communities
Minister for the Arts Troy Grant said nearly $568,000 has been granted to 18 organisations across the State to support professional development projects, as well as 26 public screenings, festivals or tours to take quality screen productions to a wider audience.
“From masterclasses for aspiring directors in Newcastle, Wollongong and Byron Bay; a mentoring program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander filmmakers on the North Coast; and support for the Lebanese Film Festival in Bankstown, the NSW Government continues to champion our screen industry,” Mr Grant said.
“Each year, screen production businesses in NSW generate over $1.5 billion of income, and we lead the nation in film and television drama production. This is a position the NSW Government is determined to hold.
Professional development opportunities will include intensive workshops in interactive storytelling in the Riverina and Hunter, mentoring programs in Western Sydney, and a four-day conference attracting up to 600 national and international delegates.
Mr Grant said the funding is being made available through Screen NSW’s industry development and audience development funds.
“A range of film festivals will receive audience development funding to take feature films, short films and documentaries on the road to communities across the State.
“I have met with many of the successful funding recipients across the State and the commitment and quality of the organisations and events is very exciting and I strongly encourage those interested in films or filmmakers to get involved,” Mr Grant said.
More information on Screen NSW’s programs is available at: www.screen.nsw.gov.au
Screen NSW is funding the following projects and events in 2014/15 and future years:
Industry Development Fund 2014/15:
Australian Directors Guild, $25,000 a year for three years (2014/15 to 2016/17) to present a range of workshops and masterclasses across NSW including Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong and Byron Bay; OzDoxs, Sydney Film Festival forums, Flickerfest forums, the Directors Attachment Scheme and Meet the Directors as part of AACTA, as well as general support for Australian directors based in NSW.
Screen Culture Association Incorporated, $5,000, for Tribeca Hacks, an international series of intensive workshops for content creators and technology specialists to increase understanding and broaden participation in the field of interactive storytelling. The event will take place in partnership with New York’s Tribeca Film Institute at Antenna Documentary Film Festival, held annually in October over five days in Sydney.
Northern Rivers Screenworks, $15,000, for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mentoring Program, an outcome-focused mentoring program for local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who currently have an initial project idea that will benefit from mentor assistance. The goal of this program is to develop to funding / pitch ready status and to build participants’ confidence and capacity. The program will provide the access, nurturing, intelligence and networking required to assist emerging and early-career content creators in Byron Bay, Bangalow, Lismore, Ballina, Grafton, Casino, Ballina and Murwillumbah, and to build careers in a regional context.
Eastern Riverina Arts Program Incorporated, $6,200, for OnScreen Riverina ScriptLab, a professional development program held in Wagga Wagga for emerging and early-career scriptwriters connected to the Riverina. Industry professionals will lead a four-day intensive laboratory over two weekends in September and November 2014 on script writing and early-stage development for regional based screen projects.
This is in addition to Industry Development projects already contracted for multi-year funding which commenced in 2013/14:
Information and Cultural Exchange – Screen Culture program for Western Sydney, $57,500 a year for two years (2014/15 to 2015/16), to engage filmmakers, writers and screen artists through workshops, forums, screenings, productions and mentoring programs to develop screen literacy and present quality screen and digital content.
Screen Producers Australia’s ‘Screen Forever’ conference, $10,000 a year for two years (2014/15 to 2015/16) and Screen Producers Australia’s ‘Ones to Watch’ initiative, $10,000 a year for two years (2014/15 to 2015/16): the conference is a forum for screen industry professionals and content creators to come together to share and challenge big ideas, and find new business partners; and ‘Ones to Watch’ provides professional development and business opportunities for a select group of early-career practitioners over a six month period. NSW screen industry professionals attend this conference.
Northern Rivers Screenworks, $50,000 a year for two years (2014/15 to 2015/16), for its professional development program, ‘Enterprise’, designed to help develop commercially viable projects which will attract audiences, funding and distribution and ideally be produced in the Northern Rivers region.
Metro Screen – Central Coast OnScreen program, $25,000 a year for two years (2014/15 to 2015/16), to provide up to 15 emerging screen practitioners living on the Central Coast with the opportunity to hone their skills, producing short screen works for online distribution.
Metro Screen will also receive $200,000 a year for two years ((2014/15 to 2015/16), for a range of screen industry programs and events.
Australian International Documentary Conference, $8,000 in 2014/15 towards the four-day event in 2015. The conference is for the factual film and broadcasting, and content creation industry, attracting up to 600 national and international delegates.
Australian Writers Guild – Pathways Program and Storyworld Multimedia Project Development Master classes, $15,000 in 2014/15 towards targeted professional development initiatives that significantly increase opportunities for NSW feature film, television and multimedia writers.
Audience Development Fund 2014/15:
The Festivalists, $8,000 a year for two years (2014/15 to 2015/16), for Access All Areas and $8,000 a year for three years (2014/15 to 2016/17), for Young at Heart Film Festival’s regional tour. Access All Areas is a film festival held annually in December that is dedicated to delivering high quality Australian short and feature films that have been made accessible for people with disability. And in March 2015 the Young at Heart Film Festival's regional tour will bring the Young at Heart Short Film Awards program to 39 towns in regional NSW, most of which have no film festival.
Screen Culture Association Incorporated, $10,000 a year for three years (2014/15 to 2016/17), for Antenna Documentary Film Festival held annually in October over five intensive days in Sydney. The Festival showcases the very best in documentary cinema from Australia and around the world, together with award programs, Q&A sessions, international guests, master classes and other special audience and industry events.
Greenhouse Events Pty Ltd, $10,000 a year for three years (2014/15 to 2016/17), for Bryon Bay International Film Festival, a ten-day festival held in Byron Bay in March, with a program of over 225 films including world and Australian premieres; an industry program of master classes, industry panels, networking events, and a schools program for primary and secondary students throughout the Northern Rivers region.
Queer Screen, $6,000, for Mardi Gras Film Festival Wonder Years, a series of youth screening events including networking and social engagement activities during the Mardi Gras Film Festival with tailored film content for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and questioning (LGBTIQ) youth and LGBTIQ youth with disabilities.
Lebanese Film Festival Association Incorporated, $4,000, for the Lebanese Film Festival in August-September, a two-week Bankstown-based film festival showcasing the work of Lebanese filmmakers from NSW and around the world. The Festival attracts audiences from across the Sydney region and provides an accessible arts event for Bankstown and South West Sydney audiences.
Screen Hunter Central Coast, $5,000 for Real Film Festival, a three-day festival in November that is designed to foster and showcase the art of telling the stories of real events through film. The Festival includes thirteen industry development workshops, three short film competitions and screenings of independent short, documentary and feature films.
Gwydir Shire Council, $4,000, for the North West Film Festival, a three-day festival in September for young people from rural communities in north-west NSW. It provides young people with the unique opportunity to showcase their work, assess the work of their peers, and collaborate with industry professionals.
This is in addition to Audience Development projects already contracted for multi year funding which commenced in 2013/14:
Information and Cultural Exchange, $16,000 a year for two years (2014/15 to 2015/16), for the Arab Film Festival, an annual, curated program of films reflecting the complexity, vitality and diversity of Arab communities in Australia and across the world. The Arab Film Festival will be held in Sydney in August.
Northern Rivers Screenworks, $10,000 a year for two years (2014/15 to 2015/16), to premiere screenings of Australian films across the Northern Rivers region including guest speakers and Q&A sessions.
Flickerfest, $20,000 a year for two years (2014/15 to 2015/16), for the short film festival, and $20,000 a year for two years (2014/15 to 2015/16), to take the best short films from the event to at least 22 venues in regional NSW. In 2014, the festival received more than 2,000 entries and screened over 100 films including many world and Australian premieres. Flickerfest is held in Sydney in January, followed by a tour to regional locations from January-May.
Petite Grand Kaboom, $5,000 a year for two years a year for two years (2014/15 to 2015/16), for the Little Big Shots children’s film festival. The funding will support the festival’s NSW tour of metro, Western Sydney, regional and remote communities, bringing the magic of cinema to kids across the State.
Tropfest, $15,000 a year for two years a year for two years (2014/15 to 2015/16), towards the Roughcut series of curated conversations featuring high profile figures from within the film industry. The event caters for around 300 emerging filmmakers and film enthusiasts.