Press release from SPAA Conference
The Screen Producers Association of Australia (SPAA) has announced that Margaret Pomeranz AM will deliver the prestigious Hector Crawford Memorial Lecture on the Conference’s opening morning on Wednesday, 17 November at The Hilton Hotel in Sydney.
“It is a great honour to announce that the legendary film reviewer, industry stalwart and national treasure, Margaret Pomeranz will present this year’s Hector Crawford Memorial Lecture. Margaret has been a great supporter of the Australian industry through her television programs. She has a genuine enthusiasm for local film production and her involvement in Spectrum, one of the industry’s senior post-production houses, has given her rare insight into the vicissitudes of filmmaking.
Margaret is a most worthy presenter of this year’s Hector Crawford Memorial Lecture.” Said SPAA’s Executive Director, Geoff Brown. Pomeranz has been a movie reviewer on Australian television for nearly 25 years. Admired by her peers and loved by viewers her combination of grace, warmth and analysis is part of her very distinctive style.
A writer and TV producer, Margaret began her on-screen career when she and David Stratton established The Movie Show on SBS Television. It became a must-see program for movie fans until 2004 when Margaret and David moved to the ABC, where they have been presenting At The Movies ever since.
As a young adult she attended Macquarie University where she gained an Arts degree in German and Psychology. During this time she lived in Vienna where she had her first taste of working in the media. She was a stringer for the Bulletin and for ABC Rural Radio.
Back in Australia, she met and married filmmaker Hans Pomeranz and became involved with and enthusiastic about the ‘new wave’ of Australian filmmaking that was happening during the 1970’s.
Margaret attended the Playwright’s Studio at NIDA and began writing for television, radio and film. She began producing when given a chance to work with the newly established Special Broadcasting Service soon after it began in October 1980.
Margaret is well known for her unbending support for the Australian film industry and her strong stand against censorship. She has served as a member of the Advertising Standards Board, is a past President of the Film Critics Circle of Australia, and is a past President, currently vice-President of Watch on Censorship. She is also a member of the inaugural board of the Australian Writers’ Foundation.
The Hector Crawford Lecture remembers the contribution of Hector Crawford to the Australian cultural industries, particularly film and television through his legendary production company Crawford Productions, his patronage of the arts and his leadership in the ‘70s of the ‘Make it Australian’ campaign which recognised the importance of Australian stories on our television screens.
Previous Hector Crawford Memorial Lecture speakers have included Noel Pearson, Hilary McPhee, Harold Mitchell, Dare Jennings, Sandra Levy, Peter Garrett, Noni Hazlehurst and the Do Brothers.
Hector Crawford Memorial Lecture
Wednesday, 17 November 2010 @ 9:00am
SPAA Conference, 17 – 19 November 2010, The Hilton Hotel, Sydney www.spaa.org.au/conference