Press release from ABC
Last night at the opening of the Adelaide Film festival (AFF), the Premier of South Australia, the Hon Mike Rann announced ABC TV Arts & Entertainment and the AFF are joining forces to create the Hive Production Fund. The Fund will support the production of selected arts-based films and documentaries. ABC TV and the AFF will each contribute $200,000 to the Fund.
Inspired out of the Hive Development Lab currently running in Adelaide, this $400,000 funding initiative is designed to assist one-off, ambitious and audacious arts films for screening at the AFF and on ABC TV. The joint fund reflects an ongoing partnership between ABC TV and the Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund that has seen co-investment in many projects, including last night’s AFF world premiere – Mrs Carey's Concert.
Artistic Director of the AFF, Katrina Sedgwick said: “This fund builds on the partnership that our Festival has been developing with ABC Arts over the past nine years. We greatly look forward to jointly supporting some truly visionary works for the screen.”
Amanda Duthie, Head of ABC TV Arts & Entertainment concurred and added: “We will be calling for ideas that demonstrate a strong vision that can successfully translate arts ideas and stories to cinema and television screens.”
The inaugural Hive Development Lab has drawn together Australian artists, musicians, filmmakers, theatre makers, dancers, choreographers and writers in a ground-breaking, five-day residential workshop. The lab aims to encourage art form cross-pollination – between practitioners, and between processes and creative approaches. Participants include Richard Tognetti of the Australian Chamber Orchestra and acclaimed choreographers Meryl Tankard, Garry Stewart, Gideon Obarzanek and Kate Champion. Participants from the theatre world include Michael Kantor, Rose Myers, Chris Drummond, Matthew Whittet. From the visual arts internationally acclaimed artists Lynette Wallworth and Susan Norrie.
THE HIVE filmmakers include Tony Krawitz (Jewboy, The Tall Man), Glendyn Ivin (Crackerbag, Last Ride), Anna Broinowski (Forbidden Lie$), Amiel Courtin-Wilson (Bastardy, Hail), Matthew Bate, Sophie Hyde and Bryan Mason of Adelaide’s creative powerhouse Closer Productions, Ashlee Page (Layover, The Kiss), Amy Gebhardt (Look Sharp, Heart) and filmmaker, new media artist and musician Jason Sweeney (Disappointment).
Guidelines and application forms for the HIVE Production Fund will be released soon.