Is it a coincidence that three of the highest-grossing Australian films of 2019 - Rachel Griffiths' 'Ride Like A Girl', Wayne Blair's 'Top End Wedding' and Rachel Ward's 'Palm Beach' - have all been helmed by directors and producers who have backgrounds as actors? Not according to Griffiths.
Ludo Studio were the big winners at last night's Screen Producers Australia Awards in Melbourne, taking home four gongs, including the major prize of the night: Screen Production Business of the Year.
While Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts Paul Fletcher is keeping mum as to whether the government will adjust the screen industry's regulatory framework, in his address to the Screen Forever conference on Tuesday he emphasised government has a role to play in supporting the industry to capture global opportunities.
The Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC) has advised its members to be wary of signing deals which ask them to reinvest 50 per cent or more of their fees.
Screen Producers Australia would like to see a unified, singular industry strategy to help take Australian stories to the world.
Zoe Angus has quit as national director of Equity at MEAA to join SPA.
Ed Punchard, John Hughes, Jenni Tosi, Dan Read, Rebecca Summerton, Tracey Vieira and Suzanne Ryan will join the Screen Producers Australia (SPA) council for 2019-2020.
Some $1.17 billion was spent on drama production in Australia in the last financial year - the second highest year on record and more than 50 per cent up on the previous year - driven by all-time high expenditure on local content and significantly bolstered levels of foreign spend.