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SAFC launches new First Nations strategy
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The SAFC celebrates NAIDOC Week with the launch today of its next five-year strategic plan to boost First Nations screen creatives in South Australia, including a new First Nations mentoring partnership with Adelaide community television broadcaster Channel 44.
Also being unveiled today in a special event at Adelaide Studios, and livestreamed by Channel 44 via the SAFC Facebook page, is the SAFC’s new First Nations showreel and First Nations film poster wall, displaying posters of SAFC supported films by emerging SA First Nations filmmakers.
To be officially launched this afternoon by Minister for Innovation and Skills David Pisoni, the First Nations Screen Strategy 2020-2025 follows on from the SAFC’s Aboriginal Screen Strategy 2015-2020, and sets out continued and greater support for the South Australian First Nations screen sector across four main avenues: growing investment, increasing production, creating pathways, and building industry networks.
SAFC First Nations Screen Strategy Executive Lee-Ann Tjunypa Buckskin said "Our commitment is to continue to grow and invest in developing ambitious and unique projects for First Nations practitioners on screen and on digital platforms. Integral to our work is that we value working with our First Nations Advisory Committee whose passion for First Nations stories brings a wealth of experience and cultural authority that continues to guide, encourage, and provide us with direction”
Minister Pisoni said: "The SAFC has a long and distinguished history of screen culture within Australia, and I commend and congratulate the SA Film Corporation for its continued work in boosting the voices and stories of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. I’m confident that this Strategy will play an important part in preserving culture and helping Indigenous practitioners to build successful careers and take their stories to the world," Minister Pisoni said.
Also announced today is the SAFC’s new partnership with Adelaide community broadcaster Channel 44, to provide on-the-job training and mentorship to up to eight First Nations screen creatives, including three paid producer and crew roles at the television station. The partnership will also see SAFC supported short films made by First Nations filmmakers aired statewide on Channel 44 throughout the year.
SAFC CEO Kate Croser said "We are very excited to be partnering with Channel 44 on this new First Nations mentoring initiative, which will enhance the visibility of South Australian First Nations practitioners and their work, and help to establish and formalise even more career pathways for our state’s emerging screen talents."
General Manager of Channel 44 Lauren Hillman said: "Channel 44 is thrilled to be partnering with the SAFC on what will be the station’s inaugural First Nations mentorship program. This partnership will provide significant opportunities for emerging First Nations screen creatives to gain valuable hands-on experience in television production, learn new skills and create original content, and will help to establish career pathways on to producer and crew roles."
Today’s launch event will be livestreamed at 3.00pm ACDT thanks to Adelaide’s Channel 44. To watch, go to facebook.com/safilmcorporation/live
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Image: The SAFC's First Nations Screen Strategy 2020-2025
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Join our First Nations Screen Working Group
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Calling all SA First Nations screen creatives: the SAFC wants you for our new First Nations Screen Working Group!
The group will meet quarterly to help the SAFC activate and maintain engagement with the SA First Nations screen sector, and assist the SAFC’s First Nations programming and planning by providing advice, feedback and suggestions.
SA First Nations screen creatives are invited to learn more about the SAFC’s First Nations initiatives, and the new First Nations Screen Working Group, at an information session on Wednesday 18 November, hosted by SAFC First Nations Strategy Executive Lee-Ann Buckskin and SAFC First Nations Industry Development Executive Nara Wilson.
Lee-Ann and Nara will present the SAFC's newly launched First Nations Screen Strategy 2020–2025, talk through the SAFC’s Indigenous collateral, and provide information about the Pirrku Kuu Hub, as well as other SAFC First Nations initiatives.
To find out more and RSVP for the information session, click here.
Image: Marika Davies at the Port Augusta Film Development Workshop, photo by Carl Kuddell © Change Media 2019
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SA launches Creative Industries Strategy
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The SAFC was pleased to host Minister for Innovation and Skills The Hon. David Pisoni MP and Minister for Trade and Investment The Hon. Stephen Patterson MP at Adelaide Studios last week to officially launch South Australia's new Creative Industries Strategy.
Developed by the Department for Innovation and Skills in collaboration with the Department for Trade and Investment and in consultation with industry, the 10-year strategy is part of the State Government's Growth State agenda to support the creative industries sector - which spans screen, music, visual and performing arts, festivals, fashion and more.
"We know that creativity is a major driver of innovation. As a Government, we believe that the creative industries play a critical role in South Australia's future," Minister Pisoni said.
"The sector is already bringing enormous economic value to our state, with South Australian creative businesses directly contributing $1.2 billion to the local economy and employing more than 15,000 workers in 2019.
"I look forward to working with the sector in the coming years so that, together, we can ensure creativity continues to thrive in SA."
Held at the SAFC's Adelaide Studios Screening Theatre, the launch event was attended by key industry members and government representatives.
Find out more about SA's Creative Industries sector and strategy at innovationandskills.sa.gov.au/creative-industries
Image: Minister for Innovation and Skills David Pisoni at Adelaide Studios for the Creative Industries Strategy launch.
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SA screen sector going for Gold with Zac Efron
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SA's film industry has scored a major coup with Hollywood star Zac Efron signing on for Stan Original feature film Gold to be filmed in South Australia starting this month.
Minister for Innovation and Skills David Pisoni said securing the production of Gold in SA is fantastic news for the local screen sector, which is continuing to deliver jobs and investment for the State through the coronavirus pandemic.
"The exceptional job South Australia has done suppressing coronavirus is why COVID-safe screen production has begun so quickly, reinvigorating the local screen industry and delivering local jobs," Minister Pisoni said.
"South Australia became one of the first locations in the world to resume film and television production after COVID delays and the South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC) has done a wonderful job facilitating a consistent pipeline of production for the State.
"The economic benefits of local screen production extend to the construction, hospitality, transportation and retail sectors. The injection of economic activity in regional areas hit by the downturn in tourism from travel restrictions is particularly welcome this side of Christmas."
Efron (The Greatest Showman, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile) will star alongside Anthony Hayes (Animal Kingdom, The Light Between Oceans, War Machine) and award-winning actress Susie Porter (Ladies In Black, The Second).
Anthony Hayes will also direct the film which is based on a screenplay he co-wrote with Polly Smyth.
SAFC CEO Kate Croser said "SA's talented producers, crews and screen service vendors are embracing the boom in our state’s COVID-safe production, enabling productions to get up and running with very short turnaround. Gold’s South Australian Co-Producer Julie Byrne of Triptych Pictures has again demonstrated the capacity and agility of our screen industry to deliver high quality, international-calibre projects."
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Image: Anthony Hayes, Zac Efron and Susie Porter are set to star in new Stan Original film Gold.
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SA screen set to shine at AACTA Awards
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SA's screen sector is set to shine at the upcoming AACTA Awards, with eight SAFC supported productions earning nominations across various categories.
SA filmed and produced and SAFC supported ABC drama series Stateless, produced by SA producer Paul Ranford and co-produced by SA producer Kirsty Stark, earned seven nominations including Best Telefeature or Miniseries, two nominations for Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama for Jai Courtney and Fayssal Bazzi and nominations for Best Lead Actress for Asher Keddie and Yvonne Strahovski.
Also up for Best Telefeature or Miniseries is SA filmed and SAFC supported ABC drama series Operation Buffalo which scored two nominations, while Foxtel's Upright scored three including Best Comedy Series.
Nominated for Best Children's Program are SA filmed and SAFC supported ABC series Are You Tougher than Your Ancestors, produced by SA's Flying Kite Pictures and Sticky Pictures, and SA filmed and SAFC supported series First Day, produced by SA's Epic Films, while SA filmed and SAFC supported documentary Maralinga Tjarutja is nominated for Best Documentary or Factual Program.
In the film category, Adelaide Studios mixed feature I Am Woman earned seven nominations including Best Film, Best Lead Actress for SA actor Tilda Cobham-Hervey, and Best Sound, with the nominated team including Adelaide Studios based SA sound editor Pete Smith, while SA shot feature Escape from Pretoria was nominated for Best Cinematography for SA cinematographer Geoffrey Hall.
Other SA practitioners honoured in the nominations include Peta Astbury-Bulsara for The Heights (Best Drama Series); Julie Ryan for H is for Happiness (nine nominations including Best Film); and Paul Ranford for True History of the Kelly Gang (10 nominations including Best Film).
See the full list of nominees at aacta.org/aacta-awards/nominees
Image: Ghenoa Gela in Are You Tougher Than Your Ancestors.
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Applause: accolades, awards & appointments
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● SA filmed and SAFC supported series First Day, produced by SA's Epic Films, has been nominated in the Children and Youth category in the prestigious Rose d’Or Awards. Read more
● SA practitioners earned 43 awards at the 2020 SA and WA Australian Cinematographers' Society Awards held last week, including the major Milton Ingerson Award for Best Entry which went to SA cinematographer Geoffrey Hall for Escape From Pretoria, making him the first three-time winner of the award. At the Northern Territory chapter of the awards, SA based cinematographer Allan Collins won the Gold Award for Best Cinematographer for Short Film for SA filmed and SAFC supported Secret Pretty Things. Read more
● Two SAFC supported productions have scored nominations in the 2020 Casting Guild of Australia Awards: SA filmed Foxtel series Upright was nominated for Best Casting in a TV Comedy, and SA filmed ABC series Operation Buffalo was nominated for Best Casting in a TV Miniseries or Telemovie. The winners will be announced in a virtual ceremony via Facebook on 28 November. Read more
● Three SA screen projects have received a share of Carclew's latest round of Project Grants. Whyalla Film Festival Curator Michal Hughes has received $9,800 for development and growth of the 2021 festival; inaugural Hanlon Larsen Screen Fellowship winner Emma Hough Hobbs received $8,000 for On Film; and Kirrily Snape/ALT Media received $10,000 for ALT: Love, Today. Read more
● Carclew's inaugural 2021 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander fellowship has been awarded to 19-year-old Chevon McKenzie of Port Augusta, who has been awarded $9,100 to train in video production, scriptwriting and screen content development with Umeewarra Media. Read more
● Adelaide community broadcaster Channel 44 has appointed Chris Leese as Digital Strategy Manager.
Image: First Day, photo by Ian Routledge, courtesy Epic Films
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