Screen Stories Long Table Dinner + TIFF Debrief & A Breakfast Briefing – POLICY: In October, SPA hosted the annual Screen Stories Long Table Dinner in Canberra, where SPA members sat down with industry colleagues and key parliamentarians, including Minister for the Arts, the Hon. Tony Burke MP, Minister for Communications, the Hon. Michelle Rowland MP, to connect and address critical problems holding our sector back.
The following day, a small group of members were joined by other parliamentarians during a morning of meetings at Parliament House, where they shared concerns on key issues facing their screen businesses and the wider industry. We welcomed the release of the NSW Government’s Screen and Digital Games Strategy, and we shared advice on preparing Round 4 EMDG applications.
INDUSTRIAL: This month, the industrial team at SPA worked closely with members to address various issues and questions. We issued multiple member advisories regarding changes at AWGACS, a recent Administrative Appeal Tribunal decision on the Producer Offset, Director copyright, and production breaks.
EVENTS: We hosted the latest Screen Business Essentials online course from 10-11 Oct, and we were joined by a selection of TIFF 2024 attendees, including Screen Australia COO Grainne Brunsdon, LUDO Studio’s Lauren Brown and SAM Content’s Sally Aitken for a SPA member debrief. We hosted the third round of state-specific / national quarterly SPA member meetings, and hosted ABC Chair Kim Williams AM for a sold-out Breakfast Briefing at Disney Studios, where he shared insight into his vision for one of Australia’s national broadcasters and our industry. Stay tuned on the SPA events page for details of all upcoming events.
POLICY
SCREEN STORIES LONG TABLE DINNER
SPA members shared an evening with industry colleagues and parliamentarians in Canberra on Tuesday, 8 Oct.
The annual event is an opportunity to highlight our industry is vital—it generates economic activity and highly skilled local jobs. Also, it tells our Australian stories to local and global audiences.
A main talking point was the need for government action to address several critical problems holding our sector back, including regulation of streaming platforms and action to retain our homegrown intellectual property.
SPA BREAKFAST BRIEFING: KIM WILLIAMS AM
Breakfast Briefings are back, with a sold-out in-person taking place on Thursday, 24 Oct, with the recently appointed Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Chair Kim Williams AM as the guest speaker.
Hosted by SPA CEO Matthew Deaner, the briefing saw SPA members and industry executives gather to hear Kim discuss his vision for the ABC and our industry, including his perspectives on Australia’s evolving media landscape and how this will continue to affect screen production.
NSW SCREEN & DIGITAL GAMES STRATEGY
Oct saw the release of the NSW Government’s Screen and Digital Games Strategy.
The strategy comes as a much-needed confidence boost at a difficult time for the industry, with the current downturn in production, difficult commissioning conditions and the stalled regulation of dominant streaming platforms being felt everywhere.
SPA has long advocated for greater independence and better resourcing for Screen NSW, which would enable it to be more responsive to industry, and the new administrative arrangements with reporting to a Deputy Secretary are a step in the right direction towards this.
SPA SUBMISSION ON AI GUARDRAILS
In October, we submitted our views on mandatory guardrails for artificial intelligence (AI) in high-risk settings to the federal government. The submission was developed after a meeting between SPA members and a key representative from the Department of Industry Science and Resources, where members shared their concerns surrounding the implementation of AI in the Australian screen industry.
EMDG: ROUND 4 APPLICATIONS
Recently, we shared in-depth information with SPA members on how to best prepare for and complete an EMDG application.
Round 4 applications for the Export Market Development Grant (EMDG) open in early Nov 2024 for financial years 2025-26 and 2026-27.
EVENTS
THE SPA TEAM OUT & ABOUT
Last month, some of the SPA team, including our CEO and our Business & Legal Affairs Manager joined with a number of SPA members by attending and participating in local and international industry events.
SA
Matthew Deaner attended the Adelaide Film Festival, participating in a screen industry talk alongside Leanne Saunders (Head of Production & Development, SAFC), Luke Dale (Partner, HWL Ebsworth Lawyers), Ester Harding (Mind The Gap Film Finance), Louise Gough (Director of Narrative Content, Screen Australia) and Mat Kesting (CEO & Creative Director, AFF) for a conversation on the state of the screen industry.
INDIA
Andy Barclay, Manager of Business & Legal Affairs, recently attended MAMI Film Festival in Mumbai, India. He was invited, as part of a DFAT delegation, to speak on an industry panel, “International Coproductions: Collaborations with Australia”, following the recent ratification of the India-Australia Coproduction Agreement. He was joined by SPA member Ian Collie, Founder of Easy Tiger Productions, who took part in a Q&A after a screening of Easy Tiger production ‘Four Years Later’ at the festival.
SPA BREAKFAST TAKEAWAY
Following the recent SPA Breakfast Briefing with special guest Kim Williams AM, we are pleased to announce a not-to-be-missed SPA Breakfast Takeaway conversation recorded on the same day.
Kim shares invaluable insight into his vision for the ABC, one of Australia’s national broadcasters, and our industry, including his perspectives on Australia’s evolving media landscape and how this will continue to affect screen production.
The recorded conversations will be housed on the SPA YouTube Channel in a ‘SPA Takeaways playlist’.
DATE & VENUE DETAILS
Date: Wednesday, 6 Nov 2024
Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm AEDT
Venue: Facebook Live
SCREEN BUSINESS ESSENTIALS: NAVIGATING GROWTH
Following our highly successful 2-day Screen Business Essentials course in October, Screen Business Essentials: Navigating Growth, held in conjunction with the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS), is back to provide a practical, real-world guide to provide early to mid-career producers with a deep dive into option and co-development agreement deal terms plus finance plans and recoupment waterfalls for feature film and long-form scripted TV.
DATE & VENUE DETAILS
Date: Thursday, 14 Nov 2024
Time: 9:00am – 5:00pm AEDT
Venue: Online
Book HERE
SCREEN FOREVER 39 VOLUNTEERS CALL OUT
We’re searching for proactive and friendly volunteers for SCREEN FOREVER 39.
If you have experience in event management or are a graduate looking for work experience in the screen industry – we want to hear from you!
Students of directing, production and writing are also encouraged to apply.
Dates: 5 – 8 May, 2025
Venue: Gold Coast, QLD
SCREEN FOREVER 39 website HERE.
Please apply by 5pm AEDT, Friday, 31 Jan 2025
Apply HERE
INSIGHTFUL INSIGHTS
If you’re a SPA member, head to our Insights page for exclusive access to the latest opinions, critiques, news and new ideas from around the world.
Latest news:
- Australian children’s television production has tanked. Blame Paul Fletcher.
- Fears that Adult Drama will follow Children’s downturn on Free to Air TV
- Australian TV Commissioning by Streamers Plummets, Says Lobby Group, as Producers Await Government Intervention
- Streamers and producers are growing impatient as Labor drags its feet on content quotas
- Commissioning By Streamers In Australia Hits “Bleak” Low, According To Industry Survey
- Streamer commissions slow to ‘glacial speed’ as Australia awaits quota rules
- ‘Alarming’ downturn in commissions by streaming platforms
- More on the local streaming content rules
- Delays hurting local stories, say producers.
- SPA urges Government to bring forward legislation to regulate global streamers
- SPA pushes for streamer regulation ahead of changes to Oz production offsets
- Australian Screen Stories Kept Waiting While International Work Moves Forward
- ABC chair Kim Williams calls for investment in Aussie IP, docs and kids’ content
- New ABC Australia chair Kim Williams calls for more kids content investment
PARTNER NEWS
RECOGNISING MEMBERS FOR LOYALTY
At Media Super, they’re always looking for ways to give back to their members. To help members save more for their future, they’ve introduced these savings:
Lower weekly admin fee
They’ve dropped their weekly admin fee from $1.50 a week to $1.
Insurance Loyalty Rebate
They’ve introduced their Insurance Loyalty Rebate for eligible* members who have had insurance with Media Super for 10+ years, even briefly, and currently hold insurance.
How the rebate works:
• 2% off future insurance premiums if your cover was first activated 10 – 19 years ago
• 4% off future insurance premiums if your cover was first activated 20+ years ago
These benefits will help members keep more of their super invested, giving them more money towards their retirement savings.
For more information, visit the Media Super website.
*If you were a Media Super member before merging with Cbus Super on 9 April 2022, we’ll use your original join date to determine eligibility.
This information is about Media Super. It doesn’t account for your specific needs. Please consider your financial position, objectives and requirements before making financial decisions. Read the relevant Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determination to decide what’s right for you. Call 1800 640 886 or visit mediasuper.com.au
Insurance is issued under a group policy with our insurer, TAL Life Limited ABN 70 050 109 450 AFSL 237848.
United Super Pty Ltd ABN 46 006 261 623 AFSL 233792 as Trustee for the Construction and Building Unions Superannuation Fund ABN 75 493 363 262 offering Media Super products (Media Super)
COMING UP
November
Leeds International Film Festival, UK – November 1-17
Northern Lights Film Festival, Estonia – November 4-17
American Film Market, US – November 5-10
Nordic Film Days Luebeck, Germany – November 6-10
Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival, US – November 6-10
CineCity Brighton Film Festival, UK – November 8-17
Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, US – November 8-17
International Documentary Festival Amsterdam, Netherlands – November 13-24
Sound Unseen, US – November 13-17
Three Rivers Film Festival, US – November 13-20
Pittsburgh Shorts, US – November 21-24
TorinoFilmLab Meeting Event, Italy – November 21-23
Marrakech International Film Festival, Morocco – November 29-December 7
December
Whistler Film Festival, Canada – December 4-8
Red Sea International Film Festival, Saudia Arabia – December 5-14
Sound Unseen, US – December 12-15
Media Release – SPA
Link to SPA HERE
TV Central Screen Australia content HERE
Screen Stories Long Table Dinner + TIFF Debrief & A Breakfast Briefing
