Page 261 - Week 01 - Thursday, 14 February 2019
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screenwriter and director; and the Shy Kids Club, a husband and wife games development team, for the development of their first big commercial game called With Friends Like These, which encourages cooperation and communication between players.
I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate all of the funding recipients and thank them for the contribution that they make to our thriving screen industry here in the ACT.
MS CHEYNE: Minister, what have been some of the big success stories coming out of previous screen arts funding rounds?
MR RAMSAY: There have indeed been some great success stories. A number of the screen artists who have previously been awarded funding through this grants program have gone on to do great things and are fantastic creative and economic ambassadors for Canberra.
I am sure you will all be aware of the 2016 film Joe Cinque’s Consolation. The writer, producer and director, Sotiris Dounoukos, was funded by the ACT screen arts fund and the screen investment fund for initial development of this project, which subsequently premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival, featured at the Toronto International Film Festival and was released throughout Australia to great acclaim.
Local writing and direction duo, Paul Bissett and Catherine Prosser, have previously been funded for development of their children’s feature film Hoop, which this week made the short list for the very prestigious Monte Miller awards through the Australian Writers’ Guild. Universal Pictures is interested in making Hoop, which would shoot in Canberra.
Award winning Canberra writer and director, Vanessa Gazy, was funded by the screen arts fund for her short film Highway, which has been made an official selection at over 15 film festivals to date and is now to be made into a feature by Goalpost Pictures, of The Sapphires fame, and will shoot in the Monaro region. Vanessa is now being represented by William Morris in the US.
Clearly, the screen arts fund provides important early career support to some truly inspired and inspiring screen artists who are now achieving great success on the world stage and promoting our capital as a creative and vibrant city.
MS CODY: Minister, in what other ways does the ACT support the screen industry here?
MR RAMSAY: I thank Ms Cody for the supplementary question. Screen Canberra receives funding from the government to support the development of screen and digital artists, to invest in local feature film productions and to attract film productions to the ACT.
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