John Roebuck
“The future is now,” Screen Australia CEO Graeme Mason announced to a crowded audience at ACMI, during a session for the Australian International Documentary Convention. It was a statement that at once denoted both urgency and excitement. The future of Australian film is now, but only if we work for it. The need to adapt is paramount. “We need you to be strong players in a highly competitive industry,” Mason implored.
In many ways, the past twelve months was an exceptionally successful year for Australian cinema. Production level is on the rise, with 447 documentaries produced in the last year alone. Damon Gameau’s That Sugar Film (pictured above) was the most successful Australian documentary ever. Documentary series Struggle Street was the highest rated documentary program on SBS in the history of the network. Mason suggests that these successes were a result of producers investing interest in engaging with audiences beyond immediate screenings at cinemas and on television. That Sugar Film has become an integral part of health programs and schools nationwide, while awareness of Struggle Street boomed as a result of pre-airing controversy.
Producers are also getting creative with new methods of distribution. Screen Australia is launching a new section of their website with a ‘Click Through To Purchase’ function, which will host an enormous collection of Australian screen content. They’re encouraging producers to assist them in gathering screen material, whether Screen Australia was involved in the production or not. Local film is about to be easier to pay for and watch than ever and with a wider reach than ever before. Screen Australia wants Australian stories to be available for Australians, not just a small portion of the population.
But the climate of Australian screen is also facing one of its most unstable periods regarding financial support. The budget of Screen Australia has been cut by more than 50 million dollars, meaning that vying for funding will be more contentious than ever. Creativity in pitching and distribution, which producers have begun to engage in, is about to become an even more integral part of the local screen industry. “You have to ensure that your view of the environment that you’re working in is up to date,” Mason said.
“There’s unmatched power in a well-made documentary,” Mason announced towards the end of the session. And the future is now.
