By Travis Johnson
A flying wedge of Australia’s best-known actors, directors, screenwriters, and other practitioners, including 15 Oscar winners, have put their names to an open letter calling on the Australian government to protect the local screen industry.
Among those who endorsed the letter are actors Cate Blanchett, Sam Neill, Rose Byrne, Joel Edgerton, Deborah Mailman and Richard Roxburgh, directors Nadia Tass, Peter Weir, Philip Noyce and Gillian Armstrong, screenwriters David Williamson, Ben Elton, Andrew Knight and Jan Sardi, producers Penny Chapman, John Edwards and Michael Tear, Academy Award-winning costume designer Lizzy Gardiner, editor Alexandre de Franceschi, Oscar-winning production designer Catherine Martin, cinematographer Mandy Walker and more, with over 215 signatories in total.
The letter, released under the Make it Australian banner, is in reaction to the strong possibility that the Turnbull Government will cut the local content quotas for television drama and children’s television.
The letter outlines a tripartite plan to protect the Australian screen industry, asking politicians to:
• Evolve Australian content rules so they cover new media like Netflix, Amazon, Telstra TV, telcos and ISPs
• Introduce competitive tax incentives so Australia can compete globally for film and TV productions
• Ensure public broadcasters and screen agencies are well-funded so they can continue commissioning ground-breaking new content
