Push For Diversity

It is time for the Australian screen industry to recognise that it needs to do more to ensure there is diversity in terms of gender and cultural, geographic and socio-economic backgrounds - both on and off camera - said our CEO, Matthew Deaner, as he prepares to launch the annual SCREEN FOREVER Conference, the industry's most important gathering for business, in Melbourne from tomorrow.

Screen Producers Australia has joined the chorus of many in the industry who know the time is ripe for change. This year, at Screen Forever, we are taking a long hard look at ourselves. Do we really embrace diversity? How inclusive are we? What ways do we identify creative talent regardless of background, or identify commercial opportunities? And, how do we best nurture them? Mr Deaner said

Screen Forever is a great platform to advance questions about diversity and inclusiveness. This year our program explores gender targets with three formidable industry figures (Fist Full of F Words), we explore the challenge of talent renewal by shining a light on new research commissioned by Metro Screen (Gen Next), and we chart the rise and rise of NITV (Black is the New Orange).

Mr Deaner said he was proud that this year the Screen Producers Australia Ones to Watch program will be taken to another level: We now have a series of closed door events we are calling The Future is Now. We have tailored workshops for our Ones to Watch participants and Screen Australia's Indigenous Producers Initiative recipients and a great networking event where they will come together, with VCA graduates, at a private dinner with leading producers and executives. It is also worth noting that more than 60 per cent of the Ones to Watch and Indigenous Producers Initiatives participants are women.

Screen Forever also looks to be globally inclusive, with its International Partnerships Market expandingto include a diverse range of productions from Canada, China, Korea, South Africa, UK and USA

If diversity is about embracing our differences then this is something we are proud of at Screen Producers Australia. Every day we are enabled by the diversity of our membership. This diversity gives us the strength, resources and maturity to tell both the cultural and economic story in order to influence policy for the benefit of our industry in our work with industry stakeholders, Mr Deaner said.

Media Enquiries:

Miranda Brown - Miranda Brown Publicity | ph: 03 9419 0931 mob: 0411 568 781 | miranda@mbpublicity.com.au

Stephanie Pirrie - Miranda Brown Publicity | ph: 03 9419 0931 mob: 0430 517 722 | stephanie@mbpublicity.com.au

Download the release.

Producer Paula Wagner says Hollywood needs to realise women arent going away

Karl Quinn, Sydney Morning Herald, 7 November 2015

SCREEN PRODUCERS PUSH FOR DIVERSITY AT ANNUAL SCREEN FOREVER CONFERENCE

FilmInk, 16 November 2015

Django Unchained Producer Set To Direct Thurgood Marshall Biopic

Don Groves, Forbes, 17 November 2015

SCREEN FOREVER AND MALALA YOUSAFZAI

Radio Adelaide, 20 November 2015

LINK:	http://screenproducersaustralia.org.au/news/push-for-diversity/...
	See more stories from spaa

Most recent headlines