Local screen industry s strong track record provides fertile ground for Asian partnerships

Screen Australia today released its latest research report Common Ground: Opportunities for Australian Screen Partnerships in Asia, which explores Australia's current engagement with the screen production sector across the Asian region.

The research findings reveal that the opportunities for Australia to collaborate with the region are likely to change significantly over the next five years as several territories, such as Mainland China, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea, rapidly expand their screen industries. India, Indonesia, Japan and Thailand also hold great potential for the future.

Screen Australia's Chief Executive Ruth Harley said, Now is the time for the Australian screen industries to strengthen ties, formalise co-production arrangements and develop sound knowledge of working with our partners in Asia. An overwhelming theme that emerged in the research was the importance of genuine collaboration that will underpin all success, and the good news is that our counterparts across Asia consider Australians to be good at collaborating.

Our attractiveness as a potential partner increases further once our professionalism and strong track record are considered. These attributes have been noticed and position Australian screen industry professionals well to build new partnerships in the Asian region, said Dr Harley.

Asia is an increasingly significant source of revenue for the local screen industry and investment is flowing both ways. Best estimates have the value of audiovisual exports to the Asian region at around $50 million per year for the past three years. This represents around a quarter of Australia's total audiovisual exports for those years.

Dr Harley said, The growing opportunities and changing nature of collaboration between the Australian screen industry and Asia are being driven not only by developments in the region's screen industries, but also the increasing confidence and diversity of our own screen production industry. Australia's many relationships with Asia, including through our own diverse population, are increasingly being reflected on our screens.

For the Australian screen production industry to remain relevant, it needs to be reflective of the contemporary world and Australia's place in it. Creative collaborations with Asia not only assist us to understand our region, they enrich our understanding of ourselves.

We are very excited about the new opportunities afforded by engaging with the energy and dynamism of our region and look forward to extending our relationships with the rapidly growing screen industries in Asia, said Dr Harley.

Conducted in conjunction with PricewaterhouseCoopers Australia, the research outlined in the report is drawn from a survey of local producers and in-depth interviews with a broad range of stakeholders from across Australia and the Asian region. It aims to provide a resource for screen businesses building networks and forming partnerships in the region and will inform Screen Australia's strategy for working with the screen industry to grow its ties with Asia into the future.

Dr Harley said that the research has also affirmed the important role of government in assisting Australian screen businesses to make inroads into new markets.

Working together with our regional partners, Screen Australia is building on networks forged by our predecessor agencies and by the broader Australian screen industry, said Dr Harley. This includes the significant ties between our public broadcasters ABC and SBS and countries in the Asian region.

Next month Screen Australia will lead a delegation of 25 producers and commissioning editors to Beijing and the Sichuan TV Festival to facilitate connections through the agencys Enterprise Asia program. The program will involve exchanges with Chinese Government agencies, broadcasters and producers, networking events and targeted business matching opportunities.

To download the report visit www.screenaustralia.gov.au/about_us/pub_commonground.aspx

Media enquiries

Teri Calder T: 02 8113 5833; M: 0408 440 995

teri.calder@screenaustralia.gov.au

LINK:	http://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/news_and_events/2013/mr_131031_commo...
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