Screen Australia

Screen Australia is the Australian Federal Government's key funding body for the Australian screen production industry.

Screen Australia

Agency overview
Formed	2008 (2008)
Headquarters	Australia
Employees	95
Website	screenaustralia.gov.au

It was created under the Screen Australia Act 2008,[1] and from 1 July 2008 took over the functions of its predecessor agencies the Australian Film Commission (AFC), the Film Finance Corporation Australia (FFC) and Film Australia Limited.[2]

Across its various departments, Screen Australia supports the development, production, promotion and distribution of Australian narrative and documentary screen content.[3] In October 2019, Screen Australia reported the agency had supplied nearly AUD$76 million in direct funding to the screen sector.[4] The agency also administers the tax rebate for the production of Australian screen content called the Producer Offset.[5] The other rebates which complete the 'Australian Screen Production Incentive' suite are maintained by the Department of Communications and the Arts.[6]

In 2004 it founded the Message Sticks Indigenous Film Festival, with its inauguration at the Sydney Opera House.[7]

The agency has been a vocal supporter of female-filmmakers through its Gender Matters program[8][9] and the Indigenous screen community.[10][11]

Screen Australia maintains a public database of Australian drama (narrative) and documentary works called The Screen Guide.

Screen Australia's funding was cut in both the 2014 and 2015 federal budgets, by AU$38 million in 2014 and by AU$3.6 million over four years beginning from 2015.[12][13]

Screen Australia was forced to write off a $670,000 investment in SBS documentary Once Upon a Time in Carlton when the broadcaster declined to air or release the production, becoming the first time that a Screen Australia investment was not realised.[14]