ANNUAL REPORT 2011/12 CONTENTS 2 INTRODUCTION 3 HIGHLIGHTS 4 FROM THE PRESIDENT AND DIRectoR 6 EXHIBITIONS 10 FILM 16 PUBLIC PROGRAMS AND EDUCATION 25 ONLINE, OUTREACH AND RESOURCES 29 MORE ABOUT US 38 PERFORMANCE SUMMARY 40 ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTING REQUIREMENTS 50 DISCLOSURE INDEX 52 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS COVER IMAGE: SHAUN GLADWELL, Parallel Forces, 2011, COURtESy tHE ARtISt AND ANNA Schwartz GALLERy INTRODUCTION OUR AIMS Cultural Leadership: To engage the widest audiences and communities of interest, enabling them to At the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI), experience and explore excellence and new we’re in the business of creativity, ideas, innovation and perspectives in the moving image. magic. Creativity and Learning: To foster talent, creative As the truly universal art form, the moving image skills, personal expression, formal and informal literally surrounds us, capturing the moments, learning in screen literacy, and promote its progress milestones and memories that define who we are. in educational practice. Through a vibrant array of film programs, major exhibitions, live events, creative workshops and public Innovation Catalyst: To promote experimentation in and education programs, ACMI delivers audiences an screen content, and act as a catalyst for innovation unsurpassed diversity of ways to engage with the in digital culture, through creative-industry collaborations and professional networks. moving image. Knowledge and Collections: To collect, research and A major Australian cultural agency located at Federation make accessible screen heritage and social Square, ACMI remains the world’s first cultural centre memories, generating critical appreciation of the dedicated to the moving image in all its forms. Since field, its impacts and evolving directions. opening in 2002, we’ve built an international reputation as a leading moving image centre recognised for our Sustainability: To maintain a robust, entrepreneurial commitment to bringing excellence and innovation in organisation with diverse funding; an energetic, digital culture to Australian audiences. expert, learning culture; and the highest achievable environmental performance. OUR VISION ACMI presents and champions the art and culture of the OUR VALUES moving image, inspiring people to engage richly with screen practice as it evolves globally and locally. Warm Welcome: Driven by enthusiasm for the moving image and focus on quality of experience, We celebrate excellence in film, television, videogames, we engage audiences and partners in a spirit of digital culture and art, and explore their contemporary friendship, inclusion and shared endeavour. evolution in the era of user-creation, social media and Sense of Theatre: We promote fresh ideas, digital convergence. We support screen content innovation and vivid memories through experiences innovation by fostering new ideas, talent, learning, infused with energy, style and pleasure. We aim to experimentation, research and collaborative networks in intrigue, excite and challenge our audiences to Australia and worldwide. discover something new, and to be inspired by the encounter. Our vibrant exhibitions, screenings, events, workshops and collections invite people to experience, create and Passion and Depth: We believe in the value of share in today’s connected world, and help shape screen knowledge, inquiry and open exchange of ideas to culture as it changes our lives. empower and evolve new thinking. We bring authority and an independent voice to forge a culture OUR PURPOSE of informed debate and bold action with our stakeholders. The moving image is a powerful expression of human Respect and Integrity: We respect the diverse people experience and imagination. Capturing our ideas, and ideas we engage with, and communicate openly, memories and reality through stories and images helps constructively and with integrity. We seek rigour, us make sense of ourselves, our lives and our world. As a coherence and fairness in forming opinions and dynamic arena for cultural and creative exchange, ACMI reaching decisions, and take responsibility for our empowers people to be informed communicators, critics actions. and creators in the global culture of the moving image. 2 ACMI Annual Report 2011/12 “William Kentridge: Five Themes is a rare WHAT A YEAR! opportunity to experience a broad depth of work and insightful visions from this extraordinary artist.” Art Almanac 911,635 VISITORS IN 2011/12 “The premiere of the film indicates that the 54 AUSTRALIAN FILM PREMIERES filming of local stories of local people had a 32 RESTORED PRINTS SCREENED significant positive impact on the community” OUR BUSINESS IS DRIVEN BY 25% GREEN Regional documentary participant POWER “Thank you for offering such wonderful 115,000 E-NEWS SUBSCRIBERS opportunities for the young people in our state” 72% INCREASE IN OUR FACEBOOK LIKES ACMI Hothouse parent 88% INCREASE IN OUR TWITTER FOLLOWERS “Amazing! I got to develop and further my game 499 ENTRIES IN OUR SCHOOLS FILMMAKING development knowledge in a friendly and COMPETITION stimulating environment and make an amazing 38 AUSTRALIAN FILMS FEATURED game with an awesome group of people. I would FILMS IN 21 LANGUAGES SCREENED do it again in a heartbeat!” ACMI Hothouse 16 PARTNER FILM FESTIVALS participant INTRODUCTION OF A FULLY INTEGRATED TICKETING AND CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP “An amazing project …wartime reflections release SYSTEM strong emotions but it is good to know that MAJOR CONTEMPORARY ARTWORKS human sacrifice is not forgotten.” Veteran’s COMMISSIONED Digital Storytelling participants A NEW TICKET AND INFORMATION DESK OPENED “Awesome, Awesome, Awesome! You made every 20,000 PEOPLE EXPERIENCE OUR REGIONAL kid feel special. This was fabulous! The group EXHIBITION TOURING PROGRAM included all students and allowed for different MAJOR NEW DIGITAL PUBLIC PROGRAMS strengths to be explored” Very happy parent 8000 HOURS CONTRIBUTED BY OUR “Interactive, fun and entertaining as well as very VOLUNTEERS educational. Confidence building!” Education workshop participant "He's the scavenging opportunist every serious artist has to be. You don't need to know this to see his filmed images are intensely beautiful, done with a care and finish and a calmness unlike anything else you think of as video art." The Monthly on Shaun Gladwell: Stereo Sequences “Screen Worlds is the most energetic collection of audio-visual displays in the country.” Sydney Morning Herald ACMI Annual Report 2011/12 3 MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR/CEO The Hon. John Thwaites, Board President It is with great pleasure as Board President and Director/CEO that we present the 2011/12 Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) Annual Report. At ACMI, we aim for the highest interpretive standards in representing the moving image in all its forms to an ever-growing diversity of audiences within our building and beyond. In 2011/12, like the years before it, we have engaged audiences, partners and creators in a year of ambitious exhibitions, film screenings, learning and events programs, and a richness of screen culture resources. We contribute strongly to Melbourne’s and Victoria’s ‘world-class’ profiles and as we prepare to mark our 10th birthday, we are well positioned to capitalise on our successes, further build our brand profile and strengthen our cultural impact at home and abroad. In 2011/12, we were amongst the most successful and most-visited film, media arts and digital culture centres in the world, with just shy of 1 million visitors through our doors. Our permanent exhibition, Screen Worlds: The Story of Film, Television and Digital Culture, alongside our temporary exhibitions, were again a major drawcard for visitors. The mix of free-entry and ticketed offers from Australia and beyond provided audiences with diverse opportunities to explore the moving image across multiple disciplines of practice. 4 ACMI Annual Report 2011/12 Humanity’s fascination with space travel, Australia’s love affair with film critics Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton, the art of videogames, and contemporary artists’ exploration of popular urban culture, social justice and apartheid, all featured in our exhibitions. Contemporary art was a major focus. We commenced the year with our biggest commission of new works by a solo artist in Shaun Gladwell: Stereo Sequences, followed by a major survey of works by internationally renowned artist William Kentridge in William Kentridge: Five Themes. Shortly after, we announced a landmark partnership with the Ian Potter Cultural Trust for a ten- year commissioning and exhibiting program of works by Tony Sweeney, Director & CEO mid-career Australian artists in the Ian Potter Moving Image Commissions series. We also transformed many of our physical spaces at the Cinema remains a foundation of our programming and point of entry and beyond to greatly enhance the visitor in 2011/12 we presented more than 50 Australian experience, including preparations for a refreshed food premieres, 32 restored and rare prints, 38 Australian and beverage offer with the opening of Optic Kitchen features and 57 foreign titles in 21 different languages. & Bar. In addition, we embedded our new Customer Complementing our own program, our 16 partner film Relationship Management (CRM) system, Tessitura, festivals drew critical acclaim and bumper audiences. into the business, providing customers with online purchasing, print at home ticketing, and improved Public programming in support of our major exhibitions, eCommunications