2001 – 2002 Annual Report INVESTING IN CONTENT / FOR WORLD SCREENS CONTENTS Vision Letter From the Chairman ....................................................................... Pg 4 ScreenWest Board.................................................................................... Pg 6 Report on Activity and Operations To lead the screen industry to a level of creative and commercial Funding Program...................................................................................... Pg 9 success which is a source of pride and opportunity for all Awards....................................................................................................... Pg 9 Western Australians Visitors to the State................................................................................ Pg 10 Business Development.......................................................................... Pg 10 Details of Productions with ScreenWest Funding Support ................Pg 11 Funding Approvals................................................................................. Pg 15 Matching Funding 2001 – 2002.............................................................. Pg 22 Core Purpose Screen Industry Partnership – GrandaWest Funding......................... Pg 23 ScreenWest Staff.................................................................................... Pg 24 Panel Meetings and Members............................................................... Pg 25 To provide strategic support, funding and services to expand the Reports and Accountability Issues ...................................................... Pg 29 screen industry in Western Australia. Performance Indicators and Measures Opinion of the Auditor General on Performance Indicators.............. Pg 32 Certification of Performance Indicators .............................................. Pg 33 Performance Indicators......................................................................... Pg 34 Financial Statements Opinion of the Auditor General............................................................. Pg 36 Certification of Financial Statements................................................... Pg 37 Statement of Financial Performance.................................................... Pg 38 Statement of Financial Position............................................................ Pg 39 Statement of Cash Flows....................................................................... Pg 40 Notes to the Financial Statements........................................................ Pg 41 CONTENTS Letter From the Chairman ....................................................................... Pg 4 ScreenWest Board.................................................................................... Pg 6 Report on Activity and Operations Funding Program...................................................................................... Pg 9 Awards....................................................................................................... Pg 9 Visitors to the State................................................................................ Pg 10 Business Development.......................................................................... Pg 10 Details of Productions with ScreenWest Funding Support ................Pg 11 Funding Approvals................................................................................. Pg 15 Matching Funding 2001 – 2002.............................................................. Pg 22 Screen Industry Partnership – GrandaWest Funding......................... Pg 23 ScreenWest Staff.................................................................................... Pg 24 Panel Meetings and Members............................................................... Pg 25 Reports and Accountability Issues ...................................................... Pg 29 Performance Indicators and Measures Opinion of the Auditor General on Performance Indicators.............. Pg 32 Certification of Performance Indicators .............................................. Pg 33 Performance Indicators......................................................................... Pg 34 Financial Statements Opinion of the Auditor General............................................................. Pg 36 Certification of Financial Statements................................................... Pg 37 Statement of Financial Performance.................................................... Pg 38 Statement of Financial Position............................................................ Pg 39 Statement of Cash Flows....................................................................... Pg 40 Notes to the Financial Statements........................................................ Pg 41 SCREENWEST INC Contact Details: LEVEL 7 / LAW CHAMBERS / 573 HAY STREET / PERTH / WESTERN AUSTRALIA / 6000 PO BOX 8349 / PERTH BUSINESS CENTRE / WESTERN AUSTRALIA / 6849 / tel [61 8] 9224 7340 fax [61 8] 9224 7341 / ABN 52 769 263 442 / www.screenwest.com.au [email protected] Letter From the Chairman Letter From the Chairman LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN The 2001 – 2002 financial year was a year in which ScreenWest focussed upon strengthening the financial and infrastructure support for the Western Australian screen industry. Industry feedback to the Independent Review of the Operations of ScreenWest by Long and Associates, which was delivered in June, 2001, clearly endorsed the fundamental recommendation of the Report that: “Implementing the Taskforce Report recommendations will be of major benefit to the screen industry in Western Australia and must be ScreenWest’s first organisational priority”. ScreenWest continued to lobby for additional Government funding towards the first recommendation of the Screen Industry Taskforce Report Content is the Key, for the creation of a new screen industry incentive package of $18.85 million over five years. While this funding was not secured, support was given for the reconfiguration of theScreen Industry Partnership Fund with new market partners, which will result in additional production activity in the 2002 – 2003 financial year and beyond. A major infrastructure advance resulted from negotiations between ScreenWest, the Department of Industry and Technology and the ABC, when the ABC announced in April 2002 that it would fully-fund the construction of a state-of-the-art $7.5 million, 600 square metre production studio as part of its relocation to new digital broadcast facilities in East Perth. This is a major achievement for Western Australia, as the new studio is likely to be a strong magnet for increased drama production in the State and will be completed in 2004. Support from the Lotteries Commission of Western Australia was again critical to the success of the screen industry, with funding being increased to base funding of $2.6 million (from $2.3 million), plus special initiative funding of $400,000 towards the costs of exciting new production initiatives with the SBS Independent and the ABC. Western Australian documentary makers are recognised internationally as the creators of excellent series and one episode documentaries. This year productions included The Accused, Aussie Animal Rescue, Dinosaur Dealers, Return to Eden, Child Soldiers, Shipwreck Detectives, Disturbing Dust, Little Yugal, Madam Mary, Soccer Dreams, Fearless and Me and You. Major drama highlights for this year included the production of two feature films,Let’s Get Skase and Teesh and Trude, the family telemovie Southern Cross and the children’s series Ocean Star, set in Broome. It was also exciting to see sequels commissioned by SBS Independent for two series: the animated co-production drama series Quads II and the popular Mary G Show. ScreenWest: Annual Report 2001 – 2002 4 ScreenWest: Annual Report 2001 – 2002 5 Letter From the Chairman Letter From the Chairman In addition, a new joint initiative was established between the ABC, ScreenWest and the Film & Television Institute for the Year of the Outback entitled Outback Upfront to showcase short films by fourteen emerging filmmakers. Each program has a single theme of relevance to Outback Australia and will seek to define the nature of the outback and the Australians who live in it. The series will be screened in late 2002. As a result of the new production industry funding from the Lotteries Commission, 5 x 5 minute documentaries were produced for SBS Independent and international partners entitled Making It and development funding for a number of 50 minute drama scripts for the Family Matters Initiative was provided, one of which will enter production in 2002 – 2003 financial year. The significant social and economic benefits of the film & television industry in Western Australia remain largely unrecognised by the community. The film & television industry has a significant impact on tourism, showcasing our locations and lifestyle internationally. It attracts substantial export revenue, with each dollar invested by ScreenWest in production securing a further 4–10 times its funding and this expenditure then results in indirect expenditure of a further 3 times this amount in Western Australia. It is an industry which delivers high employment opportunities and an essential part of the new economy. Regrettably, the Western Australian screen industry is currently underfunded and can not compete with the funding provided in other States. In order to assist the industry to expand and to prevent the on-going talent drain