Mercury CX member and LAB participant Jason Chong wins AACTA Reg Grundy
Award
Long-time Mercury CX supporter, member and workshop participant Jason Chong has won
the 2021 AACTA Reg Grundy Award. The award provides a prize to Australia’s next big
competition format show.
“I’ve been a regular attendee of MCX’s Screenmakers Conferences, attended the Screen
Makers Lab in 2019 and 2021, was a finalist for the Out of the Box initiative in
2019 and attended this year’s Pitch Lab with Ruth Estelle, where I began refining
the pitch for The Second Best Gameshow” said Jason.
In 2019 the SAFC subsidised Jason to attend Screen Forever for the first time, and in
2021 he completed the SAFC Skilling SA training for the AD Department.
The AACTA Reg Grundy Award, offered in 2021 for the second time, saw applications
across a number of formats competing for a $50000 prize including development
funding.
This year’s winner was determined by a panel of established screen experts including
Eden Gaha (President of unscripted television at Shine USA), Cathy Payne (CEO of
Banijay Rights), Sharon Wheeler (Award-winning Senior Entertainment Executive), and
Marion Farrelly (Speaker, consultant, TV & Film Producer), and Ian Hogg (Media
CEO, Advisor, Australian Idol, Australia’s Got Talent, Family Feud).
“A great idea can come from anywhere. It’s our job, as an industry, to make sure such
great ideas are heard and their creators are supported. The Reg Grundy Award
represents the kind of encouragement and mentorship that has made Australian content
what it is today. Now more than ever, this award underpins the importance of new
perspectives on entertainment from people of all backgrounds. I see this year’s
additional prize for innovative, young, creators as a tremendous way to seed the
next great competition format.” said AACTA Reg Grundy Award Judge and President of
Unscripted Television at Shine USA, Eden Gaha.
Speaking of the win, Jason said “There’s still loads of work to do, but this is a
great chance to say thank you for all the support and opportunities that have been
provided by Mercury CX. It has already made a huge difference in my career so far
and I really do appreciate it.”
These words curse women for doing their jobs – especially in Hollywood, where
clear-eyed femme directors have been blacklisted for applying the same discipline
and commitment that gets their male peers labelled ‘visionary auteurs’.
This November, Adelaide Cinematheque celebrates
these so-called ‘Difficult Women’ with a season showcasing their tenacity, humour
and artistic excellence. Curated by Aimee Knight – Mercury CX’s Emerging Hothouse
resident in cinema programming and projection – the four-film strand runs from 1–10
November at the Mercury.
Streisand’s directorial debut is a masterwork of mainstream feminist cinema. The
multihyphenate shines as the titular difficult woman who, in turn-of-the-century
Poland, adopts a male persona so that she may study Jewish theology. This leads to a
love triangle that destabilises gender, sexuality, patriarchy, and the gaze.
Jennifer’s Body (2009) Dir. Karyn Kusama
Wednesday 3 November, 7pm
“Hell is a teenage girl.” So opens this oft-misunderstood film about the horror and
romance of women’s friendship. Written by Juno’s Diablo Cody, the witty
script flips the body monstrous on its head, while Megan Fox – backed by director
Karyn Kusama (Destroyer) – gives a wink and a nod to the monotony
of misogynist.
Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. (1992) Dir. Leslie
Harris
Monday 8 November, 7pm
With her sharp mind and sharper tongue, Chantel (Ariyan A. Johnson) is 17 going on
30. She dreams of leaving Brooklyn, going to college, and graduating into
middle-class security. Can Chantel really navigate a world that wasn’t built for
her? The first and, to date, only feature directed by Leslie Harris remains
feverishly relevant.
Ishtar (1987) Dir. Elaine May
Wednesday 10 November, 7pm
Starring Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman as palpably untalented lounge singers,
this notorious flop sealed Elaine May’s fate as Hollywood’s #1 difficult woman. But
as the writer, director and Taurus sun observed, “If all of the people who
hate Ishtar had seen it, I would be a rich woman today.”
So, let’s reimagine the canon as we commend these four directors – and every woman
whose career has been hindered by whispers, but whose work endures regardless.
Back row: Pete Ninos, mentor Louise Gough, Lucy Campbell, Bettina
Hamilton, Matt Vesely. Front row: Georgia Humphries, Madeleine
Parry, Peta Bulsara (Astbury).
South
Australia’s bold and ambitious Film Lab: New Voices feature
film skills development program is set to foster a new
generation of diverse South Australian filmmakers as the
first three successful teams are announced today, with round
two applications open from August. The initiative from the
South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC) and Adelaide Film
Festival in collaboration with Mercury CX also welcomes the
support of Screen Australia in delivering the development
phase of this inaugural round of the program which gives
three South Australian creative teams industry mentoring
with highly credentialed screen
story development mentor Louise Gough across a 12-month
period, to develop a low-budget feature film script. One
project will be selected to move into production, to be
wholly produced and postproduced in South
Australia, and the final film will premiere at the Adelaide
Film Festival in 2022.
The three selected teams for 2021 are: - Writer/director
Peter Ninos and producer Georgia Humphreys, - Writer Lucy
Campbell, producer Bettina Hamilton and director Matt Vesely,
and - Writer/director Madeleine Parry and producer Peta
Bulsara (Astbury).
The program will open again for round two applications in August
2021, with the final film to be delivered in time for Adelaide
Film Festival 2024.
Mercury CX plays a key role in supporting professional
development, removing barriers to entry and cultivating
unique, authentic stories from diverse creatives. Our
professional development programs create a pipeline of
talent into such initiatives as Film Lab: New Voices, which
provides a unique opportunity to gain an invaluable feature
film credit through the South Australian Film Corporation
and the rich experience of connecting with an audience
through a screening at the Adelaide Film Festival. The
coordinated pathways through these organisations is quite
special and is set to benefit South Australian practitioners
enormously. - Karena Slaninka, CEO Mercury CX
Read the full release at South Australian Film Corporation.
The Mercury Cinema has been the long-time home of the South Australian Screen Awards,
special events and iconic festivals including Flickerfest and OzAsia. As a venue for
premieres and cast and crew screenings of independent and short-form screen
projects, Mercury Cinema is known as a hub for screen culture.
In 2021, the historic Mercury Cinema brings the Adelaide Fringe back to the West End
Arts Precinct.
Providing an alternative experience to the
heat and hustle of the Garden and Gluttony, enjoy plush, comfortable seating, a
great view from every seat, air-conditioning and an elegant new Lounge Bar serving
quality South Australian wines plus plenty of parking and great dining options
surrounding.
Adelaide’s Mercury Cinema launches a new South Asian Seniors’
Film Club on Thursday 11 February at 10.30am with a screening of
the award-winning film Made in Bangladesh.
Directed by Rubaiyat Hossain, the first film in the six-week
program tells an inspiring story about a group of women fighting
for the rights of textile workers in a garment factory in Dhaka,
Bangladesh.
The free series of screening aims to build friendships and social
connections for older South Australians, showcasing quality
films from India, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and
Bhutan, along with guest speakers, music, information, cultural
entertainment and refreshments.
CEO of Mercury CX, Ms Karena Slaninka, said, ‘Many older people
in our community have been experiencing real social isolation
due to Covid-19, and we became aware that many from the South
Asian community were in this position. We are pleased to offer a
relaxing space to enjoying quality South Asian films, cultural
entertainments and speakers, and a chance to build friendships
through meeting new people’.
The program includes a unique selection of feature films, shorts
and documentaries sourced from across the region along with
entertainment and refreshments at select screenings.
Bookings are essential each of the free screenings. All
sessions commence at 10.30am.
The South Asian Seniors’ Film Club has
been supported by The
Office of the Ageing Well, The Australian Centre for Social
Innovation and
City of
Adelaide.
A bold, ambitious and creative program, Film Lab: New Voices, will
foster a new generation of South Australian filmmakers in a new initiative from the
South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC) and Adelaide Film Festival in collaboration
with Mercury CX.
With a direct focus on feature film, the program will give three South Australian
creative teams industry mentoring across a 12-month period to develop a low-budget
feature film script. One project will be selected to move into production and the
final film will premiere at the Adelaide Film Festival 2022.
Minister for Innovation and Skills David Pisoni made the
announcement at the Adelaide Film Festival Made in SA event, a showcase of South
Australian short films.
“This wonderful new initiative has great local benefits as the project will be wholly
produced and post-produced in South Australia, providing local jobs and upskilling
opportunities for crew and emerging talent,” Minister Pisoni said.
“Importantly, this is a skills development program that will accelerate career
pathways for outstanding, diverse, emerging talent in South Australia.
“This collaboration between the SAFC, Adelaide Film Festival and Mercury CX
demonstrates the kind of streamlined approach that delivers the best outcomes for
the entire sector.”
Each writer/director/producer team will be provided with mentoring from
internationally regarded low-budget feature filmmakers, many of whom are based in
South Australia. The program would draw upon the in-house expertise at SAFC through
Production Executive and former feature film producer Julie Ryan (Ten Canoes,
Red Dog, H is for Happiness, Hotel Mumbai) and Industry Development
Executive Kath McIntyre.
Film Lab: New Voices builds on the success of the SAFC’s Film Lab 2009-2012 which
launched the careers of at least 12 South Australian Above-the-Line creatives and
resulted in critically acclaimed, break out films Shut Up Little Man, 52
Tuesdays and The Infinite Man, among others.
CEO of the South Australian Film Corporation Kate Croser said “Film
Lab: New Voices is designed to uncover the next wave of visionary South Australian
talent. Feature film credits are highly regarded in the screen marketplace, as is a
festival premiere, and are important to securing future funding and career-building
opportunities, so this initiative has real value for the selected team’s writer,
director and producer. The development of diverse key creatives underpins the growth
and sustainability of the South Australian screen sector, and through Film Lab: New
Voices we will offer the opportunity for the next generation of South Australian
creative talent to demonstrate their potential in the global market.”
CEO and Creative Director of the Adelaide Film Festival Mat
Kesting said “The Adelaide Film Festival is proud to partner with the
SAFC in this initiative to find new creative talent in our local industry, and we
are thrilled to be able to present the finished film to audiences at the 2022
Festival.”
CEO of Mercury CX Karena Slaninka said “As part of our new
positioning as a national centre of excellence dedicated to talent and story
development, Mercury CX is delighted to be collaborating with the SAFC on Film Lab:
New Voices, to support the cultivation of emerging talent and bold, authentic
stories”.
Film Lab: New Voices is aimed at South Australian emerging key creatives (writer,
director, producer) who have short film, web series and/or narrative documentary
credits, applying as a team. At least one member of the team(writer, director or
producer) must be from a group under-represented in the South Australian screen
industry including: women filmmakers; First Nations filmmakers, Culturally and
Linguistically Diverse (CALD) filmmakers, Deaf and disabled filmmakers, LGBTQIA+
filmmakers and filmmakers from regional and remote South Australia.
Join us at 6:30pm on Friday 4th December for the South Australian Screen industry
night of nights at the 2020 SASA awards. Celebrate local screen makers and early
career creatives across 21 screen craft and genre categories. To
register to view the online ceremony and join us backstage with the winners at the
exclusive virtual afterparty celebration drinks
