Panavision, Kodak, Engine and SAE Institute throw their weight behind initiative dedicated to supporting Australian independent films
Industry heavyweights Panavision, Kodak, Engine and SAE Institute have thrown their weight behind an initiative dedicated to supporting Australian Independent Films.
Pure Independent Pictures is the brainchild of independent filmmaker and ex advertising executive Jason Kent, who says “Independent filmmaking is the lifeblood of any film industry, and we want to make it easier for independents to compete with the bigger budget foreign and government films.”
Says Paul Jackson, Asia Pacific Operations and Marketing Director at Panavision: “Panavision is proud to be a supporter of Pure Independent Pictures and its mission to encourage and grow independent filmmaking.”
The mission, according to the Pure Independent Pictures website, is, “to build an exclusive distribution platform for Australian Independent Films. This means promoting quality independent films as well as the many benefits of independent filmmaking.”
Says Lawrence Horsburgh, National Account Manager for Kodak Imaging: “Kodak has been a strong supporter of independent filmmaking for many years. We applaud Pure Independent Pictures’ mission and continue our legacy of support for independent filmmakers.”
Pure Independent Pictures and partners believe independent filmmaking can provide filmmakers with greater creative freedom. Commercial viability and connecting with audiences is also fundamental to the independent process.
Arguably the three most successful Australian films of all time are independent films: Crocodile Dundee, Mad Max and The Story of the Kelly Gang.
The Story of the Kelly Gang was the world’s very first feature film; Mad Max held the world record as the film with the highest profit-to-cost ratio for two decades; and Crocodile Dundee was the second highest grossing film worldwide in 1986, beaten only by Top Gun.
There are many more successful Australian Independent Films if you go back in time. At the birth of cinema, Australia was a prolific filmmaking nation thanks to the efforts of independent filmmakers. This ended when the government banned production of all bushranger films, the most successful genre at the time, and imposed a strict regime of film censorship.
Other more recent examples of successful Australian Independent Films include The Castle and Gabriel, but unfortunately Australian Independent Films have become far too rare. It is now very difficult for independents to compete with the bigger budget foreign and government films for talent, finance, media and the all-important ‘shelf space’ in the way of cinema screens.
Pure Independent Pictures hopes to change attitudes to independent filmmaking. Their vision is to build the foundations of an entirely independent Australian film industry.
Says Kent: “Australia has the wealth and talent to build a thriving independent film sector. There’s simply no excuse for Australia not to have a self-sufficient commercial film industry.”
Pure Independent Pictures will hold an official launch later this year. In the meantime those interested can stay abreast of Pure Independent Pictures developments via Facebook.
Jason Kent
Pure Independent Pictures
PO Box 245 Darlinghurst NSW 1300
Tel: +61 412 599 383