The US Studies Centre was proud to sponsor the 2008 Sydney Film Festival. The Centre's partnership with the Sydney Film Festival extended beyond the festival to develop programs that generate new insights about the US, provide entertainment to the Australian public, and build linkages between the Australian and American film industries.
Cinema, the largest and defining US cultural export, is a rich opportunity for the two organisations to examine emerging issues in American society and to promote mutually beneficial collaboration between Australia and the United States.
In 2008 the Centre co-hosted an industry workshop during the festival on Positioning Australian Screen Content in the US Marketplace. Bob Pisano, President and Chief Operating Officer of the Motion Picture Association of America, delivered the keynote address. Ben Goldsmith, Senior Researcher and Lecturer at AFTRS discussed the history and positioning of Australian content. Courtney Gibson, Executive Head of Content Creation, ABC Television, provided a case study on Summer Heights High and the sale to HBO. Rosemary Blight, a producer, provided a case study on the sale of Clubland to Warner Independent.
Ruth Neave from the Arts Liaison Office of the Honourable Frank Sartor, MP, Minister for the Arts facilitated a workshop on new strategies and tactics.
