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COVID-19: Latest news and support from the CEO
23 March 2020
Dear Colleagues,
I wanted to reach out to provide you with an update on some of the measures the SAFC is taking to respond to the impacts of COVID-19 on the SA Screen Sector.
As the situation has unfolded over the last week the SAFC Board and SAFC COVID-19 Management Team have been meeting regularly, and I have been speaking daily with members of our industry and Government to develop a coordinated response for industry.
We recognise that COVID-19 is having a tremendous impact on businesses and practitioners across the sector.
The SAFC’s priority is to support the SA screen sector to survive this crisis, preserve as many jobs as possible, and be in a position to contribute to the recovery of the state’s economy once the emergency starts to ease.
We are exploring a range of measures based on feedback from industry, and have the following arrangements to share with you today:
- The SAFC’s Screen Production Investment Fund remains open and operational as usual. In order to account for COVID-19 related delays to applications, we have extended the deadline for the current Screen Production Investment round to Friday 27 March – please speak to the Production and Development team if you require more time.
- We are exploring options for providing Business Resilience Training for SA screen businesses and sole traders to assist with business planning at this crucial time. If you would be interested in joining a workshop, please submit an Expression of Interest via the SAFC’s Smartygrants portal.
- We are pleased to announce the launch of the SAFC’s Lottie Lyell Award for 2020, with $20,000 on offer for a female/female identifying South Australian writer or writer/director to develop a project that is daring, ambitious and original. The Lottie Lyell Award is now open for applications until Friday 8 May, 2020 – for more information and to apply online visit the Development page.
- The Games Innovation Fund will proceed as planned, and will be open for applications from Monday 30 March.
As you may have seen from announcements over the weekend, the Federal Government is continuing to announce support measures across a range of industries and sectors, including social services. We recommend you review these support measures, and find out what might be available to you, at the online Coronavirus Information Hubs for the Australian Treasury and the Australian Department of Social Services.
Lastly, I would like to thank everybody who has sent through their feedback, questions and ideas to us so far. The SAFC team is working hard to collate business concerns from across the sector and I encourage all SA screen practitioners to continue communicating with us via email at [email protected]
Please subscribe to the SAFC mailing list, stay tuned to our social media channels, and our website for regular updates on the SAFC’s response to COVID-19.
Take care of yourselves and each other.
Kate Croser
SAFC CEO