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The Gil Brealey Sound Stage unveiled at Adelaide Studios
18 October 2018
Minister for Industry and Skills, the Hon David Pisoni today unveiled the plaque which officially names The Gil Brealey Sound Stage at Adelaide Studios after founding Director and Chair of the South Australian Film Corporation, the late Gil Brealey, a great visionary who is credited with creating the strong foundation for our industry that continues to thrive today.
Minister for Industry and Skills, David Pisoni said,“It was my pleasure to unveil The Gil Brealey Sound Stage today. I know its new name will serve as a reminder of the man who first brought film production to South Australia 46 years ago.
Gil Brealey believed that films made here should have a reference to Australian life and an authentic connection to people and country. The first films created at the Film Corporation are authentically South Australian and helped put our state on the international stage, showcasing our talent and capability in this important creative industry,” he said.
Gil Brealey was the founding Chairman and Director of the SAFC. His imagination, commitment and eye for talent drove the agency and the wider Australian screen sector into its rebirth in 1971. In a career spanning 42 years he wrote, produced or directed one hundred productions and won Best Film at the AFI Awards five times.
Films produced under his directorship at the SAFC include Sunday Too Far Away which launched the career of Jack Thompson, Peter Weir’s celebrated Picnic at Hanging Rock and the iconic Storm Boy.
Producer and executive in the early days of the SAFC, Penny Chapman, welcomed the naming of the Sound Stage after Gil, “When I was 24 and arrived in Adelaide at Gil’s behest as an associate producer, I was inspired by his eloquence and modesty – he had a renaissance feel about him. These elegant studios reflect him and his ambitions for filmmaking in South Australia. Gil was creative and enlightened – the perfect person to implement Don Dunstan’s vision.”
Chief Executive of the SAFC Courtney Gibson said “Gil Brealey built what became the Australian screen industry we know today, when he set about kickstarting its renaissance in 1972 in South Australia. Gil’s achievement can’t be overstated, and his remarkable legacy lives on today as a new generation of groundbreaking filmmakers produce acclaimed work – Anthony Maras and Julie Ryan’s Hotel Mumbai, Jennifer Kent’s The Nightingale, Sophie Hyde and Bec Summerton’s Animals, Grant Sputore’s I Am Mother and Warwick Thornton’s Sweet Country – just a snapshot of the amazing work being created in SA, a state rich with screen talent and a thriving creative industry.”
Tonight Adelaide Film Festival presents the world premiere of the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia’s (NFSA) digital restoration of NFSA Restores: Sunday Too Far Away, with cast and creatives in attendance. Sunday Too Far Away came in at #37 in the Top 100 Australian films #youmustsee in Adelaide Film Festival’s national poll.
Click here to watch our reel celebrating Gil Brealey’s legacy
Featured image: Gil Braeley Sound Stage