SCREEN FOREVER extends stay on the Gold Coast

• Premier announces deal securing Australia’s premier screen industry event – SCREEN FOREVER – to be held on the Gold Coast until 2026.
• The Premier also calls on the Federal Government to permanently increase the Location Offset to 30 per cent to ensure Queensland can continue to attract international productions which create local jobs.

The Gold Coast has secured the hosting rights for Australia’s premier screen industry event SCREEN FOREVER until 2026 – with the city solidifying its position as the Asia Pacific’s most exciting screen hub. 

The Premier officially opened SCREEN FOREVER 37on the Gold Coast today, announcing the new three-year deal while also calling on the Federal Government to increase its Location Offset from 16.5 per cent to 30 per cent.

The Palaszczuk Government – through Screen Queensland – first secured a three-year deal for the Gold Coast to host SCREEN FOREVER from 2020, however COVID-19 restrictions prevented an in-person event from being held until 2022. 

SCREEN FOREVER brings together more than 1000 local, national, and international screen industry professionals for a three-day conference (3-5 May), which includes panel discussions, workshops, keynote addresses, and networking events. 

Highlights of SCREEN FOREVER 37 include the SPA Awards – celebrating content produced by SPA members and championing outstanding Australian screen productions – and the SPA Connect Market, which facilitates production deals worth more than $100 million annually. 

The SPA Connect Market will be followed by an Online Global Market from 9-10 May – providing delegates with an opportunity to promote their businesses and productions to buyers, sales agents, commissioning executives and distributors from across the world.

The Palaszczuk Government – through Screen Queensland – is a proud supporter of SCREEN FOREVER, which provides a unique networking space, while showcasing the State’s diverse locations and world-class facilities. 

Since 2015, more than 56 productions have been attracted to Queensland through Screen Queensland’sProduction Attraction Strategy (PAS) – generating more than $1.7 billion of Queensland Production Expenditure (QPE) and creating thousands of jobs each year. 

Last financial year (2021-22), more than 85 per cent of productions supported by Screen Queensland were locally led. 

Quotes attributable to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk:

“Today, I’m delighted to announce that we’ve secured a deal with Screen Producers Australia to keep SCREEN FOREVER on the Gold Coast for another three years,” the Premier said. 

“The event has been incredibly valuable to our local economy, as both the screen industry and the tourism sector recover from the impact of the pandemic. 

“This new agreement comes a few months after we signed another three-year deal, for the Gold Coast to host Australia’s Academy Awards – the AACTAs.

“From 2024, there will be no doubt - this city is the foremost screen hub of the Asia Pacific.

“It’s a place where ideas are born, where deals are done, where jobs are created and cameras roll, and where we honour screen excellence. 

“Today I’ve also called on the Federal Government to permanently increase its Location Offset to 30 per cent so we can continue to attract international productions to Queensland which boost the local economy and create jobs.

“The success of our screen industry has been supported by the Federal Government’s Location Offset and Location Incentive that work in tandem with Screen Queensland’s Production Attraction Strategy, to secure job creating projects here.

“Australia’s Location Offset is one of the lowest in the world, and since 2015, I have advocated for a permanent increase to this Location Offset with former Prime Ministers.

“For Australia to remain competitive in the global screen space, our government considers this increase as the most effective way to ensure long term industry growth and to provide certainty.”

Quotes attributable to Screen Producers Australia CEO Matthew Deaner:

“Now in its 37th year, SCREEN FOREVER remains Australia’s premier screen industry event, an opportunity for local and international industry practitioners to converge an immerse themselves in an environment where they can grow their networks and their business acumen through opportunities provided nowhere else, Mr Deaner said.

“We’re thrilled to call Queensland SCREEN FOREVER’s home for the next three years and thank the Queensland Government – through Screen Queensland– for acknowledging the significance of the conference to the health of our industry, and for having such a vested interest in fostering a vibrant, robust, and thriving storytelling in Australia.” 

Quotes attributable to Screen Queensland Acting CEO Dr Belinda Burns:

“Screen Queensland welcomes the continuation of our SCREEN FOREVER partnership with Screen Producers Australia. The Gold Coast is very much at the heart of Queensland’s thriving screen production sector and remains the perfect setting for the industry to come together and focus on the future,” Dr Burns said. 

“This three-year partnership provides more opportunities for Queensland practitioners and businesses to take full advantage of Australia’s leading screen conference taking place right here in the sunshine state.”

Further Information:

• Operated by Screen Producers Australia, SCREEN FOREVER is one of the largest annual gatherings of screen professionals in the southern hemisphereand has been presented as Australia’s peak screen industry conference since 1986. 
• SCREEN FOREVER 37 includes more than 40 sessions and more than 140 guest speakers – including Screen Australia CEO Graeme Mason, BBC Studios Production CEO Ralph Lee, Screen Queensland Acting CEO Dr Belinda Burns, and Torres Strait Islander actor, writer, director and producer Aaron Fa’Aoso.
• For more information on SCREEN FOREVER 37, please visit https://www.screenforever.org.au/
• For more information on investment and the suite of initiatives led by Screen Queensland, please visit https://screenqueensland.com.au/

ENDS

Media contact: Zoe Russell – 0439 982 347