News

‘Bran Nue Dae’ has been selected to screen at the Toronto International Film Festival,  one of the world’s biggest and most influential film festivals.

Culture and the Arts Minister John Day said this was a fantastic achievement and opportunity for the Western Australian production, which was aided by $650,000 funding from the State Government, through ScreenWest.

Read the Minister's statement.

The Department of Culture and the Arts , in collaboration with the Art Gallery of Western Australia, the Western Australian Museum, the State Library of Western Australia and ScreenWest have conducted the Arts Monitor survey to gain a snapshot of Western Australian’s attitudes towards and participation with culture and arts.

Respondents were asked about their activities in the three months prior to interview in March 2009, among other relevant lines of questioning.

The stories of Red Dog, the famous Red Kelpie who travelled across the Pilbara and most of the State, are set to be made into a feature film with the assistance of the Liberal-National Government and film distributor Village Roadshow.

Culture and the Arts Minister John Day today confirmed that ScreenWest had committed up to $510,000 in funds towards the film’s production.  Funding support from the federal screen agency Screen Australia was also confirmed today.

Read the Minister's statement.

Geraldton got a taste of space fever today when Culture and the Arts Minister John Day launched the ‘Space Lounge’ exhibit at the Western Australian Museum -Geraldton.

The exhibit, part of the museum’s National Science Week celebrations, covers space exploration and discovery.  It features photographs, a video dome and films.

Read the Minister's statement.

Western Australia’s Bran Nue Dae, the world’s first Aboriginal musical comedy, will world premiere as the closing feature film in the Melbourne International Film Festival next Saturday.

Culture and Arts Minister John Day, who will attend the screening, said the film showcased WA’s beauty and talented cast and crew.

The film is based on the original stage musical by WA writer Jimmy Chi and his band Kuckles.

Read the Minister's statement.

Australia’s richest indigenous contemporary art award winners were announced by Culture and the Arts Minister John Day at an awards ceremony held at the Art Gallery of Western Australia on Friday evening.

Mr Day presented the $50,000 Western Australian Indigenous Art Award to Ricardo Idagi.

Wakartu Cory Surprise was named winner of the $10,000 Western Australian Indigenous Artist Award, which was accepted on her behalf by André Porigneaux from the Mangkaja Arts Resource Agency in Fitzroy Crossing.

Read the Minister's statement.

In January I was privileged to be invited to Perth by the Department of Culture and the Arts to participate as a Major Production Fund panel member and to meet with arts organisation to discuss the potential opportunities brought about by the rapid proliferation of Web 2.0 technologies, in particular Social Media tools. At that time, I was preoccupied with how the Royal Shakespeare Company could produce activity in the digital realm to connect and interact with a range of new, global audiences.

I am now Artistic Director of LIFT, the London International Festival of Theatre, and am keen to see this organisation at the forefront of thinking about our digital futures.