"I needed to tell stories like that too.”
NEW SOUTH WALES FILMMAKER CATRIONA MCKENZIE
Since it opened in 1975, the Seymour Centre has become one of Sydney's leading cultural hubs.
It's a venue that has played host to some of Australia's most famous faces, with Nicole Kidman (in her professional debut), Geoffrey Rush, Jackie Weaver, Judy Davis, Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett and Mel Gibson among the stars to have trodden the boards in their earliest productions.
Tonight it staged the graduation of the creative souls at the AFTRS.
AFTRS is that rare body dealing with the national screen and broadcast school – the only Australian education institution to consistently make The Hollywood Reporter‘s prestigious annual list of the top film schools in the world. We believe that a country is shaped by its stories.
In an increasingly complex world, Australians have never needed good stories more, to understand who we are and who we can be. As the national screen and broadcast school, AFTRS trains the talent that creates these stories.
The AFTRS Graduation Ceremony is a celebration of our student’s achievements, and the completion of their academic course requirements, for graduands, their family and friends.
Family and friends wishing to attend the Graduation Ceremony are able to purchase tickets at $45 per person, which includes light refreshments following the ceremony, in the York Theatre Foyer. Doors open at 2pm for a prompt 2.30pm start.
Graduands are provided a complimentary ticket to attend the ceremony and will receive communications from AFTRS about their expected arrival time.
The ceremony will be privately live-streamed to allow for graduands, families, friends and AFTRS staff to participate if they’re unable to attend in person.
The Albanese Labor Government is continuing to revive Australia’s arts, entertainment and cultural sector with strong investments in the 2024-25 Budget.
The Government is investing to support our live music scene, promote more Australian stories, and reinforce our world class arts training organisations.
This comes after record funding in last year’s Budget for Revive – Australia’s national cultural policy – as well as restoring funding to our national cultural institutions like the National Gallery of Australia.
The 2024-25 Budget builds on this support and includes:
- $115.2 million to Australia’s eight national arts training organisations to ensure their continued operation in fostering the next generation of creative talent across screen, music, performing arts and dance.
- $14.5 million to support the production of Australian children’s screen content – recognising the importance of Australian children seeing themselves reflected in the stories they watch, no matter which platform they watch it on.
- $9.3 million to expand and enhance the National Film and Sound Archive’s capacity to store highly flammable nitrate-based cultural heritage material belonging to our national collecting institutions. These historically significant films and photographic negatives are currently at risk of being lost.
- $8.6 million for the Revive Live program to provide essential support to live music venues and festivals showcasing Australian bands and artists – to ensure the long-term sustainability of the live music sector.
- $5.2 million to expand and develop the Canberra and Darwin symphony orchestras.
With this Budget, we’re building on the significant progress we’ve already made under Revive to make sure there’s a place for every story, and a story for every place.
After a decade of neglect and funding cuts from Coalition governments, we want to make sure Australian stories are told, our artists are supported and our history is safeguarded.
‘LA is such a paradox – able to one day make you feel like a million bucks, and the next humble the f**** out of you.
Writer Director Actor - Jerry Seinfeld Duke commencement speech
Old recipes of Gnocchi gnocch in new towns