Puttnam to address SPAA

The Screen Producers Association of Australia has confirmed that Lord David Puttnam, the British film producer, politician and education leader, will be a keynote speaker at the annual conference, held between November 16 to 19 at The Hilton Hotel in Sydney.
 
Lord Puttnam spent 30 years as an independent film producer, following an early career in advertising before turning to film production in the late 1960s.

His successes as a multi-award winning producer include films Bugsy Malone, Midnight Express, The Duellists, Chariots of Fire, Local Hero, Memphis Belle, Meeting Venus, The Killing Fields and The Mission.

Puttnam retired from film production in 1998. He now works at the UK’s House of Lords and focuses on political and policy work in relation to education, the creative industries and the environment.

He was appointed President of UNICEF UK in 2002, and played a key role in promoting the organisations advocacy, awareness and fundraising objectives. He retired from this post in July 2009.

Goeff Brown, SPAA's executive director said: "Lord Puttnam is recognised as one of the world's great film visionaries."

"Not only is he an Academy Award winning producer in his own right, he championed the debate in the UK in the early 2000s that led to the revival of the local film and television sectors through the introduction of independent production quotas and the OFCOM's role in determining terms of trade between independent producers and broadcasters," says Brown.

"The Australian industry is at a critical time in our development with analogue switch-off in 2013, a media convergence review next year, the future of local content regulation up for grabs and the continuing rollout of the NBN.

"We need coherent public policy with clear, meaningful and achievable objectives that cover all aspects of the industry. Lord Puttnam's experience and knowledge will be invaluable as we determine the future landscape."