Gold Coast secures hosting rights for Australia’s premier screen industry event

The hosting rights for Australia’s premier screen industry event SCREEN FOREVER have been secured by the Gold Coast until 2026.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk officially opened SCREEN FOREVER 37 on the Gold Coast and announced the new three-year deal while also calling on the Federal Government to increase its Location Offset from 16.5% to 30%.

Premier Palaszczuk noted “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.”

The State 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 (3rd-5th 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.

SCREEN FOREVER 37 includes more than 40 sessions and more than 140 guest speakers – including Screen Australia Chief Executive Graeme Mason, BBC Studios Production Chief Executive Ralph Lee, Screen Queensland Acting Chief Executive Dr Belinda Burns, and Torres Strait Islander actor, writer, director and producer Aaron Fa’Aoso.

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

Screen Producers Australia Chief Executive Matthew Deaner shared “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.

“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.”

Screen Queensland Acting Chief Executive Dr Belinda Burns added “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.

“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.”

Since 2015, more than 56 productions have been attracted to Queensland through Screen Queensland’s Production 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% of productions supported by Screen Queensland were locally led.

For more information on SCREEN FOREVER 37, visit www.screenforever.org.au/

For more information on investment and the suite of initiatives led by Screen Queensland, visit screenqueensland.com.au/