AN OPEN LETTER TO RIDLEY SCOTT, RSA FILMS & SCOTT FREE PRODUCTIONS

Dear Sir Ridley Scot,

I write on behalf of the people and cinematic artists of Australia on a matter of some importance that may be of specific interest to you.

Your Film ‘Alien Covenant’ is set to be produced in Australia during 2016. The Federal Government of Australia, through its foreign minister, Julie Bishop, recently announced financial support to your film project and to another project ‘Thor Ragnarok’ in the amount of $47 million. I do not know if you are aware that the very next week or so after announcing this funding the same government announced cuts to local film funding in the amount of $53 million and announced that this was necessary to fund your project and the Thor project.

You are a highly respected, integrous and successful film maker of significant repute in the global film industry and of high cultural significance in the cinematic arts. Despite your status and success, I am sure you would appreciate the deprivation that artists in all mediums suffer to practice their art, including film directors, writers, actors, designers and technicians and empathise with their situation. From what I know of your history you have suffered these deprivations as a young filmaker when 'paying your dues' and whn getting a start at the publicly funded BBC.

The cuts to funding of local production due to the reallocations to fund your project will have significant impact upon the employment and development of local cinematic artists. With the funding of $47 mill allocated to your film and to ‘Thor’ local cinematic artists could have produced as many as ten feature films if not more giving employment and opportunities to many different local artists and allowing a diversity of voices to be expressed in the cinematic medium. Film can express many voices and one of its strengths is its capacity to allow a diversity of voices and expression. I hope you would agree that that the cinema’s capacity to give expression to a diversity of voices and culture should be protected and advanced whenever possible. Cuts such as those announced to the local production to fund your film project are contrary to those aspirations.

I am sure that you would not have been made aware of the intended cut to local production funding when the offer of financial support was made to you by Julia Bishop and when you accepted this funding. If you were not made aware of this impending cut then you have possibly been deceived, duped and manipulated by this Government into allowing yourself to be used as justification for ongoing cuts to local production funding into the future. You should be aware that there is already significant discontent in the local film industry and broader Australian community with this absurd decision and that risks reflecting badly upon you or your project.

If possible at this stage, I urge you to reconsider your acceptance of the funding you have been offered or to impose a condition upon your acceptance of the funding from the Australian Government that no funding be cut from local production in order to subsidise your film. I urge you to express your concern for this decision privately to the Australian Federal Government and, if necessary, publically.

I am sure you would agree that it is well past the time that well financed multinational film corporations not be competitively advantaged over local productions or be used to deprive local film makers and cinematic artists of opportunities and funding and that it is time for cinematic artists to stand shoulder to shoulder with each other to protect the rights that all in the industry share and have striven for over generations regardless of their status.

With Deep Respect and in Anticipation,

Michael Griffin
Actor/Writer/Director/Producer/Composer/Lawyer/Worker