Metro Screen

Metro Screen was a not-for-profit film, television, and digital media training organisation based in Sydney.[1]

Decrription

Metro Screen was located in the Paddington Town Hall in Paddington.

It was the New South Wales member of Screen Development Australia[a]Other members include Open Channel (Vic), QPIX (Qld), Media Resource Centre (SA), Wide Angle Tasmania (Tas), and FTI (WA). QPIX (Queensland) was also a member until it ceased operations in 2013.[3][2]

History

Metro Screen began in the 1970s as the Paddington Video Access Centre, before being incorporated as Metro Screen in 1981, with seed funding from the Australian Film Commission.[2] During the eighties Metro was instrumental in developing community access to video and television production through training, productions, and capital investment in equipment and facilities. In the late eighties Metro organised the community television trials and was a key organisational player in the establishment of Sydney's community television station Television Sydney, which started broadcasting on 21 November 2005.[1]

It received annual funding of $240,000 from Screen Australia in 2014-2015, to contribute to core operational costs. Metro Screen closed down in December 2015, after the funding from Screen Australia was not renewed, owing to a decision to no longer fund the development of emerging practitioners, that being the responsibility of the education sector.[2][4]

Films

Films developed by Metro Screen include:

Year Title Producer
2011 "Burrowed Frowns" Thomas Wright
2011 "Grand Design" Samuel Bartlett
2011 "I Spy" Samuel Faull
2011 "This Dog's Life" Jo-Anne Brechin
2010 "Gone" Josh Mawer
2010 "Abbie" Erin Good
2010 "Sal" Benjamin Brink
2010 "The Burnt Cork" Alexandra Edmondson
2009 "Barton the Ghost Catcher" Roy Weiland
2009 "Francis and Annie" Genevieve Clay
2009 "Hinterland" Sam McKeith
2009 "Rebel Wessex" Sarah-Mace Dennis
2008 “Butterfingers” Paul Searles
2008 “Homecoming” Ngaire O'Leary
2008 “Body Dysmorphic” Daren Nair
2008 “The Last Cherry” Lisa Kowalski
2007 "Glory" Donna Chang

Footnotes

  1. ^ Referred to in the 2015 Metro Screen report as "Screen Network".[2]

References

  1. ^ a b "Turning pro". The Sydney Morning Herald. 21 November 2005. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d Emerging Visions: Career Pathways in the Australian Screen Production Industry (PDF). Metro Screen. 2015. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 February 2016.
  3. ^ "Screen Development Australia". Australian Film Commission News Archive. Archived from the original on 14 March 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
  4. ^ "Home". Metro Screen. Archived from the original on 27 February 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2026.

33°53′06.50″S 151°13′32.84″E / 33.8851389°S 151.2257889°E / -33.8851389; 151.2257889