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Screen Australia.s decision to hand back the rights of 1,200 titles to the producers, effective July 1, will result in the reissue on DVD and pay TV of some films and TV productions that have long been out of circulation.

While few if any producers expect to get rich from regaining the rights, the move has been widely welcomed.

The agency has clarified that the concession applies to all projects, including features, miniseries, series and telemovies funded by the Film Finance Corp. and during Screen Australia.s first year, that were released or broadcast in the seven years prior to December 31 2008.

The handover has been brought forward by six months. All rights minus a 1% copyright fee revert back to producers.

Producer Matt Carroll is looking forward to exploring the potential of new revenue sources for Passion, his 1993 drama about composer Percy Grainger, which starred Richard Roxburgh. Beyond Films handled the film directed by Peter Duncan.

Craig Lahiff, director/writer and producer and one of the pillars of the South Australian screen industry, died in Adelaide on Sunday after a short illness. He was 66.

His final film, Swerve, a thriller about an honest guy who stumbles upon a suitcase of money and a decapitated body on a desert highway, starring David Lyons, Jason Clarke and Emma Booth, was released in Australian cinemas in 2012 and was sold to the Us and the UK.

Helen Leake produced three films with Lahiff: Heaven.s Burning, Black and White and Swerve. .Renowned for his calmness and quiet persuasion in all aspects of his work Craig brought to all of his films a very clear vision that he imparted to all his collaborators,. she said. .Long-time friend Louis Nowra recalls Craig.s .grace under pressure. as a director, and all his colleagues found his craft skills and technical understanding of all...

Taxpayer-Funded Screen Australia Backs Anti-Murdoch Project Rupert Murdoch seems unlikely to be bothered that unabashed left-wing writer Bob Ellis is co-writing a movie about the publisher entitled The News of the World. Murdoch might, however, ask why Australian taxpayers’ money is being spent to develop the project. Funding agency Screen Australia is giving money to Ellis and his co-writer Stephen Ramsey to support development. No Australian distributor is involved yet. Ellis told Mumbrella the biopic will trace Murdoch’s career from his purchase of the Sydney Daily Telegraph in the 1960s to his buying the now-defunct The News of the World and becoming a U.S. citizen so News Corp could own U.S. TV stations. Ellis’ blog regularly accuses Murdoch of using his media outlets to champion his causes. After penning the screenplay of Newsfront in 1978, Ellis had a burgeoning career in the 1980s with films such as Fatty Finn,...