Premier

New President Appointed To Film Victoria

09 September 2020

The state’s screen agency Film Victoria has appointed experienced executive and public policy expert David Hanna as its new president.

Mr Hanna has had a long involvement with the screen industry and brings to the role a wealth of leadership experience and expertise in economic development and innovation policy.

Since 2016 he has been Chair of Docklands Studios Melbourne and played a pivotal role in building the case for the studio’s $46 million sixth soundstage which is due to commence construction later this year.

The experience that Mr Hanna brings will stand Film Victoria in good stead as it supports our screen industry to recover from the impacts of coronavirus and respond to new technologies and the global growth in screen production.

He is also a longstanding committee member of Film Victoria’s Production Incentive Attraction Fund, which seeks to attract Australian and international film and television projects to Victoria, and a member of the course advisory committee for the VCA’s School of Film and Television.

Mr Hanna is currently Director of Business Strategy at Monash University, and prior to this he dedicated 30 years to working in the Victorian and Commonwealth governments.

The two-year term appointment follows the retirement of Ian Robertson who has served as president of the Film Victoria board since 2011. During Mr Robertson’s tenure, the agency recorded significant growth including setting new records for screen industry jobs and economic contribution to the state.

Also retiring from the board is Lyn Maddock, who has served since 2011.

In addition to Mr Hanna, business and communications strategist and former director of the Melbourne Film Office Louisa Coppel has been appointed to the board while game developer and co-founder of Melbourne digital games studio League of Geeks, Blake Mizzi, has been re-appointed for another term.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley

“The screen industry here and around the world is facing unprecedented challenges but Victoria is well placed for a strong recovery and future employment growth.”

“David and Louisa are passionate about the future of our screen industry. I look forward to working with them to continue to invest in local content, stories and screen jobs as we emerge from this pandemic.”

Quote attributable to incoming Film Victoria president David Hanna

“This is a challenging but also an exciting time for the screen industry and I am looking forward to working with the board to grow this vibrant and valuable part of our economy and our society.”

Reviewed 09 September 2020

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