The BFI and Screen Producers Australia (SPA) have announced the UK and Australian companies selected to participate in UK Connect — a new initiative and Australian market first between SCREEN FOREVER and the BFI.
 

The event is taking place from 3-5 May 2023 on the Gold Coast, Queensland, as part of the SPA Connect Market.  
 

Designed to encourage collaboration between UK and Australian film and TV producers seeking global partners and financing, UK Connect will provide a full day of events, talks, networking and curated meetings focused on doing business and securing funding with co-production partners. 
 

The UK-based production companies selected to visit Australia to participate in the initiative are Agile Films, Buccaneer, Caravan Media, Footprint Films, Hurricane Films, Little Monk Pictures, Modern Films, Saffron Cherry Productions, Taletime Pictures, and Three Tables Productions. 
 

Four UK-based sales agents have also been selected to join the UK Connect programme bringing additional funding opportunities to the table. They are Altitude Film Sales, AMP, Film Seekers and MetFilm Sales. 

The ten Australian production companies seeking co-production partners who have been selected to participate in UK Connect are Bus Stop Films, Candid Films, CJZ, Goalpost Pictures, Highview Productions, Hoodlum Entertainment, KOJO Studios, Northern Pictures, Princess Pictures, and Rhapsody Films. 
 

”We have been thrilled with the enthusiastic response from UK and Australian companies with exciting projects ripe for co-production wanting to come on board with UK Connect at SCREEN FOREVER 37.  For our producers and sales companies to be able to meet and explore collaboration with Australian counterparts on their own turf and get immersed at this event is a rare and invaluable business opportunity. 

“With our close cultural ties, original storytelling success on both continents, and the revised co-production treaty between our two countries coming into force soon with a potential to reinvent and reinvigorate co-production post-pandemic, this promises for being a fruitful venture for both our industries,” said Agnieszka Moody, BFI Head of International & Industry Policy.
 

“We’ve been overwhelmed with the calibre of applications to UK Connect. When assessing the applications, considering the slates and market-readiness of projects and the potential to be structured as UK-Australia co-productions, we are excited about and hopeful the initiative will forge new invaluable partnerships and help finance future co-production projects.

“All ten Australian production companies are from the SPA membership, and we are delighted to be able to provide such an important international opportunity to some of Australia’s most prolific and renowned storytellers at SCREEN FOREVER 37,” said SPA CEO Matthew Deaner.   

SPA logo via SPA.