MPAA Chairman And CEO Chris Dodd Delivers Keynote Address At Asia Pacific Screen Awards
- 23Nov 2011
SINGAPORE / BRISBANE: Senator Chris Dodd, Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) delivered the keynote address at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA), 2011 held today.
Senator Dodd addressed an audience of diplomats, state government ministers, APSA filmmakers, and business leaders at Queensland’s Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane, Australia.
Senator Dodd reiterated that film remains a powerful economic force even in times of global uncertainty. “I am proud to report that the film industry remains a key driver of economic growth around the globe. Make no mistake: These are not easy times for anyone. But the film industry remains strong and resilient.”
He cautioned that while the film business was currently going through an evolutionary stage of digital innovation – and delivering exciting new ways of seeing films to audiences, content theft remained a serious threat: “But in the midst of this time of remarkable change, our industry is also facing new challenges. Among the most imposing of them is the persistent, pernicious and widening threat of content theft.”
While recognising that the APSAs should be a time to celebrate artistic achievement, Senator Dodd counseled, “This region’s film industry cannot grow when its first promising fruits are stolen.”
Senator Dodd suggested that film offers a great way to experience shared values and the dreams of others. He welcomed how the APSAs have become an important forum for recognising the work of Asia Pacific filmmakers and promoting their work to a wider audience.
“And for filmmakers in Hollywood or Shanghai or Tehran or Brisbane, the fundamentals of what makes our industry work are the same. A good story, well-told, can always find an audience. The films we’re honoring this week are examples of what this diverse region can produce.”
APSA Chairman Des Power said: “APSA is honoured to have Chris Dodd attend this year’s Awards ceremony and deliver such a timely and thought-provoking keynote address. The Asia Pacific film industry is making a strong impression globally and has an abundance of stories to tell about its history, its cultures and current issues. I am delighted that a man of Chris Dodd’s standing and experience is here with us in Queensland to meet with many of the leading filmmakers from this increasingly influential region.”
In 2010, the MPA and APSA launched the MPA APSA Academy Film Fund – a $100,000 development fund exclusive to filmmakers in the Asia Pacific Screen Academy, supported wholly by the Motion Picture Association (MPA). At the 2010 APSA ceremony, four grants of $25,000 each were announced. Jodaeiye Nader az Simin (A Separation), the first completed project funded by the MPA APSA Academy Film Fund, written and directed by Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi, went on to win the Golden Bear, Best Actress and Best Actor awards at the 2011 Berlin Film Festival, as well as the Sydney Film Prize at this year’s Sydney Film Festival. The film is also in competition at this year’s APSAs.
The four successful recipients for 2011 will be announced at the Awards Ceremony to be held on the Gold Coast on November 24.
Download File (PDF)For more information, please contact
Edward Neubronner
MPA Asia-Pacific
(65) 6253 1033
Siti Rohdiah
MPA Asia-Pacific
(65) 6253 1033
Stephen Jenner
AFA©T Australia
(61-2) 9997 8011
About the MPA
The Motion Picture Association (MPA) and Motion Picture Association International (MPA-I) represent the interests of major motion picture companies in the global marketplace. To do so, it promotes and protects its member companies’ intellectual property rights and conducts public awareness programs to highlight to movie fans around the world the importance of content protection. These activities have helped to transform entire markets benefiting film industries in each country including foreign and local filmmakers alike.
The organizations’ worldwide operations are directed from its headquarters in Los Angeles, California and overseen in the Asia Pacific by a team based in Singapore. Its member companies include: Paramount Pictures Corporation; Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.; Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation; Universal City Studios LLLP; The Walt Disney Studios; and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. For more information about the MPA, please visit www.mpa-i.org.
