Spiffy!

The Guild was invited to send reps to the formal announcement by the Prime Minister of the new Screen Production Incentive Fund (SPIF), held as part of the Auckland International Film Fest. The hors d’oeuvres were great!

Helen Clark spoke briefly but enthusiastically about the importance of telling our own stories, and how that was not possible without the talent and passion of people like those present. Needless to say, such comments went down well. I’ve seen her speak at a number of occasions like this, where she can sometimes seem to be going through the motions - a duty that goes with the territory of the job, I guess - but it appears to me that her genuine commitment to the arts most definitely extends to the screen (see Editorial last issue).

But the surprise to me was the speech by John Barnett of SPP on behalf of the industry. Also admirably brief and passionate, he started by proclaiming that sometimes miracles do actually happen and that here we have one! He praised the Government for their extraordinarily quick response to the Aussie’s latest incentive scheme and noted how this announcement had come totally out of the blue, rather than being the result of the usual protracted process of lobbying by interested parties. He concluded by saying, “And it’s all down to one person!” - indicating Helen.

Again, I was struck by both the unobtrusive security and how Helen was willing to hang around afterwards and talk freely to anyone there, till after I had to leave…