Not-for-profit film and television training organisation, Mercury Cx, has today announced its imminent closure following a general meeting of the board.
Mercury CX held an extraordinary general meeting at the Mercury Cinema to inform members, stakeholders, industry and public of the continued fragile position the organisation finds itself in.
The board outlined the desperate situation that Mercury CX finds itself in, as an ultra-lean not-for profit organization, the successive funding cuts over recent years further compounded by COVID, led them to seek operational funding from the government to provide a secure operating model that would enable Mercury CX to not just deliver their current industry-leading programs but build their commercial side to enable them to become self-sufficient in the coming years.
This request was denied by the Minister for Arts on behalf of the SA government despite Mercury CX being one of the only arts organisations in SA to receive no operational funding.
Gena Ashwell, the Chair of the Board ended the meeting by saying that multiple options had been looked at in detail – and we will continue to leave no stone unturned, but without the $700K funding by December sadly we will have to close the doors on Mercury CX.
Mercury CX is the only talent development organisation of its kind left in Australia that provides the link from formal education to industry, and Adelaide will be losing yet another pivotal arts organisation at a time when all other states are increasing their funding to the screen industry.
If the organization closes, valuable programs such as the National Screenmakers Conference and Market, along with the South Australian Screen Awards, funding and development programs for emerging talent along with the 30-year-old cinema opened by the Queen in 1992, will all be lost.
The board urges everyone to write to their members and the minister and help them understand how important this organisation is.
By subscribing to the newsletter Mercury will send you a form and key contact details.
More News
