BRITISH FILMS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18467, 19 May 1928, Page 25 (Supplement)

BRITISH FILMS.

AGREEMENT FOR OVERSEAS DISTRIBU HON. The first step towards Empire film distributions has just been taken by the linking up of certain producing interest 1 ; in this country with Australia end New Zealand (says a London paper of January 26). The-negotiations, which had been in progress for the past two months, reached a successful conclusion yesterday by the signing of agreements between British Instructional Films, Ltd., the (laemnit Company. Ltd., and New Era Productions. Ltd., with British Dominions. Film Proprietary, Ltd., of Melbourne. Australia. The last-named company is establishing special exchanges in all the capital citic -in Australia and New Zealand, and w'li devote its attention to the and distribution of the films produced by the other firms menti* red. Special guarantees and financial arrangements have been entered into, and for the first time in British film history an assured market in Australia and New Zealand has become an accomplished fact. In the past oversea markets have been over-supplied with foreign films, and it has been extremely difficult for the British film to find any outlet. Not only have the theatres been booked and the play dates held by - foreign firms, but practically no independent distributor remained to handle the produce of the British firms. There remained only one alternative, which, in effect, v.t.s the establishment of either individual distribution or joint distribution on the part of the British producers, and this has been accomplished now by the arrangements made with British Dominions Film -Proprietary, Ltd. Among those associated with the Australian company are Mr W. A. Watt. M.H.R., ex-Acting Prime Minister of Australia, the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Sir Stephen Morell, Councillor IT. E. Wootton (Melbourne City Council), Mr C. R. Herschell (managing director!, and Mr Ernest Turnbull, president of the Returned Soldiers’ Association (assistant managing director).

Already twenty pictures have been arranged for, and a first shipment of nine has I>epn made, cf which seven have already been booked for release in Australia. This is the first time that a series of British films have been booked on such a scale. There is no intention to confine the efforts of British Dominions Film Proprietary, Ltd., exclusively to the product of the firms mentioned. They will welcome the co-operation of all producing units having films to distribute in Australia on terms similar to those just arranged. The negotiations have l»een concluded on l>ehalf of the Australian group l>y Mr C. R. Herschell, of Melbourne, and on behalf of the English companies by Colonel A. C. Bromhead, Mr Gordon Craig, and Mr Bruce Woolf. An entirely new formula has been devised to bring about this result, and Sir Granville Ryrie (High Commissiiner for Australia), Sir James Parr (High Commissioner for New Zealand) and Mr Charles Tennyson, of the Federation of British Industries, have contributed towards bringing it about. The producing c ompanies concerned are hopeful that this step will be the first towards linking up the whole of the Empire in one consecutive whole so far as film distribution is concerned. The High Commissioner for Australia pnd the High Commissioner for New Zealand took the opportunity yesterday to congratulate the parties to the agreement. Sir Janies Parr said that this arrangement was a complete answer to the statement made in Australia and New Zealand that there was an inadequate supply of British pictures to provide a quota. lie added that “what Australia can do New Zealand can also do.”