SBS independent

SBS independent, commonly abbreviated as SBSi, was a commissioning and content-development division associated with Australia's Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). It operated from August 1994 until the end of December 2007, commissioning programs and films from independent Australian producers for a public broadcaster whose remit centred on multicultural, multilingual and distinctive national content. The institution emerged during the policy environment created by the Keating government's Creative Nation cultural policy initiative, released in October 1994. Its purpose was to use public broadcasting resources to support creative work that might not otherwise have been commissioned by commercial networks or larger production companies. In practice, SBSi commissioned a broad range of work, including feature films, television drama, animation, single documentaries, documentary series, comedy, variety and reality programming. Across its thirteen years, SBSi commissioned more than 810 titles representing more than 1,500 hours of content. Its commissioning model placed particular emphasis on independent producers, emerging talent and stories reflecting Australia's cultural diversity. Many projects were developed with filmmakers from non-English-speaking and Indigenous backgrounds, helping broaden who could participate in Australian screen production and whose experiences could be represented on television and film. SBSi's output included both television programming and works that achieved substantial life beyond their initial SBS exhibition. Among the better-known commissioned titles were the animated short Harvie Krumpet, the comedy series Wilfred and Pizza, the documentary and factual projects John Safran's Music Jamboree, John Safran vs God, The Prodigal Son and Australia By Numbers, and animation projects such as Animated Tales of the World, John Callahan's Quads!, Leunig and The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello. The commissioning portfolio also included works such as Fond Memories of Cuba, Golden Sandals: The Art of Reg Mombassa, Nerds F.C., Poles Apart, Sydney 2000, The Animated Leunig, Decadence and Bush School. The division's productions received significant critical and institutional recognition. Collectively, SBSi titles won more than 450 awards, including the 2003 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for Adam Elliot's Harvie Krumpet. Through partnerships with federal and state film-financing organisations, SBSi also helped support the careers of Indigenous filmmakers including Ivan Sen, Warwick Thornton and Rachel Perkins. SBS independent ceased to function as an administratively independent commissioning institution at the end of December 2007. Its activities were merged into SBS's Content and Online Division. Although the standalone brand ended, its commissioning legacy remained important to Australian screen culture: it demonstrated how a public broadcaster could combine multicultural programming obligations with independent production, talent development, experimentation and international recognition.

SBS independent was created within the Special Broadcasting Service during a period when Australian cultural policy was placing renewed emphasis on national creativity, independent production and the public value of diverse stories. The organisation began operating in August 1994, in the context of the Keating government's Creative Nation policy initiative, which was released in October of that year. Its central role was not conventional in-house production. Instead, SBSi acted as a commissioning house, commissioning independent Australian producers to create programs and films suited to SBS's multicultural public-service remit. The division's commissioning brief was unusually broad. It covered feature films, television drama, animation, documentaries, documentary series, comedy, variety and reality programming. This range enabled SBSi to connect experimental and auteur-led work with a national broadcaster while also supporting programs with accessible popular formats. Its projects frequently addressed cultural identity, migration, Indigenous experience, social difference, national history and contemporary Australian life, although the portfolio also included entertainment and genre-based programming. Over thirteen years, SBSi commissioned more than 810 titles, amounting to more than 1,500 hours of content. The commissioning model created opportunities for independent companies and for creators at early stages of their careers. It was particularly significant for filmmakers from non-English-speaking and Indigenous backgrounds, who often faced barriers to access within the established Australian production sector. Through collaborative arrangements with federal and state film-financing bodies, SBSi helped develop a new generation of Indigenous screen practitioners, including Ivan Sen, Warwick Thornton and Rachel Perkins. The resulting body of work circulated beyond SBS's original television schedules. Several productions gained recognition at major film and television awards and reached audiences in Australia and overseas. The animated short Harvie Krumpet, directed by Adam Elliot, won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 2003. Other widely recognised projects included the comedy programs Wilfred and Pizza; documentary and factual titles such as The Prodigal Son, Australia By Numbers, John Safran's Music Jamboree and John Safran vs God; and animation projects including Animated Tales of the World, John Callahan's Quads!, Leunig and The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello. SBSi's broader importance lay in the institutional effect of its commissioning practice. It linked a public broadcaster with independent producers, created routes into professional production for less-established filmmakers and expanded the range of cultural perspectives visible in Australian screen media. The division's productions collectively received more than 450 awards, indicating both critical recognition and the reach of its development model. At the end of December 2007, SBS independent ceased to operate as a separately administered institution. Its activities were merged with SBS's Content and Online Division. The standalone SBSi structure therefore ended, but the content it commissioned and the careers it supported continued to form part of SBS's institutional and cultural legacy.

• 2007

  Standalone SBSi administration ends

  [1]SBS independenten.wikipedia.org

  SBS independent was merged into SBS's Content and Online Division at the end of December, ending its separate administrative existence.

• 2003

  Harvie Krumpet wins an Academy Award

  [1]SBS independenten.wikipedia.org

  Adam Elliot's SBSi-commissioned animated short Harvie Krumpet won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.

• 1994

  SBS independent begins operating

  [1]SBS independenten.wikipedia.org

  SBS independent commenced operations in August as a commissioning house for independent multicultural film and television content associated with SBS.

• 1994

  Creative Nation provides the policy context

  [1]SBS independenten.wikipedia.org

  The Keating government's Creative Nation cultural policy initiative was released in October, forming an important policy context for SBSi's creation and mission.

A public-service commissioning house focused on multicultural Australian content, independent production and opportunities for emerging, Indigenous and non-English-speaking filmmakers.

• Animation

  Harvie Krumpet

  An animated short commissioned from Adam Elliot. It became SBSi's most internationally prominent award success after winning the 2003 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.

• Comedy television

  Wilfred

  A comedy television title in the SBSi commissioning portfolio. It is among the division's better-known programs that gained recognition beyond their original SBS exhibition.

• Comedy television

  Pizza

  A television comedy series commissioned by SBSi and associated with the division's popular, distinctive Australian programming output.

• Animation

  Animated Tales of the World

  An animated project included among SBS independent's commissioned works, reflecting the division's support for animation alongside documentary, drama and comedy production.

• Animation

  John Callahan's Quads!

  An animated series or project in the SBSi portfolio, demonstrating the commissioning house's willingness to support distinctive and non-mainstream animated work.

• Animation

  The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello

  An animated commissioned work noted among SBSi's internationally visible productions and representative of its support for ambitious independent animation.

• Documentary and factual

  John Safran's Music Jamboree

  A factual and entertainment-oriented SBSi commission associated with John Safran and the division's support for unconventional Australian documentary and comedy formats.

• Documentary

  John Safran vs God

  A documentary commission included in SBSi's factual programming output, illustrating its capacity to develop distinctive subject matter outside conventional commercial formats.

• Documentary

  The Prodigal Son

  A documentary title from the SBS independent commissioning portfolio.

• Documentary series

  Australia By Numbers

  A documentary series commissioned by SBSi and included among the division's notable factual productions.

• 2007

  Merge SBS independent into the Content and Online DivisionStrategy

  Background

  SBS reviewed the administrative structure through which it commissioned and managed content after thirteen years of SBSi operation.

  Action taken

  At the end of December 2007, SBS ended SBS independent's separate administrative status and integrated its functions into the Content and Online Division.

  Aftermath

  The SBSi brand and standalone institution ceased to operate, while its commissioning legacy and content became part of SBS's broader content organisation.

  Source

1. 1SBS independenten.wikipedia.org