A new term for the President of ACMI

MEDIA RELEASE COURTESY OF: ACMI

A new term for the President and fresh faces for the ACMI Board

The Australian Centre for the Moving Image has announced changes to its Board membership and the reappointment by the Victorian Government of the Hon. John Thwaites for a second term as President.

The new members include an award winning Australian film producer, the head of a leading Australian film production and distribution company, and two leading experts in financial management and accountancy.

Mr Thwaites said the new appointees would provide a significant strengthening of the membership in key areas of focus for the organisation into the future.

‘The new members will bring a wealth of experience in the screen culture sector, film industry, and in business. We’re seeking to engage more strategically with the corporate sector and the new members will be of great assistance,’ Mr Thwaites said. ‘It is also a measure of ACMI's growing reputation that we have been able to attract such well respected and influential figures to the Board.’

New ACMI Board Members:

Jan Chapman (AO) has produced some of Australia's most critically successful and popular films including Bright Star, Lantana and The Piano and supported and nurtured the careers of some of its most talented filmmakers as executive producer and producer. Her films have won many awards including co-recipient of the Palme d'Or at Cannes, three Academy Awards, Camera d'Or at Cannes and over 35 Australian Film Institute Awards.

Joel Pearlman is the Managing Director of Roadshow Films, a division of Village Roadshow, where he has overseen the distribution of titles such as the Lord of the Rings and The Matrix trilogies, and is responsible for Roadshow's Australian production division. He is currently on the board of the Melbourne International Film Festival and the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia.

Michael Wachtel is the lead Partner in the International Tax Practice of Ernst & Young in Melbourne, a member of the Ernst & Young Global Board and the Deputy Chairman for the Oceania Region.

Peter Lewinski has conducted an advisory practice over the last 20 years, providing strategic, financial and governance advice to a wide range of public and private companies and government. He is an experienced Government, not-for-profit and private sector company director and has chaired a number of Audit Committees. Prior to commencing his practice, Peter, a qualified Chartered Accountant, worked for investment banks and stockbroking firms in Australia and overseas.

‘With our recent major accomplishments, including the opening of Screen Worlds, the Australian Mediatheque, and the success of our current blockbuster Tim Burton exhibition, we’re in an exciting new phase,’ Mr Thwaites said. ‘I look forward to the new members contributing to our future successes and ensuring ACMI continues to grow its reputation as a centre of screen culture innovation and excellence, nationally and internationally’.

Mr Thwaites also acknowledged the tireless contribution of retiring Board members, Annette Blonksi, Peter Doughty, Natalie Miller OAM, and Dan Pearce, whose membership ended on June 30. The current ACMI Board members are Dion Appel, Director, Lifelounge, Rhonda O’Donnell, CEO Rhonda O’Donnell Global Solutions, Sue Rowley, Emeritus Professor at the University of Technology, Sydney, Bill Shannon, Chair of the Shannon’s Way Group, and Ricci Swart, CEO Ricci Swart Multimedia.