Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Arts Minister Simon Crean today conveyed their congratulations to Emile Sherman, co-producer of The King's Speech, which won the Best Picture Oscar at this year's Academy Awards.
The Prime Minister and Mr Crean met Emile Sherman today during a visit to Parliament House with representatives of the Screen Producers Association of Australia.
The Prime Minister said the nation's success at the 83rd Academy Awards demonstrated the strong creative pool of talent in Australia.
Emile Sherman's achievement at this year's Oscars, along with the nominations of actors Geoffrey Rush and Jacki Weaver, again demonstrates that Australia is a great performer on the world stage - both in front of and behind the camera.
The Oscar recognises Mr Sherman's outstanding contribution to an exceptional film. He is only the second Australian producer after Bruce Davey for Braveheart to win an Academy Award for Best Picture.
The Prime Minister and Mr Crean also extended their congratulations to Australia's three other Oscar winners Shaun Tan, Kirk Baxter and Dave Elsey.
Australia's success at the Academy Awards is another positive sign for the Australian film industry, which is benefiting from the Government's investment in local screen productions.
A recent review of the independent screen production sector showed Government investment in the local Australian film industry has increased three-fold in the past three years.
A Film and Television Drama Survey for 2009-10 conducted by Screen Australia shows total production expenditure in Australia was a record $731 million. The latest ABS figures reveal that almost 24,000 Australians are employed in the film and television sectors.