Premier Mark McGowan will officially present the Perth Festival with a Lotterywest COVID-19 Relief Fund grant of $6.3 million and will announce an additional $1 million in support, at the opening night of the festival’s Lotterywest Films season.
The Lotterywest grant will go towards core program costs of the 2021 Perth Festival to celebrate our place by connecting programs and audiences through the Bilya (river) theme.
The opening will be celebrated with the Australian premiere of the Screenwest-funded production, The Furnace which features screen legend David Wenham. It will run for one week as part of Lotterywest Films at UWA Somerville, before its national release on December 10, 2020.
This support mirrors the $6.3 million Lotterywest grant provided to Screenwest, plus an additional $1 million, which will support growth and success of the WA screen industry.
Highway to Hell, Perth Festival’s closing event in 2020, was named a winner at the 2020 Australian Event Awards, with the upcoming festival a chance for art and film to again inspire unity. The full Perth Festival 2021 program runs from February 5-28, 2021.
The State Government, through Lotterywest, has been the principal source of funding for Perth Festival since 1991, and has supported the event with grants totalling more than $137 million.
Over the past 25 years, Lotterywest grants to Screenwest have totalled $125 million to support a range of local productions including The Furnace.
As stated by Premier Mark McGowan:
“The artistic influence of Perth Festival and Screenwest productions will play an important role in reinvigorating local arts and events sectors through investments and flow on benefits to people who work in the industry.
“This Lotterywest support also expands Perth Festival’s Connect program – an initiative that invests in Western Australian artists and art organisations, with opportunities to engage in the program and work alongside artists to boost jobs and employment opportunities.
“Together we turned Canning Highway into the world’s longest stage for the Highway to Hell closing event this year, and I can’t wait to see how Perth Festival will once again unite the WA community in 2021.”
