Mercury CX is committed to ensuring the safety of all patrons and staff by observing all Government regulations, ensuring all our staff are double vaccinated and implementing the following protocols for guests visiting our venue.
Mercury CX requires all employees, patrons, contractors and visitors to be double-vaccinated, unless medically exempt. Evidence of double-vaccination or of a medical exemption may be required for admission. Patrons who are unable to provide evidence may not be admitted to cinema sessions, public events or workshops.
Stay home if you are unwell
Complete mandatory check-in upon entry
Follow COVID Marshal directions
Wear a mask inside unless eating or drinking
Practise hand hygiene with the sanitisers and soaps provided
Social distancing should be observed wherever possible
The above form part of Mercury CX COVID Management Policy. For all questions, please contact us.
City of Adelaide and Mercury CX are excited to announce the four recipients of the inaugural Hothouse Creative Residencies.
In partnership with the City of Adelaide through their Cultural Strategic Partnerships Program, Mercury CX’s Emerging Hothouse Scheme provides two emerging screenwriters, a producer and a cinema programmer/projectionist with a 12-week, flexible residency. Following an extensive callout and review of applications, four creatives have been selected to be the initial Hothouse Creative Residents. The inaugural 2021 Hothouse Residents are:
DYLAN COLEMAN – Screenwriting
Award-winning novelist, First Nations academic and social justice activist, Dylan Coleman is working on a screenplay adaptation of a novel manuscript that won the black&write Writing Fellowship, to be published in the near future.
SALLY HARDY – Screenwriting
Award-winning playwright and children’s author Sally Hardy is working on an adaptation of her play Night Light scheduled to be performed in 2023.
CRAIG JACKSON – Producing
Transitioning from a career as a cinematographer to producing, Craig Jackson is developing a factual television series, whilst also producing one of this year’s Mercury CX Quicksilver production fund short films.
AIMEE KNIGHT – Cinema Programming & Projection
Film critic and The Big Issue’s small screens editor Aimee Knight brings an understanding of contemporary cinema to the programmer and projection residency and is currently programming the final session of Adelaide Cinematheque for 2021 with a focus on ‘difficult women’.
Back row L-R: Craig Jackson, Sally Hardy, Dylan Coleman, Mentor Ruth Estelle, Aimee Knight
Front Row L-R: Karena Slanenka, CEO Mercury CX, City of Adelaide Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor
Attracting diverse creatives and projects
In announcing the recipients, Karena Slaninka, CEO Mercury CX spoke of the exceptional candidates who applied. “We’ve had an excellent response to the program in the first year and are thrilled to have such talent seeking to be part of this year’s residencies.”
“Transitioning from one area of creative industries to another, or seeking to elevate one’s career, can benefit from mentoring, structure, and a supportive environment in which to achieve creative outcomes to set goals and to develop craft and contacts. Hothouse facilitates that while providing resources and the structure to be able to work toward a specific creative outcome.”
“Hothouse is a unique initiative in supporting artists and creatives who are developing and advancing in their creative practice is an important part of our vision for Mercury CX to be a national centre of excellence for story,” Slaninka said.
“Adelaide is one of the most liveable and creative cities in the world with artists, makers and festivals at its heart,” the Lord Mayor said.
“The City of Adelaide is working in partnership with our arts and culture sector to support artists and create opportunities for them. We are curating a city filled with dynamic arts and cultural experiences for people to enjoy.”
The Hothouse Residencies provide the opportunity for creatives to focus on specific works in a supportive environment surrounded by resources and mentors to help take their projects to fruition. The flexible program allows for each participant to draw on both the resources of Mercury CX as well as mentoring and industry connections to further their projects.
Screenwriting resident Dylan Coleman said the appeal of the program was in the idea of the hothouse. “As the word suggests, Mercury CX provides an opportunity to grow quickly and to develop the skills in a warm supportive environment that might otherwise take years or even decades to reach. The alchemists of old turned mercury to gold, that’s the chemistry at work here.”
Creating connection through immersion in the screen industry
In addition to mentoring and access to Mercury CX facilities, the residency program included the 2021 MCX Screenmakers Conference, providing unique access to industry leaders and the opportunity to pitch their projects.
The opportunity for residents to deepen industry connections can be a defining step for their projects. Playwright and screenwriter Sally Hardy secured additional industry meetings about her project through the conference.
“This year’s MCX Screenmakers Conference was a godsend. As well as hearing from people at the top of their game in the industry, I was able to discuss my feature film with festival programmers, producers and distributors” she said.
Producer Craig Jackson said that MCX Screenmakers proved to be a valuable part of achieving the goals of his residency. “So much of the development process involves getting feedback from others as a project progresses and having ongoing access to informed and experienced professionals is invaluable to shaping an effective treatment and pitch,” said Jackson.
Mercury CX Script Executive and screenwriting mentor Ruth Estelle knows from experience the importance of dedicated space for the development process. “Writers need space and support, and at Mercury CX we are well-placed to provide both. The results, I’m sure, will speak for themselves when we see their work on the big screen!” she said.
Discussing the opportunities afforded by the residency Sally Hardy said, “As a playwright adapting my own play into a feature film, the opportunity to work closely with experienced and talented mentors like Ruth Estelle is invaluable.”
“It’s incredibly helpful having access to Ruth’s knowledge of structure, audience and genre, as I deconstruct my story and create it anew for the medium of film. It’s also priceless to have a creative workspace available 24/7 for the duration of the residency, where I am free to write away from domestic distractions!”
Bringing a different lens to stories on screen
In explaining why she chose to apply, Dylan said “I saw it as a wonderful opportunity to work with a trusted local organisation who has supported First Nation writers and filmmakers and mentorships in the past. Being able to share our stories as First Nations writers is so important. I’m extremely grateful for this opportunity to spread my wings.”
The third residency focus area is Cinema Programmer + Projectionist, an underexplored field in the screen industry.
Aimee Knight spoke of how this rare opportunity complements her work writing about screen culture “enriching my critical perspectives on cinema by learning the intertwined art of film curation.”
There is more to cinema programming than just choosing films. The residency will help Aimee gain a practical understanding of the big-screen distribution process. ”All that nitty-gritty administrative stuff that comes with contracts, budgets, marketing, and promotion. I’m particularly keen to spend time in the hallowed projection booth, where the alchemy of exhibition happens.”
Knight’s curation will draw on her background in film criticism and include putting a series ofdifficult women on the big screen as part of the new Adelaide Cinematheque program from 1 to 10 November.
These words curse women for doing their jobs – especially in Hollywood, where clear-eyed femme directors have been blacklisted for applying the same discipline and commitment that gets their male peers labelled ‘visionary auteurs’.
This November, Adelaide Cinematheque celebrates these so-called ‘Difficult Women’ with a season showcasing their tenacity, humour and artistic excellence. Curated by Aimee Knight – Mercury CX’s Emerging Hothouse resident in cinema programming and projection – the four-film strand runs from 1–10 November at the Mercury.
Streisand’s directorial debut is a masterwork of mainstream feminist cinema. The multihyphenate shines as the titular difficult woman who, in turn-of-the-century Poland, adopts a male persona so that she may study Jewish theology. This leads to a love triangle that destabilises gender, sexuality, patriarchy, and the gaze.
Jennifer’s Body (2009) Dir. Karyn Kusama
Wednesday 3 November, 7pm
“Hell is a teenage girl.” So opens this oft-misunderstood film about the horror and romance of women’s friendship. Written by Juno’s Diablo Cody, the witty script flips the body monstrous on its head, while Megan Fox – backed by director Karyn Kusama (Destroyer) – gives a wink and a nod to the monotony of misogynist.
Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. (1992) Dir. Leslie Harris
Monday 8 November, 7pm
With her sharp mind and sharper tongue, Chantel (Ariyan A. Johnson) is 17 going on 30. She dreams of leaving Brooklyn, going to college, and graduating into middle-class security. Can Chantel really navigate a world that wasn’t built for her? The first and, to date, only feature directed by Leslie Harris remains feverishly relevant.
Ishtar (1987) Dir. Elaine May
Wednesday 10 November, 7pm
Starring Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman as palpably untalented lounge singers, this notorious flop sealed Elaine May’s fate as Hollywood’s #1 difficult woman. But as the writer, director and Taurus sun observed, “If all of the people who hate Ishtar had seen it, I would be a rich woman today.”
So, let’s reimagine the canon as we commend these four directors – and every woman whose career has been hindered by whispers, but whose work endures regardless.
With decades of experience helping member-based organisations create community, Jonathan is working to help Mercury CX members connect and collaborate.
Back row: Pete Ninos, mentor Louise Gough, Lucy Campbell, Bettina Hamilton, Matt Vesely. Front row: Georgia Humphries, Madeleine Parry, Peta Bulsara (Astbury).
South Australia’s bold and ambitious Film Lab: New Voices feature film skills development program is set to foster a new generation of diverse South Australian filmmakers as the first three successful teams are announced today, with round two applications open from August. The initiative from the South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC) and Adelaide Film Festival in collaboration with Mercury CX also welcomes the support of Screen Australia in delivering the development phase of this inaugural round of the program which gives three South Australian creative teams industry mentoring with highly credentialed screen story development mentor Louise Gough across a 12-month period, to develop a low-budget feature film script. One project will be selected to move into production, to be wholly produced and postproduced in South Australia, and the final film will premiere at the Adelaide Film Festival in 2022.
The three selected teams for 2021 are: – Writer/director Peter Ninos and producer Georgia Humphreys, – Writer Lucy Campbell, producer Bettina Hamilton and director Matt Vesely, and – Writer/director Madeleine Parry and producer Peta Bulsara (Astbury).
The program will open again for round two applications in August 2021, with the final film to be delivered in time for Adelaide Film Festival 2024.
Mercury CX plays a key role in supporting professional development, removing barriers to entry and cultivating unique, authentic stories from diverse creatives. Our professional development programs create a pipeline of talent into such initiatives as Film Lab: New Voices, which provides a unique opportunity to gain an invaluable feature film credit through the South Australian Film Corporation and the rich experience of connecting with an audience through a screening at the Adelaide Film Festival. The coordinated pathways through these organisations is quite special and is set to benefit South Australian practitioners enormously. – Karena Slaninka, CEO Mercury CX
Read the full release at South Australian Film Corporation.
