The Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) has recognised the incredible contribution of the Myer family to the School, in particular Kenneth Myer AC, Yasuko Myer and Andrew Myer AM, with the renaming and dedication of AFTRS’ Studio 1 as the Myer Studio.
The dedication event was held at the studio on Friday 23 May, with people across the AFTRS community coming to celebrate and thank Andrew Myer, who attended with his wife Kerry Gardner AM.
Since 1987, the Kenneth Myer Fellowship has disbursed over $2.5 million in awards, fellowships, and First Nations and equity scholarships. Over 500 fellowships and scholarships have been awarded in that time, benefitting more than 200 students.
One of the early recipients was acclaimed filmmaker Robert Connolly, who received the Kenneth Myer Fellowship in Producing in 1995. Connolly has gone on to have a stellar career, best known as the director and writer of Paper Planes, Balibo and The Dry, and as the producer of Romulus, My Father and The Boys.
At the studio dedication event on Friday 23 May, Connolly thanked Andrew Myer in a pre-recorded message, saying the Fellowship was the first time someone had financially invested in his career.
“Over the years, Andy, I’ve watched the incredible work you’ve done supporting filmmakers through the fellowship and that impact has been huge. So many filmmakers have, like me, had a leg up from that support.”
More recent recipients have included leading Australian screen creatives including Catriona McKenzie, Genevieve Clay-Smith, Vanessa Gazy, John Harvey, Andrew Lee, and Ismail Khan, who spoke at Friday’s event.
In dedicating the Studio to the Myer family, AFTRS Chair, Rachel Perkins, said the Kenneth Myer Fellowship has become the engine that drives access and inclusion at AFTRS, allowing the School to meet its remit to ensure all people across Australia have access to world-leading training and education that allows students and the industry to thrive.
“The Myer family name, in so many aspects of Australian life, is synonymous with integrity, vision, entrepreneurism and, importantly, care for others. And so we are so honoured to carry this most distinguished name on our most significant sound stage,” she said.
“This studio is the high-water mark for our School, so it is fitting that this space carries the Myer name … and will be part of the School now for many, many years to come.”
Rachel Perkins, whose 1998 debut feature film Radiance was produced by Andrew Myer, said she knew first-hand how impactful scholarships at AFTRS could be.
“Scholarships are life changing,” she said. “I myself was a scholarship recipient 30 years ago. It enabled me to quit my job and come to the School and study full time. It was a pivotal moment in my career, and it really led me to where I am, standing right here on this stage today.”
Award-winning screenwriter and director Ismail Khan, a 2019/20 recipient of the Kenneth Myer Post Graduate Indigenous Scholarship, spoke at the event about his experience with the Master of Arts Screen in Directing at AFTRS.
Since graduating, Ismail has gone on to direct episodes of scripted television on shows like Barrumbi Kids, Heartbreak High and Bump, worked on development workshops for emerging talent at Netflix, and is now working on an interactive digital experience with the Museum of Contemporary Art.
Ismail said the scholarship allowed him to “put his head down” and work towards developing a story that he felt connected to and that other students would want to be involved in and would be committed to. “And cultivating that crew all started with the script, a script which I was able to conceive of and write over the proceeding six months thanks to the freedom from financial stress that the scholarship provided,” he said. “I knew I was going to have enough money for the second year of the master’s program and that I would be able to support my young family and focus on my craft while on my journey of growth at AFTRS.”
The Myer family began donating to AFTRS in 1987 with the Kenneth Myer Fellowship first established in 1988 for producing students. Ken and his wife Yasuko tragically died on 30 July 1992 in a float plane crash in Alaska. The A V Myer Fellowship in Digital Media was established in 1996 and then, in 2001, a personal donation by Andrew Myer further increased the scope and impact of the Fellowship.
Andrew Myer himself is one of Australia’s most accomplished producers, and has produced and executive produced 14 Australian films for cinema and television. Andrew was Chair and deputy-Chair of the Melbourne International Film Festival for 17 years, and provided strategic guidance and governance to the School as Deputy Chair of AFTRS from 1997 to 2001.
At the studio dedication ceremony, Andrew Myer thanked AFTRS for the recognition.
“It’s a thrill for Kerry and myself to be in this amazing space on this occasion and I am sure my father Ken would have been deeply honoured by this grand gesture on the part of this extraordinary film television and radio school,” he said.
“This place means a great deal to me and, in many ways, my career in the ‘business’ was shaped by the talented people I met and the experiences I had here.
“I am genuinely delighted and honoured and so pleased that so many have benefited from my father’s and my involvement with the school. I look forward to the next generation of talented film makers that will emerge.”
The Myer Studio is AFTRS’ largest sound stage, and part of a full suite of world-class industry-standard facilities the School makes available to its students, used in over 200 student productions made each year.