Amanda Duthie

Amanda Duthie
Born Scotland
Occupation Festival director
Language English
Nationality Australian
Years active 1991 - present

Amanda Duthie is the Scottish-born[1] Australian CEO and director of the Adelaide Film Festival. In addition, she curates and manages the Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund, sits on the Board of Adelaide Festival, Committee for Adelaide, and Festivals Adelaide, and on the Advisory Board, ARC Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions, University of Western Australia.[2]

Career

Duthie began her career at SBS in 1991.[3] She worked as the "one inch tape girl" in the SBS Tape Library. It was a temp job, but she fell in love with TV production and started to work her way through the ranks, from production to producer level. She did a lot of unpaid work to gain as much experience as possible. Production budgets at SBS were always low and she learned to make do with what they had. The Movie Show with Margaret and David introduced her to a range of movies beyond Hollywood. Working on programs, such as Eat Carpet, introduced her to the world of experimental filmmaking and the first works of major film-makers.[1]

She remained at SBS until 1999, when she moved to become associate producer of the PBS-BBC-ABC co-production Australia: Beyond the Fatal Shore.[4] She then joined the New South Wales Film and Television Office (later Screen NSW) as senior project manager.[3]

In December 2003,[3] Duthie joined ABC Television, where, as Head of Comedy, Arts and Entertainment, she commissioned TV series, documentaries and other television programming.[5] Programs broadcast during her stewardship at the ABC include Spicks & Specks, The Gruen Transfer and Gruen Planet, Judith Lucy’s Spiritual Journey, Adam Hills in Gordon Street Tonight, and The Chaser’s The Hamster Wheel. Her arts programming slate included Artscape, At the Movies, First Tuesday Book Club, an ongoing series of ABC Live concerts, and The Bazura Project.[3]

She remained at the ABC for eight years,[6] leaving in December 2011 to join the Adelaide Film Festival as CEO and director.

Adelaide Film Festival

The inaugural Adelaide Film Festival director had been Katrina Sedgwick, who held the position from 2002 to 2012. She resigned to pursue other opportunities and ended up as ABC television’s Head of Arts, Amanda Duthie's previous position (the two women had effectively swapped jobs).[7][8]

Duthie started as Adelaide Film Festival CEO and director in February 2012.[3] Her first Festival was in October 2013. She will present her second Adelaide Film Festival as director from 15–25 October 2015.

Controversy

In June 2009, one of "her" shows, The Chaser's War on Everything, broadcast the infamous Make a Realistic Wish Foundation skit, which led to complaints and criticism.[3] As a result, Duthie had her responsibility for Comedy removed,[9] but remained the Head of Arts & Entertainment, a punishment characterised by one commentator as “being whipped with a bit of limp lettuce”.[10] ABC Managing Director Mark Scott explained the situation this way:

“ “The segment should not have been broadcast. We recognise that it caused unnecessary and unreasonable hurt and offence to our viewers and the broader community and we have apologised for this. We have determined this was not a breakdown in our Editorial Policy processes but rather an error of judgement.”

Mr Scott said the processes are clear and amply set out in the ABC’s Editorial Policies. “Where staff are concerned about the potential for satirical material to cause harm they should refer the matter to the next level of management. In this instance, the Head of Arts, Entertainment and Comedy reviewed the segment and did not refer it up. This was an error of judgement.[10]

 ”

The Chaser team expressed disappointment at the demotion, saying Ms Duthie had been treated harshly.[11][12] Glenn Dyer at Crikey described the business as "something close to farce."[10]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Adelaide Screenwriter (6 July 2012) Interview with Amanda Duthie. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  2. ↑ Official website, Adelaide Film Festival Amanda Duthie. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Swift, Brendan (8 December 2011). "Amanda Duthie to lead BigPond Adelaide Film Festival". IF.com. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  4. ↑ PBS Television Credits: Australia: beyond the fatal shore. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  5. ↑ SBS (8 December 2011) Amanda Duthie to head Adelaide Film Festival. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  6. ↑ George, Sandy (7 December 2011). "Amanda Duthie to head Adelaide Film Festival". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  7. ↑ Allington, Patrick (1 August 2013). "Amanda Duthie and Sophie Black". The Adelaide Review. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  8. ↑ The Australian (nd) Amanda Duthie. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  9. ↑ Sobolewski, Helene (8 December 2011). "Duthie in lead role for film gala". The Advertiser. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  10. 1 2 3 Dyer, Glenn (11 June 2009). "The fall of Ms Duthie resolves little at the ABC". Crikey. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  11. ↑ The News (10 June 2009) ABC comedy Amanda Duthie boss demoted. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  12. ↑ Nicholson, Brendan (11 June 2009). "Chaser skit claims ABC head of comedy". The Age. Retrieved 16 February 2015.

External links

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