MUMBAI: Australian filmmaker James Ricketson has moved the country‘s Supreme Court against Screen Australia. He claims that Screen Australia has not provided any good reason of banning him from talking to the funding body which he did in May.
Ricketson wants the film body to produce documents that show how he has "harassed, intimidated or placed staff at risk".
Ricketson, who is suing for $1 in compensation, believes he has done nothing wrong.
The three claims made by Ricketson in his legal documents allege: On or about 12 November 2010, Fiona Cameron, COO of Screen Australia showed other staff at Screen Australia a letter which suggests that the plaintiff came away from a meeting with senior executives at Screen Australia believing that he had been successful in engaging in an action that was in contravention of Screen Australia guidelines, procedures and protocols and hence corrupt. Some time prior to 10 May this year, Ms Ruth Harley, Chief Executive of Screen Australia, presented documents to the Screen Australia Board which contained untrue statements damaging to the plaintiff‘s reputation as a film producer. These documents led the Board of Screen Australia to ban the plaintiff from having any further dealings with Screen Australia and Ms Harley.
In the case of both Ms Cameron‘s and Ms Harley‘s assertions, the plaintiff has requested that he be provided with copies of the correspondence referred to in their respective letter of 12 November 2010 and 10 May 2012. His requests have been ignored. The plaintiff denies the existence of the correspondence referred to.
Ricketson is about to travel to Cambodia to film the latest installment of Chanti‘s World, a documentary he has been making for 17 years about a girl growing up in Phnom Penh.
In the filmmaker has been campaigning against Screen Australia for what he claims was unfairly declining to fund this project.
However, Screen Australia rejects this claim.