Australian Film, Television and Radio School

The Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS) is Australia's national screen arts and broadcast school . The school is an Australian Commonwealth government statutory authority. It is a member of the "Australian Roundtable for Arts Training Excellence".

AFTRS focus is to advance the success of Australia's screen arts and broadcast industries by developing the skills and knowledge of talented individuals and undertaking research.

History

Established in 1972 as part of the Commonwealth Government's strategy to promote the development of Australia's cultural activity, AFTRS was opened to students in 1973 with the first intake of 12 students including directors Gillian Armstrong, Phillip Noyce and Chris Noonan.

In 1973 Jerzy Toeplitz was appointed Foundation Director of the School and after six years in the role, was awarded the Order of Australia and the AFI's Raymond Longford Award.

In 1975 Gough Whitlam helped to create funding agencies to support the film school.