Mercury CX, formerly Media Resource Centre (MRC), is a not-for-profit film and television training organisation based in the Lion Arts Centre on the corner of Morphett Street and North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia, which aims to give screening opportunities to emerging South Australian film, video and digital media artists.
The Media Resource Centre was established in 1974 and is one of the earliest members of the Screen Development Australia (SDA) national network.
It moved from its first location at 1 Union Street to a larger location in Pirie Street in the 1980s, where it provided a venue to screen local filmmakers' works as well as other independent, community or hard-to-find international films; it also provided equipment space for filmmakers to work on their projects and network with others.
In 2022 the South Australian Government refused a request for $700,000 to $1.2 million in annual funding, but months later offered $50,000 to help the organisation find a way to keep afloat.
A new board started its term on 1 December, led by former South Australian Film Corporation chair Peter Hanlon and producer Kirsty Stark, and including producers Lisa Scott of Highview Productions and Rebecca Summerton of Closer Productions.
[10] The offices are located in the Lion Arts Centre on the corner of Morphett Street and North Terrace, Adelaide.
[16][17] The Screen Makers Conference is an annual national conference hosted by the MRC since 2014, and aims to "[bring] together Australia’s writers, directors, producers and other screen creatives to share knowledge, connect with the industry, and pitch projects to the national marketplace".
[19] In 2018 the Conference attracted over 200 delegates, including Screen Australia CEO Graeme Mason and Kingston Anderson from the Australian Directors' Guild, independent filmmaker and educator Cathy Henkel, Rowan Woods, currently head of directing at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School, senior managers from several major national TV companies as well as the government-owned broadcasters, the ABC and SBS.
[19] In 2019 it expanded to three days, partnered with television production company Screentime and also included video games in its remit.