Western Australia announces new film fund
Western Australia has announced a new A$16m film fund scheduled for launch in July this year that’s partly designed to boost international interest in the state.
By Nick Goundry 9 May 2016
Western Australia has announced a new A$16m film fund scheduled for launch in July this year that’s partly designed to boost international interest in the state.
Regional funding and development agency ScreenWest confirmed to KFTV that the new fund is likely to be invested over three or four years and that per-production payments will not be capped. The money is being made available to feature films, high-end TV shoots and documentaries.
“ScreenWest will administer the fund, in partnership with the regions, and will market the great locations of Western Australia nationally and overseas to encourage film, TV and documentary producers to bring their projects here,” said Ian Booth, chief executive of ScreenWest, which will administer the fund.
“In turn, we will be promoting local infrastructure capabilities, services and co-production opportunities.”
Western Australia offers distinctive filming locations and production support is in fact already available through ScreenWest. The state lacks major studios and existing financial support is limited to A$800,000 per production, so shoots in recent years have largely been domestic projects like surfing drama Drift (pictured).
Australia’s international production profile has risen in the last couple of years. This has been partly because of a federal filming incentive programme that includes a 16.5% Location Offset and a separate system of formalised one-off payments for the biggest Hollywood shoots.
Production remains focussed on Sydney and Gold Coast in the east, which offer the major studio facilities. Recent Hollywood productions have included earthquake drama San Andreas and Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, while Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok is scheduled to film in Queensland.
For more on filming in Australia see our production guide.
“ScreenWest will administer the fund, in partnership with the regions, and will market the great locations of Western Australia nationally and overseas to encourage film, TV and documentary producers to bring their projects here,” said Ian Booth, chief executive of ScreenWest, which will administer the fund.
“In turn, we will be promoting local infrastructure capabilities, services and co-production opportunities.”
Western Australia offers distinctive filming locations and production support is in fact already available through ScreenWest. The state lacks major studios and existing financial support is limited to A$800,000 per production, so shoots in recent years have largely been domestic projects like surfing drama Drift (pictured).
Australia’s international production profile has risen in the last couple of years. This has been partly because of a federal filming incentive programme that includes a 16.5% Location Offset and a separate system of formalised one-off payments for the biggest Hollywood shoots.
Production remains focussed on Sydney and Gold Coast in the east, which offer the major studio facilities. Recent Hollywood productions have included earthquake drama San Andreas and Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, while Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok is scheduled to film in Queensland.
For more on filming in Australia see our production guide.
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