Film Victoria have released its 2006-2007 Annual Report, which illustrates that the state’s film, television, and digital media industry continues to experience significant growth and recognition as a national screen industry leader.
The last financial year saw an 8% increase in production expenditure for Victoria, with a minimum estimated total production spend of $144.9 million. According to Acting CEO, Jane Watson, 65% of this was leveraged through Film Victoria’s support programs.
‘We’ve worked hard to achieve significant growth on last year and I’m very pleased to see that local production has increased across all sectors during the year. The number of film and television productions increased and we saw an increase in long-form series television, aided by additional funding allocations, which is a positive sign for the local industry.
‘Local productions have proven their ability to engage diverse audiences. Significant support and recognition was shown for feature films such as Romulus, My Father, which achieved $2.4 million at the Australian box office, Boytown, which achieved over $3 million at the box office and Noise which remained in the Australian Top 20 Box Office for seven weeks. Telemovie series The King also fared extremely well attracting 500,000 viewers across Australia.’
Film Victoria’s incentives programs have brought $59 million worth of production to the state, through its success in attracting major overseas and interstate projects such as Where the Wild Things Are from acclaimed director Spike Jonze and Australian feature film The Tender Hook.
‘I think this is a strong indication that Victoria’s fast becoming a preferred filming destination and that our crews have exceptional skills and experience,’ said Ms Watson.
During the past year, filmmakers and provincial communities alike received further benefits from Film Victoria’s Location Victoria initiative. Location Victoria is a coordinated approach to filming, increasing the promotion of provincial Victoria to filmmakers nationally and around the world and confirming Film Victoria’s commitment to providing strong, strategic leadership for the industry.
‘We’ve also taken a proactive step in recognising the important role digital media plays in the screen industry. We revised our Industry Development and Investment guidelines to reflect the growing digital media industry and the significant contribution it makes to the broader screen industry. These changes will ensure that Victorian practitioners maintain a strong marketplace advantage,’ said Ms. Watson.
The 2006-2007 Film Victoria Annual report documents the following highlights:
– $59 million worth of production attracted to the state
– 20 drama features filmed in Victoria, of which 91% of the value was leveraged through Film Victoria
– 18 television projects produced, of which 45% of the value was leveraged through Film Victoria
– 4347 full time equivalent (FTE) job opportunities generated through industry activity, 65% of those leveraged through Film Victoria
– Curtin achieves over 1 million viewers on ABC-TV
– Academy Award nomination for Victorian-producer of The Saviour
The Film Victoria 2006-2007 Annual Report is now available online at http://www.film.vic.gov.au/
[release from Solid Ink Communications]