North and Far North Queensland screen businesses are now eligible to apply for up to $75,000 in funding from the Queensland Government.
Administered via Screen Queensland, NQ Enterprise is a $250,000 fund designed to support active screen businesses with a track record in production, post-production, production services, game development, or distribution.
Eligible screen businesses may wish to apply for assistance in hiring new team members, engaging expert consultants, purchasing equipment and infrastructure, investing in innovation, exploring new revenue streams, or executing marketing strategies.
Screen Queensland CEO Kylie Munnich said the new support package was a significant pillar of the North Queensland Regional Program, which focused on growing the local screen industry.
“The film, television, and games sectors are significant contributors to economic growth and employment in our state, engaging a number of businesses that not only create productions, but provide valuable services such as catering, legal, accountancy, transport, construction, and more,” she said.
“Our goal is to grow the north of the state as a hub of screen production and game development, and this fund will further enable screen businesses to expand, diversify and innovate, to support a robust production ecosystem in the region.”
Far North Queensland Screen Champion and Member for Mulgrave Curtis Pitt said the fund responded to the growing slate of high-profile productions being secured into the region.
“With Screen Queensland Studios: Cairns due to be operational by the end of 2022, supporting local screen businesses is how we are delivering a holistic strategy to attract more production, with a focus on building deep, long-term local capabilities in the industry.
“Far North Queensland has been the backdrop for such productions as the upcoming US series Irreverent, Netflix’s Puff: Wonders of the Reef, rom-com flick This Little Love of Mine, teen series Dive Club, and SBS/NITV food and culture show Strait to the Plate, which recently wrapped on season two.”
The NQ Enterprise follows SQ Enterprise initiative in 2020, recipients of which inlcuded Cairns-based cinematographers Biopixel, who were granted additional funds to purchase a cutting-edge Canon CINE-SERVO 50-1000mm ultra telephoto zoom lens.
Biopixel’s Hannah Robertson said that further to using the lens to expand their popular stock footage library, the technology had enabled the company to capture animal behavioural sequences for several blue-chip documentaries, safely and ethically from great distances.
“The Canon long lens achieves the long focal ranges needed to capture animals in their natural habitat, without compromising the optimal resolution performance,” she said.
“Screen Queensland’s support has been invaluable in surmounting this obstacle and with the lens available for hire through our ProCam Hire website, we are pleased to share this highly specialised piece of equipment with the local industry.”
Applications for the NQ Enterprise are open until May 6. Find out more information here.