Film industry backs SA to host more blockbusters on the back of $400m incentive
SA’s become one of the first places in world to restart film and TV production – and with a new $400m incentive and the Mortal Kombat film, the local industry is primed for more blockbusters.
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The local film industry expects South Australia to lure more blockbuster film and TV productions on the back of a new $400 million incentive program.
Details of the scheme were confirmed by Scott Morrison on Friday, effectively boosting the existing location offset from 16.5 per cent to 30 per cent for big-budget international productions that film in Australia.
South Australian Film Corporation chief executive Kate Croser said South Australia was one of the first places in the world to restart new screen production, making it an attractive location for major production projects.
“We know there is significant amount of footloose production around the world looking for a new home, estimated by Ausfilm to be worth more than $900 million, and South Australia is perfectly positioned to attract it to our state,” she said.
“This extension of the federal location incentive program will greatly assist South Australia to bid for that production and position our screen sector strongly to contribute to the economic recovery of our state post-COVID.”
The federal government claims the new boosted incentive will create about 8000 jobs each year over the next seven years, and attract $3 billion of foreign expenditure into Australia.
Tony Clark, who heads up local visual effects company Rising Sun Pictures, said the state’s management of the COVID pandemic provided a platform to “supercharge” activity in local production.
“The location offset has been uncompetitive globally, and movie studios move around the world based on incentives and exchange rates,” he said.
“Mortal Kombat has shown that we have the ability to undertake projects of scale, it has really put us on the map, and you will now see more films coming to South Australia.
“I know one producer who has a large international series who wants to come here, and there are multiple other projects looking to come to South Australia under this type of scheme.”
Skills Minister David Pisoni said Mortal Kombat – the state’s biggest ever screen production – demonstrated the ability of the state to deliver blockbuster projects.
“Mortal Kombat has provided a strong pipeline of work through the entire SA screen sector, including significant work for our world class post production, digital and visual effect companies,” he said.
“With South Australia one of the safest places in the world right now, and one of the first places in the world to resume production, the state is ideally placed to take a slice of this new fund in the post-COVID recovery.”
Opposition arts spokeswoman Jayne Stinson urged the State Government to fight for the state’s fair share of incentive dollars.
“Considering SA’s low COVID-19 infection rate and the work done by former Labor governments to establish world-class filming facilities in Adelaide, SA should attract significantly more than it’s population share of the $400 million up for grabs,” she said.