/Press 18.10.19

AUSFILM CELEBRATES THE FEDERAL & VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT’S SUPPORT OF TWO NEW FEATURE FILMS FROM DICK COOK STUDIOS

AUSFILM CELEBRATES THE FEDERAL & VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT’S SUPPORT OF TWO NEW FEATURE FILMS FROM DICK COOK STUDIOS

The Federal Government and Victorian State Government have once again partnered to secure two international productions out of the U.S. from Dick Cook Studios. This takes the number of international productions attracted to Australia to ten, in the 15 months since the introduction of the Australian Government’s AU$140 million Location Incentive.

Kate Marks, CEO of Ausfilm, Australia’s leading film and TV industry services association, said “Ausfilm and its membership of screen businesses welcomes the attraction of these two additional projects,”

The projects are Ranger’s Apprentice, based on the best-selling book series by Australian author John Flanagan and The Alchemyst, the first book in the six novel series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by famed Irish author Michael Scott. These productions will inject AU$280million into Victoria and Australia and are estimated to employ around 4,500 cast and crew. Each film will utilise the services of approximately 800 local businesses.

“The unwavering support of the Australian Government through Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, the Hon. Paul Fletcher MP and his Department means Australia is uniquely positioned to be a successful world-leading production destination in a very competitive global screen attraction business,” 

“On the back of the introduction of the Australian Government’s Location Incentive (which bolsters the existing Location Offset) we are seeing significant direct foreign investment into Australia. This demonstrates that competitive screen tax offsets are an effective way of creating Australian jobs and growing the screen industry.”

The Ausfilm Los Angeles office worked closely with Dick Cook Studios and Film Victoria to secure the two projects through its promotion of Australia as a world-class production destination.

Marks concludes saying “Around the world we are seeing a shortage of studio space, paired with increased demand in content production out of the U.S. and China, it is an astute and timely decision by the Victorian Government to expand and build a super stage within Docklands Studios Melbourne.”

Australia’s screen industry is experiencing unprecedented growth thanks to the Federal Government’s Location Offset and Location Incentive combined with support from state and territory governments across Australia. 

In production in Victoria now is Paramount Television and Anonymous Content’s 10-part TV adaptation of Gregory David Roberts’ novel Shantaram followed by 8-part TV series Clickbaitfrom Matchbox Pictures, Tony Ayres Productions and UK’s Heyday Television for Netflix and NBCUniversal.

Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is in pre-production at Fox Studios Australia in NSW and will be rolling its crew into the fourth instalment of the popular mythic hero – Thor: Love & Thunder. 

In Queensland, the Warner Bros.’ Elvis biopic is in pre-production. Paramount Pictures’ feature Monster Problems and ABC America’s TV series Reef Break wrapped in the state earlier this year.

Season 4 of Sony Television’s Preacher wrapped in Melbourne also earlier this year and Adelaide is hosting Warner Bros.’ Mortal Kombat filming across South Australia.

Season 4 of Sony Television’s Preacher wrapped in Melbourne also earlier this year and Adelaide is hosting Warner Bros. Mortal Kombat filming across South Australia.

Read the joint media release from Minister Fletcher and Minister Foley here.