Coalition supports Victorian film and television
Minister for Innovation, Services and Small Business Louise Asher today announced a bumper round of screen production investment, with a commitment of more than $3.1 million to 11 local television and feature film projects.
Ms Asher said the Victorian Coalition Government was committed to supporting the local production of Australian stories on screen, which bring significant economic benefits to the state and have the potential to attract local and international audiences.
"The 11 film and television projects receiving Film Victoria's Production Investment support are expected to spend around $50 million in Victoria and create more than 2,300 jobs," Ms Asher said.
"This represents a significant return on investment for the Victorian economy and in turn strengthens the local industry by providing many opportunities for local practitioners and small businesses, despite a challenging environment overall for the industry.
"Among the eight locally-made television projects receiving Coalition Government support are repeat series of three popular television series – Offspring, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and Twentysomething.
"Since December 2010, the Coalition Government has supported 74 film and television projects estimated to bring around $280 million in production expenditure to Victoria," Ms Asher said.
Film Victoria CEO Jenni Tosi said the diverse slate of film and TV projects supported in this round included documentary, fiction, children's television, long-form series and one-off telemovies, comedy, drama and historical fiction.
"We are delighted to start the 2012/13 financial year with a great round of Production Investment funding for such compelling projects. It reflects the significant activity taking place in Victoria's industry, particularly in the television sector, and the creative talent of our practitioners."
Screen projects supported by Film Victoria in 2011/12 leveraged production expenditure of $152.7 million for the state – an increase of 89 per cent on the previous year – and created 6,662 jobs for practitioners.
A full list of projects receiving Production Investment funding is attached.
