FILM INDUSTRY – AUSTRALIA

The race for Sydney’s second film studio

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Original article by Michael Bailey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 18-Jun-25

The NSW government’s decision to contribute $100m to the construction of a new film studio in Sydney has been welcomed by Zareh Nalbandian, the founder of animation studio Animal Logic. He says the existing Disney Studios at Moore Park – which was formerly called Fox Studios Australia – is great, but Disney has priority in using its nine sound stages. The government has yet to open a formal tender process for the new film studios, although three private consortiums are said to be serious bidders. Nalbandian produced the first two Peter Rabbit films in Sydney, but warns that the third one in the series may have to be made elsewhere unless he has access to a film studio.

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ANIMAL LOGIC PTY LTD. DISNEY STUDIOS AUSTRALIA

Trump tariffs a loony move for global film industry, says veteran director

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Original article by Helen Trinca
The Australian – Page: 6 : 8-May-25

Veteran Australian film director and producer Bruce Beresford has expressed concern about the potential impact of the Trump administration’s proposed for a tariff of 100 per cent on foreign-made films. He argues that Hollywood studios might simply not make a film if they do not have access to the subsidies provided by the federal government to attract international films to Australia. Beresford adds that some Australian films would struggle to obtain financing, as many of them are made with US investment.

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Trump tariff threat kick in the guts for local film industry

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Original article by Mackenzie Scott, Paul Garvey
The Australian – Page: 2 : 7-May-25

Queensland’s Arts Minister John-Paul Langbroek has urged the federal government to protect the state’s economic investment in local film production. The state’s film industry generated a return of $525m in 2023-24 and created 4,000 direct jobs, including at the Gold Coast production studio. Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate says US President Donald Trump’s proposed 100 per cent tariff on all movies ‘produced in foreign lands’ is a "kick in the guts" for the region’s film industry. However, a White House spokesman has indicated that a final decision has not been made regarding tariffs on foreign-made films.

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ARTS QUEENSLAND, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

Director says film industry is in peril

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Original article by Geordie Gray
The Australian – Page: 7 : 8-Oct-24

Noted film director Phillip Noyce has expressed concern about the state of the Australian film industry, saying that many young directors have to leave Australia in order to earn a reasonable living. His comments are part of a push by the Australian Screen Directors Authorship Collecting Society for reforms that would give directors greater control over their works to the extent that they would get access to secondary revenue streams such as royalties from online platforms; currently, Australian film directors only get royalties from broadcast television.

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AUSTRALIAN SCREEN DIRECTORS AUTHORSHIP COLLECTING SOCIETY

Drama still booming Down Under, but a downturn could be coming

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Original article by Karl Quinn
The Age – Page: Online : 2-Nov-23

Data from Screen Australia highlights the continued strength of the nation’s television and film industry. The annual Drama Report shows that a total of $2.34bn was spent on the production of local and international scripted content in 2022-23; this includes broadcast television, streaming and video-on-demand content, as well as theatrical feature films. It is slightly down on the $2.43bn spent in 2021-22, although it is still the second-highest figure on record. Foreign film and TV productions accounted for $1.22bn of the expenditure in 2022-23.

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SCREEN AUSTRALIA

Slow-motion tax reform threatens film industry

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Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 24-Nov-21

Australia’s film and television industry is lobbying the federal government to increase the producer offset rate before parliament rises for the year. The offset was slated to rise from 20 per cent to 30 per cent from 1 July, and the industry has warned that some $400m worth of spending in the sector will be at risk if the legislation is not passed. Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young has accused the government of attempting to "play political games" with the legislation, and called for it to be put before the Senate immediately.

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AUSTRALIAN GREENS

Netflix, Apple and Stan could be required to boost Australian content

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Original article by Anne Davies
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 11-Jun-20

Expanding local content rules to include subscription video-on-demand services is among the options canvassed in a report that was released by the Australian Communications & Media Authority and Screen Australia prior to the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. Although local player Stan has invested in local content, SVOD providers are currently under no obligation to do so. An alternative to directly investing in the production of local content may be for streaming services to contribute to a fund that would support local production.

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AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA AUTHORITY, SCREEN AUSTRALIA, STAN ENTERTAINMENT PTY LTD, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, APPLE INCORPORATED, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED

Federal Court orders fresh batch of pirate sites blocked

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 18-Jun-19

Village Roadshow CEO Graham Burke has described a Federal Court ruling that 76 copyright infringing websites be blocked by telcos as a victory for both Village Roadshow and the broader Australian film community. Site-blocking laws aimed at stamping out copyright piracy were passed in 2015, and Burke notes that almost 1,000 pirate websites and domains have now been blocked. He also notes Australians are now backing the push against piracy, with research indicating that three out of four people view it as theft.

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VILLAGE ROADSHOW LIMITED – ASX VRL, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, VOCUS GROUP LIMITED – ASX VOC

Village halts plans for more Topgolf centres

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 17-Jan-19

Village Roadshow is believed to have put the rollout of its Topgolf venture on hold. Village Roadshow opened the first of eight propose Topgolf venues in mid-2018, but the company is said to have halted the rollout until the performance of the Gold Coast venue can be ascertained. Meanwhile, Village Roadshow’s deputy chairman John Kirby is pushing for asset sales and the removal of executive chairman Robert Kirby and CEO Graham Burke.

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VILLAGE ROADSHOW LIMITED – ASX VRL, TOPGOLF, WET `N’ WILD WATER PARK, K CAPITAL PTY LTD, ARNOLD BLOCH LEIBLER

Film, TV aim to build on record year

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Original article by Max Mason
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 30-Oct-18

Australia’s film and TV industry spend a record $718m on local productions in 2017-18, which is seven per cent higher than previously. Spending on feature films rose from $287m to $321m, although spending on TV dramas fell from $321m to $295m. However, Screen Australia’s COO Michael Brealey notes that expenditure on drama remained above its five-year average. Local film and TV production is forecast to remain strong in 2018-19, while Screen Australia expects the federal government’s location incentive program to boost the number of international productions.

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SCREEN AUSTRALIA, VILLAGE ROADSHOW LIMITED – ASX VRL, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, TEN NETWORK HOLDINGS LIMITED