Screen NSW Funds Put New TV Series into Production

NSW Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Hospitality, Racing and the Arts George Souris has
announced that recent investments by the Screen NSW Production Fund will soon support
production of five new TV series and an original movie in the state.

A new television series from the producers of ‘Underbelly’ and ‘Crownies’ will be made in NSW, the Minister said at the annual Screen Producers Association of Australia Conference in Sydney on 14 November. “‘Bikie Wars: Brothers in Arms’ will shoot in Sydney later this year. The series, centring on the 1984 Milperra bikie massacre, will be made with funding received through the Screen NSW Production Fund.”
Referring also to four factual series and a feature film scheduled for production in NSW, he said, “A total of $585,000 is being invested in these six productions, which are expected to contribute $10.7 million to the NSW economy in direct production expenditure. In addition to the Production Investment Fund, Screen NSW has also granted $180,000 across six projects to the latest recipients of its Emerging Filmmakers Fund. This program funds the production of short films, often a critical step in the career development of our state’s filmmakers. “Since 1996 more than $3 million in support has been granted to 136 NSW film crews and their projects. Their films have been viewed in more than 1000 local and international festival screenings, including Cannes, Los Angeles, Berlin, London, Tokyo, New York, and Barcelona, and have received over 200 awards and nominations,” Mr Souris continued. “This year alone, EFF films have screened in almost 60 festivals worldwide.” George Souris further announced that Screen NSW has appointed a panel of service providers to deliver a screen production attraction, facilitation and local industry development service across regional NSW. The five Regional Screen Offices are Screen Illawarra South East, Screen Hunter Central Coast, Screen Central NSW & Western Sydney, Northern Rivers Screenworks and Film Broken Hill. “Regional Screen Offices play a critical role in ensuring regional NSW enjoys the cultural and economic benefits of screen production in our State,” Mr Souris said. “They also work with local, state and federal agencies to provide an invaluable resource for filmmakers looking to shoot in regional locations.” Mr Souris also highlighted the NSW Government’s support of film industry related events including the SPAA Conference. “Listed alongside the SPAA Conference on the NSW Events Calendar, developed by Destination NSW, are the ACCTA Awards, Sydney Film Festival, Movie Extra Tropfest, Dungog Film Festival and the IF Awards,” Mr Souris said. “The NSW Government through Destination NSW is committed to a creative industries strategy that ensures we are recognised globally as world leaders of creativity and innovation. “Through our State screen agency, Screen NSW, we continue to invest in the development and production of local projects. This financial year to date, $2.25 million has been invested in 14 screen projects, which will generate $33.94 million expenditure in NSW over the coming months.” Among the factual series to receive Screen NSW Production Fund investment are the second series of ‘Family Confidential’ about the lives of some of Australia's most significant and influential families, ‘Go Back to Where You Came From’ challenging preconceived ideas about refugees and asylum seekers, and ‘Life at 7’ continuing the stories of 11 children in a longitudinal study on child development in Australia. ‘ReKindling Venus’ is a new feature project by artist Lynette Wallworth, an immersive 26-minute work for full-dome theatres aiming to connect people around the globe to the complex beauty of coral reefs and the potential for us to lose them in this lifetime. All other funded productions are listed at www.screen.nsw.gov.au