New Australian stories will make the spotlight as the government invests $5.2 million into our local screen industry over the next three years.
The South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC) will partner with the ABC to provide South Australia with an ongoing pipeline of quality, Australian television production from early 2023.
“South Australia has been recognised globally as a powerhouse of film in recent years and we are seizing this opportunity to continue this proud legacy,” Minister for Arts Andrea Michaels says.
This partnership will be a significant driver of South Australian employment that’s expected to be created across numerous screen productions.
“Beyond the cultural benefits, this $5.2 million investment in our screen sector will deliver more than 400 production jobs and even more flow-on jobs right here in South Australia,” Premier Peter Malinauskas says.
The ABC SAFC Content Pipeline Fund will also drive engagement of local service companies and South Australian suppliers, create pathways for training and skills development, and create highly skilled work for the sector.
The partnership will also ensure South Australian stories are put front and centre.
“Our investment will see a pipeline of fantastic Australian television being produced here in South Australia to tell our stories to the world,” Michaels says.
The Government’s support includes a Matched Development Fund specifically for South Australian producers to support the development of new, homegrown SA programs for ABC creating opportunities for SA writers and directors.
The production pipeline is set to start immediately, with season two of SA made children’s series Beep and Mort from Adelaide’s Windmill Pictures the first to get underway.
A hit with both audiences and critics when it premiered in 2022, the South Australian made and owned original series was created, produced and post-produced entirely in South Australia. Season two is now in pre-production at the SAFC’s Adelaide Studios in Glenside.
Beep and Mort is the first studio program for children made in the state in more than a decade. It is expected to inject more than $9.2 million into the South Australian economy and create 125 South Australian jobs across cast, crew and creatives combined over its two seasons.
The Government’s investment in skilled jobs in the state’s screen industry is expected to deliver significant economic return.
For every four South Australian jobs within the screen sector, another three jobs are supported elsewhere in the economy.
South Australia has been a national leader in the screen industry since the SAFC was established in 1972 as the first screen agency in Australia under the leadership of Labor Premier Don Dunstan.
The creative industries are the lifeblood of South Australia and the stories they tell not only capture our imagination and allow us to experience life through someone else’s eyes, they are an important driver of employment and boosting South Australia’s economy.
To find out more you can head to the South Australian Film Association’s website here.
