International and Australian filmmakers have their eye on the state of Western Australia, thanks to plans for a sizeable film studio, generous financial incentive package and experienced crews.
State agency Screenwest works to promote, welcome and facilitate local and incoming productions filming in the region. When filmmakers arrive they can expect to find talented crew and craftspeople, varied locations spanning the Indian ocean, beaches, boab trees and otherworldly outback vistas, as well as cities, old and new.
Based in Perth, the capital of Western Australia (WA), Screenwest oversees a slew of financial mechanisms. These include the WA Regional Screen Fund and the WA Post-Production, Digital and Visual Effects Rebate. There is also the new ‘production attraction’ incentive, launched in late 2022. Tied to local expenditure, a fund valued at a$20m (us$14m) over four years is available, with the exact amount per project dependent on which projects at which size apply.
“Screenwest is looking for a project at a serious production level that boosts our economy, creates jobs and gives us some excellent leverage and outcomes internationally,” explains Chris Veerhuis, head of production at Screenwest.
“All filmmakers need to do to qualify is to have a minimum Western Australian expenditure of a$3.5m (us$2.4m).”
The incentive is structured as a rebate and is credited at the end of the shoot. It aims to top up budgets on both national and international projects looking to finalise their funding that are otherwise ready to go but “footloose, looking for a home”, as Veerhuis puts it.
The funding can also bolt on to Australia’s other state and federal funds. “Or you can just come to the state straight and receive a minimum of 10% of your WA expenditure,” Veerhuis says.
At the Berlinale, WA filmmaker Jub Clerc’s coming-of-age film Sweet As is screening in Generation Kplus, having premiered at Toronto International Film Festival in 2022. It is the story of a 15-year-old Indigenous girl named Murra (Shantae Barnes-Cowan) on a school road-trip with other troubled teens to escape and learn about herself and her identity.
Welcome boost
Clerc has been a part of the Screenwest ecosystem for several years; Sweet As received backing from its First Nations department and West Coast Visions, an initiative to develop first-time filmmakers in the state.
“Jub is the first Indigenous filmmaker to receive West Coast Visions’ support and her film was the first Western Australian Indigenous female-led feature film,” says Gabrielle Cole, Screenwest production attraction and services manager.
Screenwest and WA is proud of its strong connection to Indigenous culture. Every project with which the agency is involved undertakes a First Nations assessment. Aimed at recognising and respecting First Nations stories, storytellers and culture, it examines the proposed narrative, who is telling the story and whether they have the right to do so, as well as where filming takes place and with whom the filmmakers interact.
Screenwest also facilitates training and upskilling opportunities for local screen practitioners, and the WA Government has committed to building Perth’s first major studio facility, pencilled for completion in 2025.
Recent films to have been supported by Screenwest include Robert Connolly’s marine-life drama Blueback, co-written with Australian author Tim Winton from his novel of the same name for Arenamedia, Paul Goldman’s 1970s-set boxing drama Kid Snow for Melbourne’s Unicorn Films, and the third season of Bunya Productions’ and ABC’s Mystery Road: Origin.
Screenwest also hosted post-production on Ben Young’s US crime drama Devil’s Peak, starring Robin Wright and Billy Bob Thornton.
International filmmakers have increasingly fallen for the charms of WA and its eye-catching environs. “Travelling in from California, I wasn’t sure what we would find in WA. It seemed like uncharted territory for a film production,” says Tom Williams, executive producer of Simon Baker’s Breath, based on another Winton novel, which shot in 2016. “It quickly became clear this was one of the most collaborative and resourceful filming regions on the planet. It’s hard to imagine making Breath anywhere else.”
One quirk of shooting in WA of which producers should be aware is that no matter what time of day the cameras start rolling, breakfast will always be the first break — even on a night shoot — and lunch includes a dessert. “The first 15 minutes after lunch might be a bit slow,” says Veerhuis with a laugh.
Contact: filminwa@screenwest.com.au / +61 8 6169 2100
Find out more: screenwest.com.au
