ABC Managing Director, David Anderson today announced a new screen production partnership with the South Australian Film Corporation.
The ABC SAFC Content Pipeline Fund is designed to strengthen the South Australian screen industry and deliver high-quality content to ABC TV and ABC iview. The SA Film Corporation will commit $5.2m over three years to an ABC-specific fund designed to boost screen industry development and job creation in South Australia.
Mr Anderson thanked South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas for partnering with the national broadcaster.
“We’re delighted that the South Australian Film Corporation is partnering with the ABC in this joint-initiative to generate exciting new South Australian-based projects for the ABC,’’ Mr Anderson said.
“The collaboration will provide South Australia with a pipeline of quality television production and deliver finance certainty over the three years.”
South Australia’s Premier, Peter Malinauskas said the partnership will boost the state economy and drive employment, with up to 460 jobs expected to be created across numerous screen productions.
“For more than fifty years, the South Australian Film Corporation has been telling our stories – putting South Australians in the spotlight, and ensuring our lives, culture and experiences are reflected to us at home, around the nation and overseas,” he said.
“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.”
As a key part of the partnership, projects will be developed and commissioned at a volume that delivers a pipeline of returnable screen content production in South Australia.
Jennifer Collins, the ABC’s A/Director of Entertainment & Specialist said:
“This initiative is about supporting Australian creatives telling distinctly Australian stories and we’re proud to back South Australia’s screen industry to build upon its past successes in producing world-class content across drama, narrative comedy, children’s and factual.”
“We’re excited to stimulate the South Australian screen industry with a matched development fund, together with the South Australian Film Corporation.
“We’re also in the early stages of planning an ABC Roadshow with our content commissioners and local producers in South Australia.”
South Australian Film Corporation CEO, Kate Croser says she’s thrilled South Australia will be a ‘home’ for ABC scripted production over the next three years.
“South Australia’s screen industry is poised to deliver exciting new South Australian based projects and high-quality content by South Australian creatives to ABC TV and ABC iview,” she said.
“The recent success of original ABC series from South Australia, Closer Productions’ Aftertaste, Epic Films and KOJO Studios’ First Day and now Windmill Theatre’s Beep and Mort, as well as SA filmed children’s series MaveriX, have paved the way for this consistent stream of production, and demonstrate the capacity of creativity to drive cultural and economic outcomes.”
The Content Pipeline Fund is set to start immediately, with a new series of the heart-warming children’s show Beep and Mort the first project to get underway. Combining live-action puppetry with post-animation, it follows the adventures of Beep a robot from the stars and Mort a cuddly creature from Mollyvale.
Beep and Mort is a Windmill pictures production for the ABC, with major production investment from Screen Australia.
ABC South Australian screen partnership
Media Release – ABC
TV Central ABC News – HERE
