Business
7 May, 2024
Lights, camera, action
THE opening of new $12.6 million Screen Queensland Studios in Cairns paves the way for more film productions in the Far North.
The complex, in the old Bunnings building at 11 Plath Cl, Portsmith, includes a 1070sq m sound stage, production offices, editing suites, sound recording studio, construction, carpentry and wardrobe facilities and event spaces.
Screen Queensland chief executive Jacqui Feeney said the new studio catered to a demand for more FNQ stories.
“Cairns was missing the infrastructure for this industry and now it has it and it’s world-class,” she said.
“All studios take time to grow and find their client base but we’re up and running now and have one production here already, which is Aussie Shore that’s filming on location and in the studio, so it’s the beginning.
“We have projects interested in coming to Cairns, so we’ll keep you up to date, but what we’re looking for is more Queensland stories, Queensland starring as itself in film and TV.
“We’re very proud of shows like Black Snow and Boy Swallows Universe and that’s one thing that Screen Queensland is interested in doing, backing more Queensland stories.”
Member for Mulgrave Curtis Pitt and advocate and promoter of the Cairns project said it was exciting to see the Far North on track to become one of Australia’s biggest film hubs.
“Cairns and FNQ have some of the best natural assets in the world, their locations have always been big business when it comes to film and television but that was never enough when we needed the infrastructure,” he said.
“It’s been a six-year journey but we have delivered a facility that’s world-class. The flow and effects of this in the economy will be more nights at hotels, people involved in transportation and security and the list goes on, to keep diversifying FNQ’s economy.”
Arts Minister Leeanne Enoch said “the potential for super-charging Far North Queensland’s reputation as an emerging screen industry powerhouse is enormous”.
