When it comes to surprising twists, the Cook Government’s announcement of the official name and operators of its much-ballyhooed Perth film studio project is hardly in the same league as The Sixth Sense.
Arts Minister David Templeman revealed to The Sunday Times the State’s first major screen production facility, currently being built in Malaga and scheduled to open in 2026, will be formally known as the Perth Film Studios.
The Minister also confirmed the operator of the $233.5 million facility for the first 10 years will be the Home Fire consortium, which has been involved from the beginning of the project through the Government’s market-led proposal process and includes prominent WA developer Adrian Fini.
“Perth is a brand name, there’s no doubt about it, so when people are seeking to make films or make series or whatever it might be in the future . . . we want to make sure that they know that this place Perth is in Western Australia and Western Australia has all this stuff to offer,” Mr Templeman said.
After a failed first attempt to build the studio at Fremantle’s Victoria Quay, as per a star-studded, $100m announcement by former Premier Mark McGowan ahead of the 2021 State Election, the decision was made to relocate to 16-hectare site on Marshall Road as costs have more than doubled.
That put the facility closer to the airport, and the new Malaga Metronet station, and Mr Templeman said the studio, with four sound stages, a backlot, screening room, offices and workshops, was more future-proofed than established competitor facilities on the East Coast.
“We’re in the game now and we’re going to be very actively and competitively going out there looking for content to be developed here,” Mr Templeman said.
Mr Templeman said a “very rigorous” three-year process confirmed Home Fire was best suited to manage the facility, to be owned by the WA Arts and Culture Trust on behalf of the Government.
He also confirmed an additional $57m in funding to underpin operations for the first decade, repayable to the State.
Home Fire representative Howard Cearns, best known as co-founder of the Little Creatures Brewery, told The Sunday Times operating the studio was always on the consortium’s agenda.
“The pitch (to Government) was always (building and operating) together, because, as we’ve designed and built the studio with Adrian, and obviously architects and builders, we’ve learned a lot about how studios work and what’s required within them and what might be required in the future,” Mr Cearns said.
Mr Cearns said the creative side of the consortium includes former Screenwest CEO Ian Booth and leading WA film producer Jamie Hilton, and a global search for the studio’s inaugural chief executive will begin in the “next couple of months”.
Home Fire and the Cook Government make no secret of chasing interstate and international projects for the new studio, and acknowledge this could bring challenges for the local industry, which is already dealing with a worker shortfall after a record year of screen productions in WA.
From Nicolas Cage in The Surfer, to Daisy Ridley in the zombie flick We Bury the Dead, and Sam Neill in Season 2 of The Twelve, the State has hosted a production boom.
Prospero Productions managing director Julia Redwood, an acclaimed WA producer of factual content, said she was optimistic about the studio and the jobs it will bring to the State.
“I also look forward to increased support by State Government for West Australian productions made by West Australians to ensure it is not just the Eastern States and Hollywood that benefits,” Ms Redwood said.