Wayne Pashley, audio wizard behind Australian blockbusters Mad Max: Fury Road, Elvis and The Great Gatsby applauded the government for committing to do what successive previous governments have failed to do despite repeated industry warnings.
“It is why so many craftspeople and companies are moving north,” he said. “Frankly there is nothing more urgent for NSW’s screen sector than the construction of soundstages where the industry is actually located. The irony is that we know US studios and producers are desperate to shoot in Sydney, but they can’t for want of soundstages. It’s a deeply frustrating economic own-goal.”
In a Christmas Eve message to the film sector on Friday, Screen NSW says recent market soundings and investigations confirmed the urgent need for additional production space, acknowledging reports Sydney is missing out on film productions.
The winning partner will be asked to deliver a film studio on government-owned land located within approximately 35 kilometres of the Sydney CBD, with strong connections to major road networks, and “key success factors identified by industry during previous market soundings”.
Submissions will be evaluated against the government’s objectives to strengthen capacity, attract international blockbusters, create local jobs, and ensure NSW remains the nation’s screen powerhouse, with development supported by a co-investment from the $100 million capital fund, it said.
Renders of Sydney Studios, proposed for green space next to Silverwater jail.Credit: Sydney Studios
The proposed criteria appeared to rule out government investment in separate film studio proposals for the Central Coast and at Oran Park, which lie outside the government’s 35-kilometre preferred zone.
Private consortium Distillery Capital wants to build eight state-of-the-art sound studios, co-located editing suites and rehearsal spaces, community green space and up to 500 affordable inner-city dwellings on disused railway yards at Redfern. The consortium of local filmmakers, architects and a construction giant have presented their informal proposal for North Eveleigh to the government.
University of Sydney vice chancellor Mark Scott sees the Eveleigh plans as a way to finally realise a long-desired bridge linking Australian Technology Park with Carriageworks and its surrounding Tech Central precinct while providing much-needed student accommodation.
The procurement process begins amid leadership change at Screen NSW, following the resignation of head Kyas Hepworth, ahead of the appointment of a new executive director She was the first First Nations woman to lead the agency.
