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Recent examples include: How can locals get involved?
• Taste of the Tropics showcasing the unique cuisine, cultures and SQ manages crew, supplier and locations databases via our website.
communities of North and Far North Queensland Location Managers on productions often reach out to local residents about
• Authentic NQ which will support three local First Nations producers the potential to use their home or business for a film shoot. Residents or
to create microfilms (3–5 mins) for the ABC focused on local leaders businesses can add their details at any time - just go to SQ website. (Make
and identities from their communities. it in QLD> Locations Database>Submit to database)
Screen Culture funding also supports local film festivals like the recent What are your initiatives for developing and encouraging diversity and
Port Shorts in Port Douglas and popular industry events like the AIDC Indigenous talent?
Regionality Cairns conference on factual production. Screen Queensland is deeply committed to uplifting the voices of
With facilities in Brisbane and Gold Coast why open another facility in Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples and increasing
Cairns? diversity on and off screen. We are currently undertaking community
Our state’s screen production industry continues to grow each year driven consultation to inform our forthcoming Aboriginal and Torres Strait
by local, interstate and international productions that choose Queensland Islander program.
as a filmmaking destination. Clearly SQ’s Production Attraction Incentives There is no doubt FNQ will be an important region for this program.
help entice some of the world’s biggest filmmakers here, but this is SQ recently partnered with Kolperi Outback Filmmaking to deliver our
matched by the reputation of our incredible crews, stunning locations and Film Intensive Script to Screen program, with a number of places in the
our first-rate studio facilities and services. The Screen Queensland Studios program being offered to emerging First Nations screen practitioners.
Cairns facility will grow the sector in Far North Queensland like never As a foundational member of the Sustainable Screen Australia (SSA)
before. how are you managing to integrate this into SQ’s practices?
With your vast experience across multiple Australian broadcasters and SQ is passionate about drawing on best practice experience and
production companies, what do you feel about the potential of SQ in knowledge to lead the industry in the transition to more sustainable
Cairns? business and production practices. We are committed to the development
The new studio will encourage more film and TV crews to come more of an organisational Environmental Sustainability Roadmap and are a
often, stay longer and spend more, while also taking advantage of the proud Foundational Member of Sustainable Screen Australia.
unique locations in the region. Leading environmental consultants Edge Environment have been engaged
Filmmakers are becoming increasingly interested in shooting in North to work with SQ in developing and launching a strategy to monitor and
and Far North Queensland and establishing a studio in the region will control the emissions footprint of SQ.
encourage more films and series to be made locally, while adding weather Just recently SQ partnered with Fremantle Australia in offering a
dependency for productions. pioneering Environmental Steward Internship program on the set of
Screen Queensland also offers generous incentives to lure interstate and Network 10 and Nickelodeon youth series, Rock Island Mysteries - now
international filmmakers to Queensland, as well as investing in our local filming season 2 on the Gold Coast.
screen stories and screen practitioners. The recipient of this internship, filmmaker Zachary Lurje, is working on
Additionally, we’re mindful that such sophisticated infrastructure enables the production to assist in actioning environmental protocols. This will
a natural hub for local crew and services to exchange information, consider environmental impacts of electricity, fuel consumption and
knowledge and ideas. Audiences here and around the world have loved general waste and disposal (costumes, sets, props etc). This is the first
seeing Queensland on screen. collaboration ever of this kind in Australia, specifically to minimise the
ecological footprint of screen production.

56 Port Douglas Magazine & Travel Planner