WA filmmakers to benefit from ScreenWest-ABC partnership

Funding of $3million will be available to Western Australian filmmakers in the next round of the ScreenWest and ABC TV Matched Primetime Television Production Fund.

Culture and the Arts Minister John Day said the fund had achieved significant employment and economic benefits for WA since its launch in 2008.

"In the past two financial years, more than $21million worth of production has been financed through the fund, from an initial State Government investment of $2.7million," Mr Day said.

"The fund has resulted in many successful projects, including the acclaimed feature film 'Bran Nue Dae' and the two-time Emmy Award-nominated documentary 'Surviving Mumbai'.

"These two projects recently received a combined total of 10 nominations for the 2010 Australian Film Institute (AFI) Awards, which is a great achievement."

ScreenWest and ABC TV have each committed $1.5million towards the fund to finance productions in 2011.

ABC Director of Television, Kim Dalton, said he expected to see another batch of high-quality WA projects for broadcast in primetime.

"WA filmmakers have great stories to tell and this latest round of funding will support their creativity," Mr Dalton said.

"This fund is another example of the strong partnership that exists between the ABC and ScreenWest."

Nine projects previously financed through the fund will be broadcast on ABC in the next 12 months, including the feature documentary 'Jandamarra's War'.

More information on the ScreenWest and ABC TV Matched Primetime Television Production Fund is at http://www.screenwest.wa.gov.au