On Tuesday, November 29, a busload of film and TV producers embarked on a tour of the Illawarra, travelling from the Helensburgh glowworm tunnel to South Nowra, with several stops along the way. All the visitors received swag bags packed with information about our region – including a copy of the latest Illawarra Flame magazine. Thanks to Screen Illawarra for this report
Screen Illawarra – with the support of the Illawarra councils of Wollongong, Shellharbour, Kiama and Shoalhaven – hosted a group of Sydney-based film and television producers on a familiarisation tour of the region on Tuesday, November 29.
The large increase of production in Australia, up from $700 million in 2018 to $2.29 billion in 2022, has seen the Illawarra recently hosting large-scale film and television productions, employing local cast and crew as well as injecting substantial funds into the local economies of the region.
“The significant increase in productions levels in Australia over the past three years and the favourable environment for international production to film in Australia has driven a greater interest in filming in the Illawarra,” noted Kingston Anderson, who is conducting a feasibility study on increasing production in the Illawarra funded by Wollongong City Council.
“The Illawarra has a great opportunity to increase production as we have seen with the recent productions of Planet of the Apes and Poker Face filming in the region. This familiarisation tour will help continue that momentum into the future.
“Our members often travel to Sydney, and beyond, for work, so it's hugely exciting to have this famil and showcase the Illawarra to industry, and provide local employment for our members in the future. Working collaboratively with the four councils on this first famil has been wonderful and we can present a unified front to industry with all facts of the filmmaking process from locations, to accommodation, catering, crew and all the ancillary services required to create screen content.
"We look forward to continuing familiarisation of our region with interested stakeholders and maintain consistent contact with industry both in NSW and beyond," said Nick Bolton, a board member of Screen Illawarra who organised the familiarisation tour of the region.
