NORTH and Far North Queensland are home to the southern hemisphere’s newest screen production hub with a $12.6 million Screen Queensland studio opening this week in Cairns.
Built inside a former warehouse-style retail store in Portsmith and supporting 300 construction jobs, Screen Queensland’s Cairns production hub features a 1,070 m2 sound stage, digital video editing suites and a sound recording studio.
The Cairns hub also has movie set construction and wardrobe spaces.
Four tenants have leased space in Screen Queensland’s Cairns complex including acclaimed First Nations production company Lone Star Productions, Platinum Talent Management, audio-video specialists Wallfly and camera suppliers Lemac Film & Digital.
The Queensland Government’s $12.6 million investment in the Cairns studio hub is backed by an extra $8 million over six years in operating costs for the high-tech, state-of-the-art screen complex.
Screen Queensland’s North Queensland Regional Program will put $4 million into growing the local creative community with skills development, improved capacity and industry connections.
The Cairns hub joins existing facilities in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, which have supported 63 productions, generating more than half a billion dollars for the state’s economy and 4,000 good Queensland jobs.
Keep up with the latest news in Cairns and the Far North, and check out some of our top stories this week: The Reef House tops TripAdvisor awards and Cairns schools present Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
