Film exodus sparks fear

Film exodus sparks fear


Sydney Morning Herald


June 10, 2007


by Christine Sams



If there was a state of origin contest for filmmaking, this year's results would be looking decidedly shaky for NSW.

After the announcement that Jodie Foster's latest film project, Nim's Island, would be made in North Queensland from next month, well-placed sources within the NSW Government have been muttering about Sydney being left out in the cold.

"We can paint over it all we like, with television productions and that sort of thing, but there seems to be a real lull in big films for us at the moment, everything's going to Queensland," a frustrated insider whispered to me last week.

But this was not just a point of ego. Concern about the major loss of big dollars from the entertainment business is troubling those closely connected to the NSW Government.

Sure, in the past we've proudly played host to The Matrix trilogy, the Star Wars prequels and Moulin Rouge, just to name a few.

But in the past year things have skyrocketed for Queensland. Stars ranging from Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey (for Fool's Gold) through to Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman (Australia) and now Foster are filming up north. Ethan Hawke will also travel to Queensland to film Daybreakers.

For Nim's Island, Foster and her co-star Abigail Breslin (the cute kid from Little Miss Sunshine) will be based in Far North Queensland, but some segments of the film will be made at the Warner studios on the Gold Coast.

Depending on the demands of her filming schedule, Foster is expected to visit Sydney, to catch up with dear friends such as Russell Crowe.




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