Australia’s International Co-Production Program
The objective of audio-visual co-production treaties and less-than-treaty arrangements is to foster projects that are truly international in terms of storytelling, budget ranges and the audiences to which they appeal. Co-productions provide an important mechanism for creative exchange and the development of screen projects of cultural significance to the partner countries. In allowing two or more international producers to come together to make a screen project, a project can be treated as a national project of those countries and therefore access all relevant film production benefits offered by each partner country.
The Department of Communications and the Arts assesses potential co-production partner countries and negotiates treaties and less-than-treaty arrangements in consultation with government and industry stakeholders under the International Co-production Program guidelines for entering into audio-visual co-production arrangements. The program is administered by Screen Australia.
Under the International Co-production Program, Australia has entered into film and audio-visual co-production agreements with twelve countries: Canada, China, France, Germany, the Republic of Korea, Ireland, Israel, Italy, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa and the United Kingdom.
The expected results include that the co-production will provide co-production partners with a greater pool of resources by automatically allowing the producers to access two markets in terms of creativity, finance and audience reach. This is also expected to improve the diversity of cultural expression through screen production activities.
Productions made under an international agreement through the International Co-Production Program are able to access various avenues for funding support. The financial support delivered through the program fluctuates from year to year.
The International Co-Production Program is continually monitored to ensure it is delivering the intended outcomes to Australia’s screen industry. Ongoing evaluations find the International Co-Production Program is an important mechanism in facilitating the development and production of projects that are culturally significant and foster creative exchange and provides access to resources that assist in producing projects that enable each Party to compete in the global marketplace.