The construction of the new multimillion-dollar screen production facility in Malaga is well under way.
Massive sound stages and workshops are being erected at the Perth Film Studios site in Malaga, with approximately 60 per cent of construction now complete.
Perth Film Studios, located near Whiteman Park and in the vicinity of the new Malaga Metronet station precinct, are scheduled to open early next year.
The film studio be operated by Perth-based company Home Fire and owned by the Arts and Culture Trust on behalf of the state government.
The development is part of the state government's economic diversification strategy to help grow the local creative industries and attract investment to the state, alongside the state government's 10-year Creative WA arts plan.
The Cook government has invested $233.5 million in the new film studios, with a further investment of $57 million to support initial operations and facilities management over the first 10 years.
"This is an important piece of infrastructure to stand up a whole new creative industry here in Western Australia. It will continue to help grow our economy, it will attract a national and international investment, and it's a win-win for WA," Premier Roger Cook announced this morning at the Malaga site.
"The $290 million film studios we see out here in Malaga is a great example of how we're making strategic investments to continue to make sure that we are bringing more diversification to our economy."
When completed, the studios will have a total of 8,200 square metres of interior production space within the complex that covers a 16-hectare site on Marshall Road.
Perth Film Studios will incorporate production offices, an art department, wardrobe, workshops, set storage, parking, and a 23,200sqm backlot.
An artist's impression of the new state-of-the-art film studio currently under development. Photo: WA government
"As you can see, the film studios are well on their way to completion, almost sixty per cent complete, and we're very much looking forward to this construction being finalised ahead of schedule and on budget," Mr Cook said.
"It's a mega project which has created hundreds of jobs during construction and it will create literally thousands of jobs once it's up and running."
More than 200 people are employed directly on the site with one-fifth of the workforce apprentices or trainees. Approximately 6 per cent of the workforce are First Nations peoples.
Local jobs have been created through the use of local suppliers and manufacturers, including more than 1,670 tonnes of locally acquired and fabricated steel.
"What you see here is an important part of the creative industry supply chain," Mr Cook said.
"We're diversifying our economy, we're making more things here and it's all about making sure WA remains an incredible place to live and that everyone has the opportunity to get a quality job."
Perth Film Studios would establish WA as a major creative centre for international and national film, television, and digital media production, Mr Cook said in a statement today.
“The studio complex will rival the best in the southern hemisphere and help attract major productions from around Australia and the world, while boosting business and employment opportunities for the local industry,” he said.
Creative Industries Minister Simone McGurk said in a statement today that Perth Film Studios would be a huge boost to WA’s creative industries sector, attracting talent and production investment to the state from all over the world.
The film studio will be operated by Perth-based company Home Fire. Photo: WA government
“While the WA screen production industry has already achieved some big successes, construction of the Perth Film Studios will amplify that success and help expand the industry, providing real opportunities for our talented, home-grown creative professionals to remain in WA," Ms McGurk said in a statement.
“Our expectation is that over the next ten years Perth Film Studios will attract up to ten per cent of Australia’s annual screen productions, compared to the current one per cent.”
Tom Avison has been hired as Perth Film Studios' inaugural chief executive, who will join the new venture from Sky Studios in the UK.
The development of Perth Film Studios coincides with other arts and cultural venue developments in Perth, including ECU City WAAPA which will open its doors in 2026 and the revitalised Perth Cultural Centre, which is currently under way.
Currently, the arts and culture sector contributes $3.3 billion to the state’s economy per year and employs more than 51,000 people.
