Elise Archer,Minister for the Arts
The Tasmanian Government is a strong supporter of our burgeoning screen sector and we have supported our cultural and creative industries through the challenges of COVID-19.
An innovative documentary, supported by the Tasmanian Government and co-produced by Tasmania’s Roar Film, is set to screen on NITV and SBS Viceland tonight at 8:30 pm.
Following its premiere at the online Melbourne International Festival last week, Looky Looky Here Comes Cooky invites audiences to experience the arrival of Captain Cook and his HMS Endeavour through a First Nations’ perspective.
Hosted by Stephen Oliver, this fresh, funny and provocative film features a number contemporary indigenous musicians including Birdz, Kev Carmody and Alice Skye, with music produced by Trials aka Daniel Rankine, one of the founding members of A.B. Original.
Through Screen Tasmania our Government invested $70,000 in the project, which saw Roar Film work alongside Indigenous production company Tamarind Tree Pictures from the Northern Territory.
Almost $400,000 was spent on Tasmanian filmmakers, service providers and creatives through the production, providing a vital economic injection and much needed employment during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2019/20 alone our Government invested $1.16 million through Screen Tasmania across five screen projects, which is estimated to have generated $5.1 million for the local economy during production, and employed more than 200 Tasmanian cast and crew members.
As Minister for the Arts, I am proud of the support our Government has provided Tasmania’s arts and cultural sector through COVID-19. In fact, Tasmania has provided the largest level of assistance for the cultural and creative sector on a per capita basis when compared to other states such as New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland.
