The evolving partnership between India and Australia’s film industries took center stage at Film Bazaar, as key players outlined pathways for collaboration and funding opportunities.
Screen Australia COO Grainne Brundson detailed multiple routes for Indian producers to work in Australia, including official co-productions and location-based production. While co-productions require creative and financial contributions from both territories with a minimum 20% stake, producers can also access Australia’s location offset for shoots requiring minimum AUD$20 million ($13 million) spend, or the post-production rebate offering 30% on minimum $500,000 ($325,000) spend.
India has significantly enhanced its incentives, said Vrunda Manohar Desai, Joint Secretary of Films at the country’s Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, pointing to the now 40% reimbursement up to a maximum of $3.5 million that was unveiled during the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) last year. Desai also talked up the Indian government’s single-window portal for international productions seeking permits and location information across different states. She noted India now has co-production treaties with 17 countries, with 10 overlapping with Australia’s treaty partners.
Festival director and distributor Mitu Bhowmick Lange highlighted Australia’s growing market for Indian content. “Australia is the number three international territory for Indian cinema,” she said, with Brundson noting that Indian films have generated over AUD$130 million ($84.5 million) at the Australian box office in the past five years, with six of the top 10 grossing releases occurring in the last two years. Indian films now consistently screen across 80% of mainstream Australian cinemas, according to Brundson.
Screen Australia’s Michele McDonald emphasized that state-level incentives of 10-20% can be combined with federal rebates. The agency is currently reviewing its first co-production application with India.
Script editor Claire Dobbin pointed to the growing Indian diaspora in Australia as a catalyst for authentic cross-cultural stories. “Melbourne is a huge Indian city,” she noted, highlighting the organic cultural connections developing between the two nations.
Both countries are focused on developing sustainable partnerships, with India allocating funds to its missions abroad, including Australia, specifically for promoting Indian cinema. The growing theatrical market and emerging opportunities in streaming and digital platforms suggest expanding possibilities for collaboration between the two film industries.
Film Bazaar (Nov. 20-24) is the project market component of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI, Nov. 20-28) in Goa.
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