Actor Russell Crowe announces $400 million plan for film studio complex in Coffs Harbour

Plans for a major movie production studio in Coffs Harbour - to be financed by a group including Oscar winning actor and local resident Russell Crowe - have been announced today.

With the Coronavirus pandemic seeing Australia attract an increasing number of international film productions, the $400 million development will see the construction of a studio with four sound studios, advanced virtual studios, an on-campus screen training facility and accommodation that will allow cast and crew to stay on site.

Crowe, along with partners including Pacific Bay resort owner Peter Montgomery and film producer Keith Rodger, are the founders of Pacific Bay Resort Studio and Village, which is tipped to cost $438,560,000 to build and be operational within two years.

The purpose-built studio, which sits a short drive from Crowe’s Nana Glen property, will be built on the existing Pacific Bay Resort site adjacent to Coffs Harbour’s Big Banana attraction. It will integrate production and post-production facilities with accommodation and amenities, taking over the 40-hectare luxury resort.

Announcing the building of the movie studio, Crowe told The Daily Telegraph “the importance of (this project is) being able to move quickly and put infrastructure in place, strike while the iron is hot as they say

“Giving every single local producer the edge on their international competitors is what we need to do.

“If we have an incentive system that brings money into the country and allows productions to be made here, it brings employment.

“We have to make sure that we give our producers that edge so if some other place is offering a number, then our number should be one percentage higher.

“That is the sort of far reaching decision that keeps the situation like we find ourselves in at the moment rolling.”

While the NSW Government is not investing in to the studio, it has committed to establishing a Regional Job Precinct in the Coffs Harbour area.

Joining a growing list of new Australian studios - a response to both the global content boom, and the country’s success through the pandemic - the Crowe-backed studio will also take the pressure off existing facilities in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and on the Gold Coast, which - due in large part to Australia’s success in curbing Covid - have been booked solid for many months.

NSW government officials including Deputy Premier John Barilaro and Treasurer Dominic Perrottet were at the announcement of the project today along with Jack Thompson, who worked with Crowe when he was launching his career.

Images show artist impressions of the new studio in Coffs Harbour.