Construction underway on $12.6 million screen production facility in Cairns

Construction has commenced on Queensland’s newest screen production facility in Cairns with the $12.6 million development to deliver a vital creative hub for the region and lure more valuable productions to Queensland.

The Cairns studio will complement Screen Queensland Studios, Brisbane and an upcoming facility on the Gold Coast, as well as the Gold Coast’s iconic Village Roadshow Studios – creating the largest studio network in the southern hemisphere

Construction of the Cairns Studio has been awarded to locally based company Richard Field Constructions.

The complex will have major appeal for interstate and international productions offering production offices, editing suites, sound recording studio, construction and wardrobe facilities.

An events space and permanent creative tenancy opportunities will also ensure Screen Queensland Studios, Cairns becomes a welcoming home for the local creative community.

The Far North Queensland Screen Champion and Member for Mulgrave Curtis Pitt has welcomed the investment and construction being awarded to locally based company Richard Field Constructions.

The Queensland Government has also allocated $7.95 million over six years for operational costs, supporting job opportunities for Far North Queensland

Productions recently supported by the Queensland Government through Screen Queensland in North and Far North Queensland include Love is in the Air starring Delta Goodrem, U.S. feature film Wizards!, Stan Original drama Black Snow, feature documentary Beyond The Reef, reality series Australian Survivor: Blood V Water, Emmy-winner Puff: Wonders of the Reef and Universal Pictures’ romantic comedy Ticket to Paradise.

Far North Queensland Screen Champion, Speaker of the Queensland Parliament and Member for Mulgrave Curtis Pitt MP commented “the state-of-the-art facility, built across 6,500 square metres at Portsmith, will enhance this region’s flourishing reputation as a screen hub and will continue to grow opportunities for First Nations writers and directors and other local creatives.

“This development has been underpinned by our Far North Queensland Screen Production Strategic Plan, and the great work undertaken by the Far North Queensland Screen Implementation Committee has helped to facilitate its delivery.”

Screen Queensland Studios, Cairns is located at Plath Close, Portsmith. The state-of-the-art film and TV studio complex is expected to open late 2023.

Image: Artist impression Credit: Cox Architecture