London SOHO - type creative hub being considered for Fremantle

The Western Australian Government has announced that a site in Malaga is now the preferred location for the State’s first dedicated screen production facility, with the WA Government also confirming a creative industries hub at the E Shed in Fremantle was being considered.

The City of Fremantle has welcomed the opportunity for a Creative Industries Hub to be developed at Victoria Quay.

The government originally announced Victoria Quay in Fremantle as the location for the film studio as part of a market-led proposal with Home Fire Pty Ltd, but later conceded there were challenges with the site.

Fremantle Mayor Hannah Fitzhardinge said the creative industries hub that is now under consideration is a much better fit for the City’s vision for Victoria Quay.

Mayor Fitzhardinge notes “The fact remains the majority of WA’s filmmaking talent lives in and around Fremantle, and most of the films shot in Perth recently have been shot in Fremantle.

“The type of facility that is envisaged for the E Shed could include post-production facilities like editing and digital effects, industry education and training, marketing agencies, production companies and other businesses that service the film industry, and affordable co-working space for smaller production companies to work in when they’re not in production.

“We would see it as being something like the SOHO creative hub in London as opposed to the film studios in Reading.  

“It’s something that would activate space all day, all year around, and provide something complementary to the food and beverage offerings already at Victoria Quay.

“We look forward to working with Home Fire and the state government to see this exciting opportunity come to fruition.”

The City of Fremantle has been positioning itself at the centre of WAs’ burgeoning film industry through initiatives like the City’s Film Friendly Policy and sponsorship of the WA Screen Culture Awards.

Recent film productions in shot Fremantle include the comedy/drama How to Please a Woman last year and the Netflix drama I Met a Girl in 2020.