JOHN VAN KLAVEREN slips behind the scenes to meet the filmmakers trying to turn Geelong into an Australian Hollywood.
Geelong’s potential as a film and television production centre has been mooted for some years, ever since scenes for Aussie blockbuster Mad Max were filmed around the region.
Successive productions, including The Broken Shore, Blinder, Angry Boys, Where the Wild Things Are and Ghost Rider, have used some of the region’s best locations.
But no major feature films have been primarily located in Geelong using local talent and support services to give a budding film industry the fillip it needs.
Television productions have also been regular visitors, with ABC TV series Seachange credited with beginning the domestic immigration that has helped transform our coastal hamlets into bustling tourist destinations.
The Sullivans, Corelli, Secret Life of Us, Blue Heelers and kids series Round the Twist all came, filmed and went without leaving any real mark on the region’s production future.
But it seems Geelong will finally entertain two local productions that could create the momentum needed for establish a genuine film and television production centre locally.
Read more in the Geelong Coast Magazine – in newsagents now.
