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Boost for Movie Industry – Sydney Secures 2 and new digital production facility

Happy Feet 2 will be made in Sydney and the local movie industry has received a major boost with the establishment of a world class digital movie production facility Minister for State Development Ian Macdonald, said today.

The NSW Government has helped secure the sequel to the original hit feature – and the new digital centre - through a payroll tax assistance package.

“This is all part of the State Government's ongoing efforts to support the NSW film and television production sector,” Mr Macdonald said.

“The movie and the establishment of a top quality digital production facility will bring more than 400 jobs to Sydney over the next three years as work on Happy Feet 2 alone gets underway.

“This move puts Sydney once again front and centre of the national film industry.”

Mr Macdonald said the new “Dr D” digital production facility will be established in a joint venture by Kennedy Miller Mitchell (the production company behind the original Oscar- winning Happy Feet, Babe and ) and Omnilab Media (Australia's largest independently owned content development and media service business).

Minister for Tourism Jodie McKay said the securing of the new production facility will cement NSW's position as the leading Australian base for digital movie making.

“Together with Happy Feet 2 it will provide a major boost to our film and creative industries over the next five years and beyond,” Ms McKay said.

"This will provide ongoing skills development and employment opportunities for NSW film industry workers and create the right conditions to attract ongoing international film production work to NSW.”

Director of Happy Feet 2 George Miller said major ongoing film work will be generated for Sydney by the Dr D investment with a number of large budget international film projects in the planning or pre-production stage.

“This incentive by the NSW government is a significant step. It allows us to make Happy Feet 2 in Sydney and it will be the first of many productions from our new digital studio, Dr D,” said Mr Miller

“It helps us in our attempts to attract substantial foreign investment which will create hundreds of high-end, highly skilled jobs as well as nurture the careers of many people coming out of our educational institutions who would otherwise have no place to grow their talents”.

Happy Feet 2 will employ an average of 438 people over three years, including about 230 computer generated imaging (CGI) artists.

It follows an announcement in April that the Government had helped secure Animal Logic’s major digital movie Guardians of Ga'Hoole as well as Animal Logic’s headquarters in Sydney.

Media Contact: Dale Paget 0409 090 911