The Australian film industry is renowned for its unique flavour and innovation techniques that have great success both at home and abroad. In the last decades, a range of Australian actors, writers, producers and directors have attracted international acclaim. In 2007, the Australian animated production “Happy Feet 2″ won an Academy Award.

The key ingredients of the Australian film industry are its highly-skilled technical crews, outstanding studio facilities and the impressive diversity of the landscape. As film industry is an important part of the Australian culture and it promotes national values both home and abroad, the government supports it financially by providing assistance to training bodies and tax incentives to investors from the private sector.

Film industry is also supported through direct government funding, which represents over a fifth of the total funding for Australian productions every year. The most important agency for film and television programmes funding in Australia is the Film Finance Corporation. This is a government agency that supports independent film productions that promote the Australian cultural identity. The Film Finance Corporation also finances television productions and diverse documentaries.

Australian government grants related to development and screen culture are awarded by the Australian Film Commission, which aims to support the creation and preservation of national audio visual content. This government agency promotes audio visual content to Australian audiences and manages international co-production programs.

Getting government grants for films in Australia is a process that involves a good amount of research. This may be a challenging process because of the high number of applicants for each grant. Submitting a good film proposal and a realistic financial plan within the specified deadlines are the ingredients of being successful in obtaining such a grant. Even though the application process can be intimidating, in the end it is worth the trouble, as government grants for film are non-refundable.