Published Monday, 26 February, 2007 at 03:38 PM
JOINT STATEMENT
Premier and Minister for Trade
The Honourable Peter Beattie
Minister for Education and Training and Minister for the Arts
The Honourable Rod Welford
QUEENSLANDER TAKES OUT TOP HOLLYWOOD HONOURS
Premier Peter Beattie and Arts Minister Rod Welford today congratulated Queensland-born filmmaker George Miller on his Academy Award win for the hugely popular animated feature Happy Feet.
“It is wonderful to see Queenslanders on the world stage and this Academy Award win for Best Animated Feature Film is a truly great moment,” Mr Beattie said.
“This is a tremendous win for George, who was born and raised in Chinchilla and remains closely tied to Queensland as the patron of the Brisbane International Film Festival.
“Dr Miller wrote, directed and produced the box-office smash and was previously Oscar-nominated for his features Babe in 1995 and Lorenzo’s Oil in 1992,” he said.
Mr Beattie said the Australian-made feature’s win signalled a resurgence in the Australian film industry.
“It is wonderful to see filmmakers like George Miller and Baz Luhrmann coming back to Australia to support the domestic industry,” he said.
“Baz will be shooting part of his epic Australia in Bowen from late April, which will provide valuable jobs for Queenslanders, ongoing business and tourism opportunities, and national and international exposure for the Bowen region.”
“Queensland has a thriving film industry and we are currently enjoying an increasing number of film productions due to the State’s unique beauty, our infrastructure and excellent crew.”
The Premier and Minister also congratulated former Brisbane resident Stuart Parkyn and Gold Coast graphics company Photon VFX for their nominations in the prestigious Awards.
“Mr Parkyn was nominated for his short film The Saviour alongside fellow Australian Peter Templeman, while Photon VFX were nominated in the visual effects category for its special effects work on Superman Returns,” Mr Welford said.
“I understand Photon’s crew of 200 worked on Superman Returns for a year - from concept and construction of miniatures through to completion of special effects.
“Photon is a great example of a Queensland company showing the world what we can do here in the Smart State,” he said.
Media contact: Premier’s office 3224 4500
Minister Welford’s office 3237 1000
26 February 2007
“It is wonderful to see Queenslanders on the world stage and this Academy Award win for Best Animated Feature Film is a truly great moment,” Mr Beattie said.
“This is a tremendous win for George, who was born and raised in Chinchilla and remains closely tied to Queensland as the patron of the Brisbane International Film Festival.
“Dr Miller wrote, directed and produced the box-office smash and was previously Oscar-nominated for his features Babe in 1995 and Lorenzo’s Oil in 1992,” he said.
Mr Beattie said the Australian-made feature’s win signalled a resurgence in the Australian film industry.
“It is wonderful to see filmmakers like George Miller and Baz Luhrmann coming back to Australia to support the domestic industry,” he said.
“Baz will be shooting part of his epic Australia in Bowen from late April, which will provide valuable jobs for Queenslanders, ongoing business and tourism opportunities, and national and international exposure for the Bowen region.”
“Queensland has a thriving film industry and we are currently enjoying an increasing number of film productions due to the State’s unique beauty, our infrastructure and excellent crew.”
The Premier and Minister also congratulated former Brisbane resident Stuart Parkyn and Gold Coast graphics company Photon VFX for their nominations in the prestigious Awards.
“Mr Parkyn was nominated for his short film The Saviour alongside fellow Australian Peter Templeman, while Photon VFX were nominated in the visual effects category for its special effects work on Superman Returns,” Mr Welford said.
“I understand Photon’s crew of 200 worked on Superman Returns for a year - from concept and construction of miniatures through to completion of special effects.
“Photon is a great example of a Queensland company showing the world what we can do here in the Smart State,” he said.
Media contact: Premier’s office 3224 4500
Minister Welford’s office 3237 1000
26 February 2007