Search SAFC

Still from Sunday Too Far Away (1975)

ABOUT US

Our History

The South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC) commenced operations as a production company in 1972, established under an act of parliament by then Premier Don Dunstan to both encourage and develop the local film and television industry, and to attract production to the state.

Australian television and film director, producer and writer Gil Brealey was appointed founding Director and Chairman, and under his leadership the SAFC was responsible for a blend of commercial enterprise and industry development including:

The first feature film produced by the SAFC – Sunday Too Far Away (1975) – was a hit, turning a profit and winning four Australian Film Institute (AFI) Awards, including Best Actor for star Jack Thompson. The film, about the struggles of itinerant sheep shearers in the Outback in the 1950s, spearheaded what came to be known as the “Australian New Wave” of cinema.

The SAFC’s next feature also became an icon of Australian cinema – Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), which enjoyed national and international acclaim, followed by other successful films including Storm Boy (1976), Blue Fin (1979) and Breaker Morant (1980). Early television productions included Sara Dane (1982), All The Rivers Run (1983), Robbery Under Arms (1985) and The Shiralee (1987).

The SAFC also found success producing many documentaries, training films and short films and quickly became an important source of prestige and promotion for South Australia, and a model for emulation by all Australian states.

In 1994, the SAFC’s role underwent a fundamental shift – ceasing production in its own right and assuming the role of the state government’s central agency to deliver assistance to the independent industry.

In the early 1980s the SAFC moved from its original home in Norwood, in Adelaide’s eastern suburbs, to a disused factory in Hendon, in Adelaide’s north-west, operating Hendon Studios until 2011. Hendon Studios was one of the most sought-after screen resources in the country, providing independent feature film and television producers with high-end sound and post-production as well as basic production facilities, including two sound stages.

Productions to come out of Hendon include Bad Boy Bubby (1993), Wolf Creek (2005), Ten Canoes (2006), Lucky Miles (2007), The Boys Are Back (2009), Oranges and Sunshine (2010), Red Dog (2011) and Snowtown (2011).

In 2011 the SAFC moved again, to Adelaide Studios in Glenside on the city fringe. Formerly an asylum, the heritage-listed 1800s sandstone building was purpose-renovated for the SAFC, blending restored historic buildings with cutting-edge production facilities including two state-of-the-art sound stages, a Foley stage, screening theatre, production offices and the Michael Rowan mixing theatre.

Specifically designed to be an integrated hub for local screen creatives, Adelaide Studios is also home to dozens of South Australian screen businesses and practitioners ranging from production companies to casting agents, animation and digital content studios, writers and more, all co-located with the production facilities and within easy reach of the CBD and a variety of stunning shooting locations.

Since 2011 Adelaide Studios have welcomed many high profile productions including feature films Bring Her BackTalk to MeMortal Kombat2067, I Am MotherThe BabadookEscape from Pretoria, Hotel Mumbai and Storm Boy and TV series RFDS S3Ladies in BlackBeep and MortThe Tourist, First Day, Firebite and many more.

Adelaide Studios also hosts the SAFC’s annual SAGE: South Australian Game Exhibition event, showcasing South Australia’s thriving video game development sector, which attracts thousands of people every year to see, play and experience SA made video games and meet the local creatives behind them.

View all the SAFC supported feature film, television, documentary, shorts and video game productions produced in South Australia in our Made in SA Showcase.

Main image: Sunday Too Far Away (1975)

Storm Boy (1976)

FILMING IN SA

A world of possibilities

South Australia has been a place of possibility, opportunity and extraordinary achievement in film making for more than a century.

The oldest surviving “moving pictures” shot in South Australia include a newsreel of troops departing for the Boer War in 1900, and Fighting the Flames (1909), a Spencer’s Pictures Production showing horse-drawn fire engines leaving the Metropolitan Fire Brigade station on Wakefield Street and proceeding up King William Street, in Adelaide’s city centre.

Since then, hundreds of feature films and countless television and documentary productions have been made in SA, with the SAFC facilitating and supporting with initiatives, incentives and award-winning results that have earned the state a highly respected international reputation.

Image: Storm Boy 1976
Words: Richard Kuipers, film critic/writer/producer