Australian Film Commission


The Australian Film Commission was an Australian government agency with a mandate to promote the creation and distribution of films in Australia as well as to preserve the country's film history. It also had a production arm responsible for production and commissioning of films for the government. It was established by the Whitlam Government in 1975 as the successor to the Australian Film Development Corporation set up by the Gorton Government. The AFC had offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane.
The AFC was funded in part by the national government and in part from its return on investments in film production as well as interest on film development loans. It financially assisted film and television production and also produced films generally intended for government purposes, through its production arm, Film Australia,—previously known as the Commonwealth Film Unit. A Film Australia feature film for children, Let the Balloon Go, was released in 1976.
In 1998-99, Film Finance Corporation Australia was set up as a government-owned corporation and took over the major role of financing feature film and television production, with the AFC concentrating on the funding of development, marketing and research work for the media. Film Australia became a separate entity.
Then in legislation in 2008, the Australian Government created a new agency, Screen Australia, which merged the major government film bodies Film Finance Corporation Australia, Film Australia, and the Australian Film Commission back into a single body, albeit with slightly different functions, roles and financing methods. Screen Australia started operating in July 2008.

History

The AFC was established on 7 July 1975. In the first year of its existence its budget was $6.5 million.
In 1979-80 its budget was $10 million, and it received $2.5 million from its investments.

List of former chairs