Filmco

Filmco was an Australian investment company formed in 1980 to help producers assemble private and other investment for Australian film and television projects. Its activities belonged to the period commonly associated with Australia’s 10BA film-financing regime, under which investors could receive substantial tax incentives for backing qualifying film productions. Filmco was created by Peter Fox and Bob Sanders, with Sanders bringing his Pact Productions operation into the new company. Pact Productions had previously been involved in financing or producing projects including Harlequin, Breaker Morant and Sara Dane, giving Filmco a connection to an existing network of Australian screen-production activity. The company operated as a financing and production vehicle rather than as a conventional consumer-facing entertainment brand. John Fitzgerald, a former lawyer associated with the South Australian Film Corporation, joined Filmco and served as executive producer. The company’s role was to help package projects, attract investment and participate in the production of a slate of Australian films and television works. In June 1981, Filmco was publicly reported as having assisted with finance for projects including Burning Man, Something Wicked this Way Comes, For the Term of His Natural Life, Double Deal and Billy West. It was also reported to be raising money for Turkey Shoot, which was released in 1982. Filmco’s credited or associated production slate included Turkey Shoot, Early Frost, A Dangerous Summer, The Dark Room, Midnite Spares, Far East, the television miniseries For the Term of His Natural Life, Double Deal and Undercover. These projects reflect the company’s broad involvement in Australian screen production during the early 1980s, spanning theatrical features, television and adaptations or projects connected with established Australian production infrastructure. The company’s history is also remembered critically. Film historian and critic David Stratton characterized Filmco’s slate as containing some of the weakest films produced in Australia and described the associated expenditure as a serious misuse of funds. This assessment is part of the wider retrospective criticism directed at portions of the 10BA-era investment boom, when tax-driven financing supported a large number of productions of uneven commercial and artistic quality. The criticism does not establish that every Filmco-associated project failed, but it explains why Filmco is discussed in accounts of the excesses and controversies of that period. Filmco’s development was interrupted by the death of co-founder Peter Fox in a car accident on 1 December 1981. The available reference material does not establish the company’s later corporate structure, exact cessation date, surviving operations or financial performance. Filmco is therefore best understood as a historically significant Australian film-financing and production vehicle of the early 1980s, rather than as an active contemporary entertainment company.

Filmco emerged in 1980 within the expansion of Australian screen production supported by the 10BA tax-incentive system. The company was founded by Peter Fox and Bob Sanders. Sanders transferred or merged his Pact Productions operation into Filmco, linking the new company to earlier financing and production work associated with Harlequin, Breaker Morant and Sara Dane. Filmco was a subsidiary of Adelaide Holdings, although the available material does not provide a complete account of the parent’s ownership or corporate structure. The company’s principal function was investment raising. It worked with producers to assemble finance for Australian films and related screen projects, operating as a project-financing and production vehicle rather than as a theatrical exhibitor or consumer entertainment label. John Fitzgerald joined the enterprise as executive producer. Fitzgerald had previously worked as a lawyer at the South Australian Film Corporation, bringing legal and production-sector experience to Filmco’s activities. In June 1981, reports identified Filmco as a participant in raising finance for Burning Man, Something Wicked this Way Comes, For the Term of His Natural Life, Double Deal and Billy West. The company was also seeking investment for Turkey Shoot. Filmco’s later selection of credits included Turkey Shoot, Early Frost, A Dangerous Summer, The Dark Room, Midnite Spares, Far East, For the Term of His Natural Life as a television miniseries, Double Deal and Undercover. The list demonstrates the range of projects connected with the company, including features and television production during the early 1980s. Filmco’s history is inseparable from the mixed reputation of the 10BA boom. The tax incentives encouraged a rapid increase in Australian production and made it possible for investment companies to support projects that might otherwise have struggled to secure capital. At the same time, retrospective commentators criticized the quality and economic value of some of the resulting films. David Stratton wrote that Filmco’s slate included some of the most disappointing films made in Australia and condemned the spending associated with it as scandalous. This criticism is a notable part of Filmco’s historical record and is reflected in the scandal classification used for the company, although the available material does not document a specific criminal finding or regulatory penalty against Filmco. A major event in the company’s short history occurred on 1 December 1981, when co-founder Peter Fox died in a car accident. The reference material does not explain how his death affected Filmco’s management, finances or subsequent slate. Filmco remained associated with releases and credits extending into 1982 and 1983, including the feature films Turkey Shoot, Early Frost, A Dangerous Summer, The Dark Room, Midnite Spares and Far East, as well as For the Term of His Natural Life, Double Deal and Undercover. No reliable information in the supplied sources establishes a later operating history, formal dissolution date, current owner or present-day activity. The company should therefore be treated as a historical Australian film-financing entity with an uncertain current status.

• 1983

  Further Filmco-associated productions

  [1]Filmcoen.wikipedia.org

  For the Term of His Natural Life, Double Deal and Undercover were among the projects listed in connection with Filmco for 1983.

• 1982

  Release period for several Filmco-associated films

  [1]Filmcoen.wikipedia.org

  Turkey Shoot, Early Frost, A Dangerous Summer, The Dark Room, Midnite Spares and Far East were among the projects associated with Filmco and dated to 1982.

• 1981

  Filmco announces a project-financing slate

  [1]Filmcoen.wikipedia.org

  In June, Filmco was reported to have helped raise finance for several projects and to be raising money for Turkey Shoot.

• 1981

  Death of co-founder Peter Fox

  [1]Filmcoen.wikipedia.org

  Peter Fox died in a car accident on 1 December.

• 1980

  Filmco is established

  [1]Filmcoen.wikipedia.org

  Peter Fox and Bob Sanders formed Filmco; Sanders brought Pact Productions into the new company. Filmco operated as a subsidiary of Adelaide Holdings.

An Australian screen-financing and production vehicle that brought investment into film and television projects during the 10BA era.

• Film financing · 1980

  Film investment and finance raising

  Filmco’s central offering was the organization of investment for Australian screen projects. It worked with producers to assemble capital for films and television productions, functioning within the tax-incentivized 10BA financing environment. The company’s role was primarily financial and production-oriented rather than a retail or direct-to-consumer product.

• Film production · 1982

  Feature-film production participation

  Filmco was associated with a group of Australian feature films released during the early 1980s. The listed slate included Turkey Shoot, Early Frost, A Dangerous Summer, The Dark Room, Midnite Spares, Far East, Double Deal and Undercover. The precise contractual role varied by project and is not fully specified in the available reference material.

• Television miniseries · 1983

  For the Term of His Natural Life

  Filmco was associated with For the Term of His Natural Life, a television miniseries listed among its production credits for 1983. The project illustrates that Filmco’s activities extended beyond theatrical features into long-form television production.

• Retrospective criticism of Filmco’s 10BA-era slate

  David Stratton criticized Filmco’s slate as containing some of the poorest films produced in Australia and characterized the related spending as a scandalous waste of money. The criticism reflects broader concerns about uneven quality and inefficient investment during the 10BA production boom; the available material does not identify a specific criminal case, formal finding or regulatory sanction.

  Source

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• 1981

  Expand the financing slateStrategy

  Background

  Filmco was seeking to support multiple productions during a period of rapid Australian film investment.

  Action taken

  The company helped raise finance for several named projects and pursued additional investment for Turkey Shoot.

  Aftermath

  Turkey Shoot and other Filmco-associated projects appeared in the company’s early-1980s production record.

  Source

• 1980

  Create a dedicated film-investment vehicleStrategy

  Background

  The company was formed during the expansion of Australian production finance associated with the 10BA tax-incentive regime.

  Action taken

  Peter Fox and Bob Sanders established Filmco, with Pact Productions merged into the new company to support investment raising for screen projects.

  Aftermath

  Filmco developed a slate of Australian feature and television projects, although later commentary questioned the quality and value of some of its output.

  Source

1. 1Filmcoen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Filmco at IMDbimdb.com
3. 3Filmco at Screen Australiascreenaustralia.gov.au