A sexy funding solution for an age-old problem
Chris Murray proposes an ingenious plan to help fund local screen productions with the naughty dollar.
It has recently come to light that the Hungarian government has some innovative ideas for supporting their local film industry. By introducing three different taxes, our European friends plan to channel funds into local productions and ailing art house cinemas.
The first tax would apply to local porn websites; another, a three per cent tax on multiplex tickets, to funnel into art house exhibition; and finally a general 20 per cent tax break on foreign productions.
According to Variety, the latter has so far generated a US$98 million injection into the local economy via the miniseries World Without End, The Borgias and feature film 47 Ronin starring Keanu Reeves. This is on top of income from Brad Pitt’s US$125m budgeted zombie flick World War Z which is currently shooting in the Hungarian capital, Budapest.
Of course, with our government wisely banning the casting of small-breasted women in adult films in 2010 (no, I’m not making this up), we’re now funding BMWs for plastic surgeons instead.
Could we think of similar ways to re-flow cold hard cash into our local productions?
Perhaps our nation’s capital – where you can buy as much porn, fireworks and cultivate ‘personal use’ pot as you wish – could have an Indulgence Committee committed to the reinvestment of ‘naughty dollars’.
What if just $1 from taxation on every X-rated video, pack of crazy-jacks, lap dance or bong was given directly to local funding bodies – perhaps specifically to first-time directors and producers so as not to upset ‘the usual suspects’ who still get their bi-annual allocations?
Imagine that people – every time you get intimate with yourself or others, blow up a letterbox or ‘kiss the sky’, you too could help the local film industry to grow.
Besides the fact that being called a ‘wanker’ will indeed be a badge of honour at Australia’s many small film festivals.
Chris Murray is the creative director of Popcorn Taxi (and was once the editor of Australian Playboy)
- This feature first appeared in the relaunched print edition of Encore magazine. To subscribe, click here
Well said Chris. Highlights one of the central problems facing the Aussie film ‘industry’ – a distinct lack of imagination coming from government policy. Creative funding solutions is exactly what we need.
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