Minister for Fair Trading
Minister for the Arts
Virginia Judge MP
19 August 2010
TOP AUSSIE FILMMAKER STEPHAN ELLIOTT COMES HOME TO NSW
Stephan Elliott, director of one of Australia’s all-time favourite movies The Adventures of
Priscilla; Queen of the Desert, has come home to NSW to make his new film A Few Best Men,
Arts Minister Virginia Judge announced today.
Ms Judge said she was delighted that Mr Elliott’s first Australian film for more than 13 years
will be made in NSW, creating 170 jobs the State’s talented screen professionals and direct
expenditure of up to $10 million.
“Stephan Elliott is one of Australia’s most successful filmmakers and holds a special place in
the heart of all filmgoers thanks to ‘Priscilla’,” she said.
“I am sure that A Few Best Men will follow in the footsteps of ‘Priscilla’ and become another
classic.”
Ms Judge said the production of A Few Best Men in Sydney and the Blue Mountains
demonstrates once again that NSW is Australia’s screen state.
“Our support for the film industry through incentives, production investment and film friendly
legislation, makes our State extremely attractive for Stephan and other top talent to work
here,” she said.
“The NSW screen industry contributes more than $430 million to the economy each year.
“A Few Best Men will showcase both NSW’s sophisticated production capabilities and our
stunning locations to the world.
“We have great locations, the strongest creative workforce and the best film infrastructure in
Australia, and a Government that is firmly backing NSW as the place to produce, promote and
present films.”
The NSW Government’s screen strategy combines:
 production investment, from development through to direct investment and loans
 industry incentives to attract major international and Australian productions to NSW,
including the NSW Film and Television Industry Attraction Fund (FIAF) and Regional
Filming Fund (RFF)
 investing in skills, through the VFX Placement Scheme and Emerging Filmmakers
Fund
 industry and audience development, including tours, film festivals, public screenings,
conferences, seminars and mentoring programs
 slashing red tape through the Film Friendly Protocol
Today’s announcement comes on top of recent NSW Government initiatives including a
funding boost of $25 million for the State’s screen industries to attract large-scale productions
to NSW and enhance domestic production levels.
“The funding has had an immediate impact, with $72 million in film and television production
gearing up in NSW as a result of the most recent investments by the Government through the
Screen NSW production fund,” Ms Judge said.
Stephan Elliott was nominated for an AWGIE award for best screenplay adaptation for his last
film, Easy Virtue, which was filmed in Monte Carlo and the UK, and starred Jessica Biel, Colin
Firth and Kristin Scott Thomas.
A Few Best Men will be produced by Australia’s Todd Fellman (Daybreakers) and US
Producers Laurence Malkin and Share Stallings. Malkin and Stallings produced the UK box
office hit Death at a Funeral and the 2010 US remake.
The Executive Producer is Gary Hamilton, founder of Arclight Films, a production, sales and
distribution company, with former Strand Releasing financier Victor Syrmis, in 2002.
A Few Best Men, a comedy set in rural Australia, involves a group of young English friends
who travel to Australia when one of their number decides to marry an Australian girl.
"My producing partners, Stephan and I are extremely excited to be shooting A Few Best Men
in NSW,” Mr Fellman said.
“Stephan has always had a unique vision for the film and after extensive scouting, discovered
an ideal location in the Blue Mountains.
“The generous support of the NSW Government has been the key factor in enabling us to
base the production out of Sydney and allow Stephan to realise his vision.”