Hot Topics:

Australia changes incentives

Benefits will be backdated to May

'Bourne' breaks box office records

BBC faces legislator questions

Film Dept. taps Coplan for VP role

Academy to preserve digital content

Anderson working on 'Master'(6281 views)

Sundance unveils competition lineup(5833 views)

NBR's best: 'Up in the Air'(3777 views)

Comcast, GE unveil NBC U deal(3388 views)

Sundance unveils complete lineup(3143 views)

Johnny Depp eyes Pancho Villa role(2068 views)

The Oz government has announced changes to its A$282 million ($241 million) Australian Screen Production Incentive package, which came into effect July 1, after complaints from biz.

The benefits will now be back-dated to May, when the package was unveiled in the government's budget statement. This includes the 15% location offset for foreign productions that shoot Down Under.

Change will benefit DreamWorks' horror pic "The Ruins," lensing in Queensland, while tinkering with the 40% domestic producer offset for films will likely shave millions off the budget of Fox's Baz Luhrmann-helmed "Australia."

"This change means productions that commenced principal photography immediately following the budget announcement will not be disadvantaged," said arts minister George Brandis. "It will send a positive message to foreign producers to encourage them to locate future productions in Australia."

Indie TV producers remain unhappy with the decision to allow networks to access the 20% TV producer rebate.

"This it potentially a disaster for the independent production industry," said Screen Producers Assn. of Australia executive director Geoff Brown. "For the government not to see where this is going shows a total lack of understanding of the broadcast industries in this country."