Burrowes Film Group
Burrowes Film Group was a short-lived Australian film production and financing company formed during the revival of the country's commercial cinema in the mid-1980s.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Burrowes Film Group was an Australian film production and financing company established in the mid-1980s, in the wake of the domestic and international success of The Man from Snowy River (1982) and the television miniseries Anzacs (1985). The company was named after Geoff Burrowes, one of the central figures associated with the group. Other key personnel included John Dixon and George T. Miller. The group emerged at a moment when Australian screen producers were seeking to build a larger, more commercially oriented film industry with projects capable of attracting substantial private and institutional finance. In late 1985, Burrowes Film Group announced a package valued at approximately A$53 million covering several proposed films to be developed over the following two years. The announced slate included Cool Change, Free Enterprise, The Man from Snowy River 2, Clancy of the Overflow, Backstage, Future Tense and Ground Zero. Several projects subsequently changed names or forms: Free Enterprise became Running from the Guns, while Future Tense became Dogs in Space. The company’s activities combined conventional production with project financing. For Dogs in Space and Ground Zero, Burrowes Film Group was primarily involved in arranging or securing finance, leaving much of the creative execution to other parties in return for a fee. This approach reflected the group’s attempt to participate in a broad slate without necessarily controlling every aspect of each production. Most of the films associated with the announced program were not financially successful. Clancy of the Overflow, which had been proposed as a major production with a budget of A$12 million, was not made. The group was subsequently wound up after a relatively brief period of operation. Its accounting practices also became a source of considerable notoriety within the Australian film industry. Because the company was short-lived and its slate produced mixed commercial results, Burrowes Film Group is chiefly remembered as an ambitious but unsuccessful mid-1980s attempt to scale Australian film production and financing. Its associated credits include Cool Change (1985), Dogs in Space (1986), Ground Zero (1987), Running from the Guns (1987), Backstage (1988), The Man from Snowy River II (1988) and Minnamurra (1989).
History
Burrowes Film Group was formed in Australia in the mid-1980s, following the strong reception and commercial impact of The Man from Snowy River and Anzacs. The group was named after Geoff Burrowes and included John Dixon and George T. Miller among its other significant personnel. Its creation reflected a period of optimism about the capacity of Australian producers to mount larger-scale commercial productions and attract finance for multiple projects at once. In late 1985, the company presented an ambitious two-year slate with a stated total value of approximately A$53 million. The program included Cool Change, Free Enterprise, The Man from Snowy River 2, Clancy of the Overflow, Backstage, Future Tense and Ground Zero. The slate was intended to demonstrate scale and continuity rather than reliance on isolated productions. Several projects proceeded under changed titles. Free Enterprise became Running from the Guns, and Future Tense became Dogs in Space. The group's role varied from project to project. In the cases of Dogs in Space and Ground Zero, it was mainly concerned with securing finance and received a fee while leaving creative decisions to other participants. This financing-oriented model allowed the company to associate itself with multiple productions, but it also meant that its corporate identity was not always equivalent to direct creative control. The proposed Clancy of the Overflow was one of the most ambitious projects in the package. Based on the poem, it was planned as a production with a proposed budget of A$12 million and was expected to shoot in 1987. Unlike several other projects associated with the group, it was never made. The surviving credits connected with Burrowes Film Group include Cool Change, Dogs in Space, Ground Zero, Running from the Guns, Backstage, The Man from Snowy River II and Minnamurra. Commercial performance was disappointing overall. Most of the films associated with the group did not achieve financial success, and Burrowes Film Group was soon wound up. The company also acquired a poor reputation in the industry because of its accounting practices, which became a notable part of accounts of its brief history. Its collapse illustrates the risks faced by Australian production companies attempting to assemble large multi-film packages in a market with limited domestic scale and uncertain returns. Although its operating life was short, the group remains associated with a recognizable cluster of Australian films from the 1980s. Its history combines production ambition, project finance, title and slate changes, an unmade prestige project, weak commercial outcomes and an eventual corporate winding-up.
- 1989
Minnamurra credited among associated productions
[1]Minnamurra was released as the latest dated title listed among the group's select credits.
- 1988
The Man from Snowy River II released
[1]The sequel appeared among the group's associated film credits.
- 1987
Ground Zero released
[1]Ground Zero was released as another project for which the group mainly helped secure finance.
- 1986
Dogs in Space released
[1]Dogs in Space proceeded from the earlier Future Tense project concept, with Burrowes Film Group primarily involved in finance rather than creative control.
- 1985
Formation of Burrowes Film Group
[1]The Australian production company was established after the success of The Man from Snowy River and Anzacs, and was named after Geoff Burrowes.
- 1985
Announcement of the multi-film slate
[1]The group announced a proposed A$53 million package of films to be developed over approximately two years.
- 1985
Cool Change enters the associated film slate
[1]Cool Change became one of the first released films associated with the group.
Company wound up
[1]After most associated films failed to achieve financial success, the short-lived company was wound up.
Products and positioning
An ambitious Australian film production and financing group focused on assembling and packaging commercially oriented feature-film projects during the country's mid-1980s screen-industry expansion.
Feature film · 1985
Cool Change
An Australian feature film released in 1985 and included among Burrowes Film Group's select credits.
Feature film · 1986
Dogs in Space
A 1986 feature film developed from the project previously referred to as Future Tense. Burrowes Film Group was principally associated with arranging finance, while creative decisions were left to other participants.
Feature film · 1987
Ground Zero
A 1987 Australian feature film for which the group mainly helped secure financing in return for a fee.
Feature film · 1987
Running from the Guns
The released title of the project originally announced as Free Enterprise, and one of the films associated with the group.
Feature film · 1988
Backstage
A feature film listed among the productions connected with Burrowes Film Group's announced program.
Feature film sequel · 1988
The Man from Snowy River II
A sequel to the earlier Australian success that helped create the commercial context for Burrowes Film Group. It was released in 1988 and appears among the group's select credits.
Feature film · 1989
Minnamurra
A 1989 feature film listed among the group's select credits.
Unmade feature film
Clancy of the Overflow
A proposed film based on the poem, planned for production in 1987 with a proposed budget of A$12 million. It was the only project in the announced package that was not made.
Controversies
Brand decisions
1986
Use a finance-arranging role on selected productionsStrategyBackground
The group sought to participate in multiple productions without exercising full creative control over every project.
Action taken
For Dogs in Space and Ground Zero, it concentrated on securing finance and received a fee while creative decisions were handled by others.
Aftermath
The financing model became part of the group's operating approach, but the broader slate produced disappointing commercial results.
1985
Assemble a large multi-film production packageStrategyBackground
The company was formed during a period of confidence in Australian screen production following the success of The Man from Snowy River and Anzacs.
Action taken
It announced a proposed package of several films with a combined value of approximately A$53 million over the following two years.
Aftermath
Several projects were released, one was not made, and most associated films were not financially successful.
Announced package value. A$53 million (Announced in late 1985 for development over approximately two years)
Sources1 sources
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