Queensland Film Corporation
A Queensland Government-funded film development and production organisation that operated in Australia during the 1980s.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The Queensland Film Corporation (QFC) was a Queensland Government-funded organisation created under the Queensland Film Industry Development Act 1977. It operated during the 1980s as a public mechanism for developing the film industry in Queensland, Australia. Its original statutory purpose was broader than simply producing films: the corporation was established to encourage the growth of filmmaking and related industry activity in the state. QFC participated in a range of film and television projects during its existence. The projects associated with the corporation included feature films, television productions and a miniseries, among them Final Cut, Touch and Go, Airhawk, Outbreak of Hostilities, The Little Feller, Silent Reach, Buddies, The Settlement, The Naked Country, Frenchman's Farm, Travelling North and Fields of Fire. These projects are part of the corporation's documented contribution to Queensland's screen-production history, although the available reference material does not specify the precise financial or production role QFC played in each title. At one stage, the organisation was run by Allan Callaghan, who had previously served as a press officer to Queensland premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen. The reference material also records that Callaghan was later imprisoned for misappropriating government funds. It does not provide sufficient detail to establish the relationship between that matter and the corporation's individual projects or finances, so the episode should be understood as a leadership and governance controversy associated with the organisation rather than as evidence of a specific corporate finding. The corporation was eventually wound up in October 1987. By that point, it had spent approximately A$5.4 million on various projects, according to the cited reference. The available material does not provide a project-by-project breakdown, inflation adjustment or a formal assessment of the financial return. After QFC's closure, the Queensland Government established Film Queensland and the Pacific Film and Television Corporation as later institutional vehicles for supporting screen activity. In the contemporary Queensland screen-support structure described by the reference material, Screen Queensland is the equivalent funding body and owns Screen Queensland Studios. QFC is therefore best understood as a historical public-sector screen-development organisation rather than as a continuing commercial studio brand. Its significance lies in the role it played in Queensland's state-backed film policy during the 1970s and 1980s, its association with a group of Australian productions, and its place in the institutional lineage that preceded later Queensland screen agencies.
History
The Queensland Film Corporation was established in 1977 through the Queensland Film Industry Development Act. It was created by the Queensland Government at a time when state-based public support was being used to encourage film production and develop local screen industries. Although its name suggests a conventional production company, its original brief was not limited to making films. The corporation was intended to encourage the broader development of Queensland's film industry. During the 1980s, QFC was connected with a number of film and television projects. The documented titles include Final Cut and Touch and Go in 1980; Airhawk and Outbreak of Hostilities in 1981; The Little Feller in 1982; Silent Reach and Buddies in 1983; The Settlement in 1984; The Naked Country in 1985; and Frenchman's Farm, Travelling North and the miniseries Fields of Fire in 1987. The available reference does not describe the corporation's exact participation in every project, so these titles are best treated as selected productions associated with QFC rather than uniformly characterised as wholly owned or wholly produced works. The organisation's administration also became associated with a governance controversy. At one stage it was run by Allan Callaghan, who had previously been a press officer for Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen. The reference states that Callaghan was later sent to prison for misappropriating government funds. It does not provide enough information to determine the precise legal facts, dates or whether the conduct involved QFC funds, and no stronger conclusion should be drawn from the available account. QFC was ultimately wound up in October 1987. The organisation had spent about A$5.4 million on various projects by the time of its closure. The cited material gives no detailed accounting of the amount, its sources, project-level allocations or financial outcomes. Its closure marked the end of the corporation as a Queensland screen institution, but not the end of public support for filmmaking in the state. The Queensland Government later created Film Queensland and the Pacific Film and Television Corporation. Screen Queensland is identified as the later equivalent funding body and owns Screen Queensland Studios. Historically, QFC represents an early phase of Queensland's organised state support for screen production. Its legacy is institutional as well as cinematic: it helped place public film development within Queensland government policy and was associated with a catalogue of Australian productions made during the state's 1980s screen-industry expansion.
- 1987
Corporation wound up
[1]QFC was wound up in October after spending approximately A$5.4 million on various projects.
- 1985
Association with The Naked Country
[1]The film is listed as one of the corporation's selected productions.
- 1981
Association with Airhawk and Outbreak of Hostilities
[1]The two productions are included in QFC's selected film-related projects.
- 1980
Association with Final Cut and Touch and Go
[1]Both films are listed among the productions associated with the corporation.
- 1977
Established under the Queensland Film Industry Development Act
[1]The Queensland Government established the corporation with a mandate to encourage the development of the film industry in Queensland.
Products and positioning
A state-backed film-industry development and production organisation intended to build Queensland's screen sector and support film and television projects.
Feature film · 1980
Final Cut
A 1980 film listed among the productions associated with the Queensland Film Corporation. The available reference identifies the title and year but does not specify QFC's precise production, financing or distribution role.
Feature film · 1980
Touch and Go
A 1980 production included in QFC's selected filmography. The cited material does not provide further information about its creative team, budget or the corporation's exact involvement.
Feature film · 1985
The Naked Country
A 1985 film identified as one of the Queensland Film Corporation's selected productions. Available source material confirms the association but does not detail the corporation's contractual or financial role.
Feature film · 1987
Travelling North
A 1987 film listed among projects associated with QFC during its final year of operation. The reference does not state whether QFC acted as producer, investor, facilitator or in another capacity.
Television miniseries · 1987
Fields of Fire
A 1987 miniseries included in the corporation's selected projects. It illustrates that QFC's screen-related activity extended beyond feature films, although the available source does not describe its specific involvement.
Controversies
Allan Callaghan imprisonment for misappropriation
The reference records that Allan Callaghan, who at one stage ran QFC and had previously been a press officer to Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen, was sent to prison for misappropriating government funds. The available material does not establish the date, legal particulars or whether QFC funds were directly involved.
Brand decisions
1987
Wind up the corporationOtherBackground
After operating through the 1980s and spending approximately A$5.4 million on various projects, QFC was discontinued.
Action taken
The Queensland Government wound up the corporation in October 1987.
Aftermath
Film Queensland and the Pacific Film and Television Corporation were later formed, followed in the modern structure by Screen Queensland.
Project expenditure. A$5.4 million spent on various projects by the time of winding up (By October 1987)
1977
Create a public film-industry development corporationStrategyBackground
The Queensland Government sought to encourage the development of a local film industry through a statutory public organisation.
Action taken
It established the Queensland Film Corporation under the Queensland Film Industry Development Act 1977.
Aftermath
The corporation supported or was associated with a range of Queensland screen projects during the 1980s.
Recent events
- 1987
Queensland Film Corporation wound up[1]
Other
The organisation was dissolved in October 1987 after spending approximately A$5.4 million on various projects.
- 1977
Queensland Film Corporation established under state legislation[1]
Other
The Queensland Film Corporation was created under the Queensland Film Industry Development Act 1977, with a brief focused on encouraging the development of Queensland's film industry.
Later Queensland screen bodies succeed the corporation's development role[1]
Other
After QFC was wound up, the Queensland Government formed Film Queensland and the Pacific Film and Television Corporation. The later equivalent funding body identified in the reference is Screen Queensland.
Sources1 sources
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