Photo: twitter.com/martinfoleymp

Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley today announced the Andrews Labor Government will provide $31.6 million in the Victorian Budget 2018/19 for the biggest transformation of the Centre in its 16-year history.

This funding is on top of $5 million already allocated by the Labor Government, and an additional $5 million to be raised from philanthropic sources.

The more than $40 million project will revamp ACMI’s permanent exhibition, improve the visitor experience, support cutting-edge technology and educational programs for young creatives. The project includes:

• redeveloping ACMI’s permanent exhibition
• expanding the Learning Centre to cater for double the number of students
• a new Audience Lab where the screen industry can prototype and test ideas
• a Digital Preservation Lab to showcase the very best film and digital content
• new interactive and immersive technologies embedded across the Centre.

The redevelopment will create around 100 jobs during construction and is expected to increase visitors by 50 per cent to around two million each year. The project is due to be finished by late next year.

ACMI is Australia’s only museum of film, television, video games, digital culture and art, and the most visited attraction at Melbourne’s Federation Square.