Until May 2014 when it moved to the State Library of Western Australia at 48 Lake Street, Northbridge, FTI occupied the heritage-listed old Fremantle Boys' School, opened in 1854–5.

[5] The FTI was the WA member of Screen Development Australia (SDA), along with other members Metro Screen (NSW), Open Channel (Vic), QPIX (Qld), Media Resource Centre (SA), and Wide Angle Tasmania (Tas).

[6] FTI administered many of the major funding grants available for short film and documentary production in Western Australia.

[4][5] By March 2017, FTI's Philanthropy Program had raised over $300,000 for West Australian screen projects since its inception on 2015.

It differs significantly from traditional grant funding models in that it permits year-round private sector donations to projects with little administrative interference.