In the final round of drama funding for the financial year, Screen Australia announced production investment in 12 projects including two feature films, a television series and nine multi-platform programmes. Screen Australia’s support of over AU$4.5 million in these projects will initiate production worth over AU$25 million.
“In this round of funding we are pleased to be able to support a great diversity of Australian creative talent generating compelling stories on all platforms. These stories promise to help shape our national consciousness, challenge us, build resilience in our kids and make us laugh, all with great Australian content. They are intended to appeal to a wide range of audiences on the many platforms that now form part of our regular media diet. Here we see the breadth of formats, genres and innovative pathways to audience that the Australian production community is capable of,” said CEO of Screen Australia, Graeme Mason.
“The value of Australian stories was recently reaffirmed at Cannes with Australian film sales to international territories more than doubling the quantum of sales made last year. This capped the three Australian films screened at the festival receiving standing ovations and critical acclaim; and a prestigious award for veteran Indigenous actor David Gulpilil. Australian talent continued to shine on the world stage with Australians announced in key roles in many high-profile international productions.
“It is impressive to see Australians continuing to love their local fare on the small screen, with titles such as Parer’s War, Gods of Wheat Street, Family Confidential and Love Child going from strength to strength – the final episode of Love Child was the top-rating Australian drama programme in April with a combined average of 2.1 million viewers.”
Investment in this round will see the team behind the award-winning film, Red Dog producer Nelson Woss, director Kriv Stenders (Kill Me Three Times) and writer Daniel Taplitz join forces again in Blue Dog, the story of the early events that led to the discovery of Red Dog and his rise to become an Australian legend. Woss Group Film Productions’ Red Dog ranks among the top 10 Australian films of all time with over AU$21 million at the local box office.
Funding will also be allocated to Happening Films’ Downriver, a mystery film inspired by true events by multi award-winning short film director and debut feature film director and writer, Grant Scicluna. The film will be produced by Jannine Barnes.
Producer Ewan Burnett (Last Man Standing), writer/producer Louise Fox (Love My Way) and writers Kris Mrksa (The Slap, The Time of Our Lives, The Turning), and Giula Sandler (Love Child, Wentworth), will receive support for their television drama, Glitch. Matchbox Pictures’ supernatural drama, about a group of people fighting for their lives (for a second time) after they are accidentally resurrected from the dead, will be broadcast on the ABC.
A diverse and unconventional slate of nine multi-platform drama projects will also receive support.
From Queensland’s Ludo Studio, fresh from their Digital Emmy win for #7 Days Later, comes an animated comedy series called Doodles, which brings to life the artistic contributions of their social media audience.
Hoodlum (Secrets & Lies, The Stranger Calls), also hailing from Queensland and a Digital Emmy winner, will collaborate with filmmakers Michael Cox and Paul Mayze to make Illusion Five Sweeper Squad, a sci-fi comedy series about a dysfunctional team of cleaners tasked with mopping up after the super heroes.
Four Quarters, an innovative comedy series from WA, tells the fictional story of a group of footy fans against the backdrop of the current, real-time AFL season. It is produced by WBMC’s Aidan O’Bryan and Janelle Landers (Son of a Gun, Wasted on the Young).
Two interactive kids apps are in the round: Daisy Chain, by Protein One (the NSW creators of iTunes Best of 2012 app, Dandelion), is an anti-bullying app about a young misfit facing the issue of bullying, from producer/creative director Galvin Scott Davis; and from Victoria’s Bizzibrains producer Nicola Lansdell and creative director Kat Chadwick, I Learn is a story-driven app that builds kids’ confidence for their early years at school.
Katering is a parody of popular cooking shows, written and performed by Melbourne-based comedians Kate McLennan and Kate McCartney. The series will be directed by McCartney and produced by Tamasin Simpkin.
Commissioned for the ABC, Stories I Want to Tell You in Person is a two-part adaptation of the popular one-woman play from award-winning writer/performer Lally Katz (Wonderland, Wentworth), directed by Erin White (At Home with Julia), and produced by Katherine Slattery with Matchbox Productions.
The Wondrous Adventures of Desmondo Ray, from Tropfest and AFI-winner Steve Baker and producer Leanne Tonkes (My Mistress), is an animated series about a peculiar man-child who seeks true love in a world he has difficulty fitting into. The series is based on a short film which was an official selection for SxSW 2014 and is screening at the St Kilda Film Festival 2014.
Ricketts Lane is a musical comedy series for ABC2 and iView based on the Barry-award winning live comedy show by Sammy J and Randy. The series is produced by Donna Andrews (Pearlie) of Sydney-based Sticky Pictures (Me & My Monsters, Dukes of Broxstonia).
PRODUCTION INVESTMENT APPROVALS
Features
Blue Dog
Woss Group Film Productions Pty Ltd
Producer: Nelson Woss
Executive Producers: Su Armstrong, Joel Pearlman, Graham Burke
Director: Kriv Stenders
Writer: Daniel Taplitz
Domestic and International Sales: Roadshow Films/Good Dog Enterprises
Synopsis: The early events leading up to Red Dog’s discovery on the road to Dampier and his ultimate rise from ordinary dog to Australian legend.
Downriver
Happening Films Pty Ltd
Producer: Jannine Barnes
Executive Producers: Kristian Moliere, Anthony Nagle, Shaun Miller
Director/Writer: Grant Scicluna
Cast: Kerry Fox, Reef Ireland
Domestic Sales: Rialto
International Sales: Level K
Synopsis: The chilling story about a teenager, James who serves time for drowning a little boy when he was a child, although the body was never found. In an attempt to right all wrongs and uncover the truth, James takes dangerous risks to find redemption and return the missing body to the grieving mother.
Television Adult Drama
Glitch
Matchbox Pictures Pty Ltd
Producers: Ewan Burnett, Louise Fox
Executive Producer: Tony Ayres
Director: TBA
Writers: Louise Fox, Kris Mrksa, Giula Sandler
Broadcaster: ABC Television
International Sales: NBC Universal
Synopsis: The sleepy town of Yoorana is jolted awake one night when six officially dead people suddenly return. How did this happen? And why Yoorana of all places? For local cop James Hayes it is a professional nightmare and a personal crisis when he recognises one of these six as his recently deceased wife, Kate.
Multi-platform
Daisy Chain
Interactive app
Protein One Pty Ltd
Producer/Creative Director: Galvin Scott Davis
Synopsis: Daisy Chain is an interactive touch-screen app for children from the makers of Dandelion. The story follows a little girl named Buttercup Bree who doesn’t fit in, but hopes to ward off bullies through making daisy chains. The project is designed to encourage conversation between adults and children about bullying and help thwart this worldwide issue.
Doodles
Multi-platform animated web series
Ludo Studio Pty Ltd
Producers: Nick Boshier, Charlie Aspinwall
Executive Producer: Dave Jensen
Director: Daley Pearson
Synopsis: Doodles is a multi-platform, interactive, animated comedy series that takes real people’s drawings via social media and turns them into hilarious animated micro-movies featuring a cast of coloured-in characters surrounded by insanity.
Four Quarters
Multi-platform comedy series
WBMC
Producers: Aidan O’Bryan, Janelle Landers
Synopsis: Set against the guts and glory of AFL, Four Quarters is a multi-platform comedy series influenced in real time by the weekend’s footy results. It follows the lives of four friends as they talk life, love and grand final tickets every Monday at their local. There are curses to be shaken, (Eddie) bets to be made, and team infidelity rears its ugly head. Four Quarters is a funny and heartfelt story about football, passion, and making time for your friends (while at the same time hoping their team loses by 10 goals).
I Learn
Interactive app
Bizzibrains Pty Ltd
Producer: Nicola Lansdell
Creative Director: Kat Chadwick
Synopsis: In I Learn, kids put themselves, a parent and a teacher into the words and pictures of the story. They then help get their character ready and off to school where they’re immersed in the challenges and joy of the classroom and schoolyard. An imaginative tale about school and the emotions that come with it, I Learn builds confidence, entertains and educates.
Illusion 5 Sweeper Squad
Multi-platform sci-fi comedy series
Hoodlum Active Pty Ltd
Producers: Leigh McGrath, Nathan Mayfield, Tracey Robertson
Writer/Directors: Michael Cox, Paul Mayze
Synopsis: Illusion 5 Sweeper Squad is a 6 x 5’ sci-fi comedy series that mixes live action, computer animation and visual effects. It follows the trials and tribulations of Illusion 5’s support crew as they deal with ordinary workday problems in the most extraordinary of workplaces: outer space! Illusion 5 Sweeper Squad is the ultimate underdog story, packed with humour, action and spectacle.
Katering
Comedy series
Lead Balloon Productions
Producer: Tamasin Simpkin
Writers: Kate McLennan, Kate McCartney
Director: Kate McCartney
Synopsis: Katering is a 6 x 7’ online comedy series that follows Kate McLennan (a horrendously smug foodie) as she tries to teach Kate McCartney (a food-intolerant anti-foodie) how to cook a new dish each week. Together, the pair travel to fresh-produce markets and hunt down food trucks, with McLennan channelling every food show TV host she’s ever seen, and McCartney staving off boredom with a hipflask of booze.
Ricketts Lane
TV series
Sticky Pictures Pty Ltd
Producer: Donna Andrews
Writers: Sammy McMillan, Heath McIvor
Broadcaster: ABC2 and iView
Synopsis: Loyal, eccentric and prone to bursting into song at any given moment, socially inept, incompetent lawyer Sammy J and still pining divorcee Randy make unlikely best friends. Their cavalier approach to life sees them shunned by their neighbours and despised by their colleagues so all they have is each other. But when Randy’s need to win back his ex-wife clashes with Sammy’s push to finally win a case their friendship will be severely tested. Their can’t-live-with/can’t-live-without each other relationship will be forced to go one way or the other. Based on the award-winning live show by Sammy J and Randy.
Stories I Want to Tell You in Person
TV series
Matchbox Productions Pty Ltd
Producer: Katherine Slattery
Executive Producer: Debbie Lee
Writer: Lally Katz
Director: Erin White
Broadcaster: ABC and iView
Synopsis: Based on the stage play of the same name, playwright Lally Katz bares her soul in this part-confessional, part-stand-up routine, part-travel documentary and part-romance story. A disarmingly honest journey through one woman’s life, Stories I Want to Tell You in Person has psychics, cowboys, curses, karaoke, crazy next-door neighbours, Jewish boyfriends, bears, dolphins, magic and love. A surprising and heart-warming story of someone trying to have it all, Stories I Want to Tell You in Person allows us a brief peek inside Lally Katz’s magical world.
The Wondrous Life of Desmondo Ray
Multi-platform animated comedy drama series
Sense & Centsability Pty Ltd
Producer: Leanne Tonkes
Executive Producer: Andrew Wareham
Writer/Director: Steve Baker
Synopsis: From award-winning filmmaker Steve Baker, the series follows the wondrous adventures of Desmondo Ray, a peculiar man-child who seeks true love in a world he has difficulty fitting into. Based on the short film The Video Dating Tape of Desmondo Ray which was official selection for SxSW 2014 and is an opening night film at St KildaFilm Festival 2014.
