Australia – The projects include a futuristic look at the preservation of our planet, how young Australians are coping with housing affordability, cartoonist Michael Leunig reflecting on a full life, and insights into native title and human rights.
2040, an unconventional feature documentary set in the future from the team behind the third highest grossing Australian documentary ever, That Sugar Film. Director/writer Damon Gameau will read a letter to his hypothetical daughter on her 21st birthday in 2040 as a narrative device to discuss seminal moments in the time since her birth (2019) when humanity introduced solutions to improve the planet’s wellbeing.
Feature-length documentary Finke, which promises to be a thrilling ride taking audiences behind the scenes of one of the world’s longest and most dangerous off-road motorsports races – the Finke Desert Race in the Northern Territory. Film Camp’s Leunig: A Tale in 16 Parts, a portrait of one of Australia’s most celebrated and iconic cartoonists – Michael Leunig. The feature-length documentary will see Leunig, who is recovering from an almost-fatal brain seizure, reflecting on the formative experiences, fears, hopes and dreams that have fed into a lifetime of artistic expression.
Feature-length documentary Displaced, which will follow prominent Australian human rights barrister and advocate Julian Burnside as he interrogates the current state of human rights laws that underpin the principals of Western democracy. Through a series of interviews with global leaders, Burnside will use his legal training to examine, contextualise and challenge current Australian and international policies. Written and directed by Judy Rymer who will also produce alongside Lois Harris, Displaced has already pre-sold to BBC Scotland.
Wildlife documentary Dino Bird produced by WildBear Entertainment for National Geographic, which will provide a glimpse into the secret life of Bertha, a southern cassowary residing deep in the Daintree Rainforest. The second season of Housemates, which has been commissioned by ABC2 following the huge success of the first season which was the fourth-most viewed factual documentary program on iview in 2016.
Produced by Mashup Pictures, season two will continue to look at how young Australians combat housing affordability by share-housing and will introduce audiences to four unique living arrangements from around the country. NITV commissioned one-off documentary Wik vs. Queensland which will offer a uniquely Indigenous perspective on the landmark 1996 High Court decision that brought into focus the fundamental role played by land rights in safeguarding Indigenous culture in Australia.
