Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Screen Australia announces $1 million of story development funding for 33 projects

15/08/2022

15 08 2022 - Media release Screen Australia announces $1 million of story development funding for 33 projects

Bear the Dog

Screen Australia has announced over $1 million of development funding for 19 feature films, 13 television dramas and one feature-length project to be released online. The projects include the first feature film from Aunty Donna's production company Haven't You Done Well Productions with The Alien Abduction of Emily Hill; the producers of Nude Tuesday teaming up on dark dystopian comedy The Border; and a young-adult dramedy about out-and-proud teenager Terry facing his bullies in The Outrageously Fabulous World of Terry Logan.

Also announced today are the seven successful teams to receive development funding through SBS, NITV and Screen Australia's Digital Originals initiative for 2022, with more information below.

Screen Australia's Head of Development Louise Gough said, We're pleased to announce this exciting mix of projects from experienced creatives on track to take their premium and distinct Australian stories global, as well as from up and coming talent with bold concepts with the potential to cut through.

Knowing your audience is fundamental to a project's success, and we're pleased to see applications coming in with bespoke pathways to engage viewers for niche and wide audiences. We'd love to see more projects being conceived and developed for a range of ages, especially stories for children, families and young adults. We encourage online creators to engage with us for development funding as they move their projects towards production.

This slate includes the remainder of projects funded in the 2021/22 financial year during which Screen Australia supplied $2.4 million of story development funding.

Among the titles receiving funding are five projects that came through Screen Australia and Australians in Film's Untapped initiative in 2021: Deadname, How Did We F*ck This Up, Pasa Faho, Unloveable and Salty. More information about these projects is available here. The successful practitioners and projects for Untapped 2022 will be announced in the coming months.

The projects funded for development include:

The Alien Abduction of Emily Hill: A comedy from writers Michelle Brasier (Why Are You Like This) and Sam Lingham (Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun) and the first feature film from Aunty Donna's production arm Haven't You Done Well Productions alongside Pacific Electric Picture Company who previously collaborated on Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun. This sci-fi rom-com follows Emily whose fiance, mid marriage ceremony, is abducted by a beam from the sky, and when it makes the news Emily finds herself sucked into her own bright spotlight of fame. Niki Aken (The Hunting) is attached as executive producer and story editor, with Christiaan Van Vuuren (A Sunburnt Christmas) contributing in the writers' room.

Bear the Dog: A feature film from writer Stuart Beattie (Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan) about a dysfunctional wildlife ranger, Ash, who is paired up with an equally dysfunctional rescue Koolie named Bear, to help rehome koalas. With a bushfire threatening the local koala population, together they learn that the things that make them different are actually their superpowers. Beattie teams up with producer Tracey Vieira (A Perfect Pairing) and executive producers Tracey Robertson, Tracey Vieira and Nathan Mayfield who previously collaborated on Christmas on the Farm, along with executive producers Susan Cartsonis, Brent Emery and Suzanne Farwell (True Spirit).

The Border: A feature film from writer/director Eryk Lenartowicz and writer Yvette Underwood, whose short film Dots screened at Cannes Film Festival in 2018. The Border is a dark comedy set in a dystopian, over-populated city surrounded by a forest inhabited by a terrifying creature that feeds off human sacrifices. In a world where population is strictly controlled and unsanctioned procreation is punishable by death, hopeless romantic Matylda discovers that she is unlawfully pregnant after an awkward one-night stand with Vincent. They are forced to make a choice between the rules of the city and the creature in forest. The Border will be produced by Virginia Whitwell and Nick Batzias of Good Thing Productions (Nude Tuesday).

Two Nations: A feature film inspired by the true story of journalism's most audacious sting. A small town Australian dog food entrepreneur is recruited as a fake pro-gun lobbyist to infiltrate the world's most powerful gun lobby, the NRA. This grounded, comedic thriller is the story of one man searching for a purpose, one nation understanding how much dirty money is in its political system, and how two nations are irrevocably intertwined. This film is written and directed by Trent O'Donnell (No Activity), produced by Jungle Entertainment with Bridget Callow-Wright (Big Deal) a producer on the project and Jason Burrows (Wakefield) as executive producer.

Wildflowers: The second feature film from writer/director Thomas Wilson-White (The Greenhouse) about Will Beckett, a listless wallflower, who takes a job as an assistant on an international period film shooting in Tasmania and falls into a love affair with the famous male lead. Losing themselves in a gentle and profound romance, the lines between fact and fiction blur and both men are confronted with reality when their time together abruptly comes to an end. Anna Seifert-Speck (Ammonite) is on board as script editor.

The Outrageously Fabulous World of Terry Logan: An eight-part television series about smart, funny 14-year-old Terry Logan who is out and proud at school but is bullied mercilessly for it. Terry finds the courage to face up to a world of bullies with his very own brand of outrageous fabulousness. This dramedy is created and w
LINK: https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/sa/media-centre/news/2022/08-15-scr...
See more stories from screenaustralia

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

11/05/2026

Ross Production Services 48-Foot HyperMax-1 Truck Quickly in Demand

New production unit features not only wealth of Ross gear but also Sony cameras, Canon lenses, and a Calrec Argo S audio board...

11/05/2026

Solid State Logic Launches TCA Tour Portable Audio Production System

Solid State Logic (SSL) has announced TCA Tour, a portable fly-away audio production system built from System T components for broadcast, touring, and live prod...

11/05/2026

Riedel Communications Named Official Connectivity Integration Provider for Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games

Riedel Communications has announced it will serve as Official Connectivity Integ...

11/05/2026

G&D and NETGEAR AV Launch KVM-over-IP Plugin for Automated Network Configuration

Guntermann and Drunck (G&D) and NETGEAR AV have announced a plugin that automates network configuration for G&D KVM-over-IP deployments on NETGEAR AV Line infra...

11/05/2026

The Famous Group and Elite Edge Announce Unified Ownership

The Famous Group (TFG) and Elite Edge, a production studio specializing in live-action production, show opens, set design, and fabrication for sports and live e...

11/05/2026

SVG All-Stars: Odair Auger, Tech Project Manager, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises

The native of S o Paulo, Brazil, will play a crucial role in the broadcaster'...

11/05/2026

Cobalt Digital to Showcase IPMX/ST 2110 Ecosystem at BroadcastAsia 2026

Cobalt Digital will exhibit its IPMX/ST 2110 product lineup at BroadcastAsia 2026 (Stand 5D2-4), anchored by the COBALT blueCORE family of standalone signal pro...

11/05/2026

Interra Systems to Demonstrate QC, Monitoring, and Captioning Solutions at BroadcastAsia 2026

Interra Systems will exhibit at BroadcastAsia 2026 (Stand 5C1-10), demonstrating...

11/05/2026

T-Mobile Deploys 5G and AI Tools Across 2026 PGA Championship

T-Mobile is serving as a technology partner for the 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, deploying 5G connectivity and ...

11/05/2026

Vizrt Named Official Technical Supplier of Eurovision Song Contest 2026

Vizrt has announced it has been named an Official Technical Supplier of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, in partnership with host broadcaster ORF. The 70th edi...

11/05/2026

WNBA and AWS Announce Multi-Year Partnership

The WNBA and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have announced a multi-year partnership making AWS the Official Cloud and Cloud AI Partner of the WNBA. AWS is also joini...

11/05/2026

NAB 2026: kronehit Awards Lawo and SLG Broadcast Contract for Full Studio Modernization

Austrian private broadcaster kronehit publicly awarded SLG Broadcast AG and Lawo...

11/05/2026

Behind The Mic: PGA Championship Changing Weekday Announcer Lineup for 2026 Tournament

Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...

11/05/2026

Eurovision at 70: The Biggest Hits, Artists, and Trends From the Iconic Song Competition

As Eurovision fans gear up to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the iconic song ...

11/05/2026

Pelo Spotify, artistas brasileiros geraram aproximadamente R$ 2 bilhes em royalties em 2025

Pela primeira vez na hist ria, o Brasil figura entre os oito maiores mercados de...

11/05/2026

Bastl Instruments showcase the Kalimba

New desktop instrument focused on tactile performance Bastl Instruments have announced the Kalimba, a new desktop instrument that combines physical modellin...

11/05/2026

1010music release the blackbox 2

Compact sampling workstation gains new features 1010music have announced the blackbox 2, a new version of their compact standalone sampler designed for DAWl...

11/05/2026

KOMA Elektronik Monoplex Eurorack sequencer

Performance-focused sequencer with microtonal control Berlin-based KOMA Elektronik have announced Monoplex, a new 42HP Eurorack sequencer designed for hands...

11/05/2026

IK Multimedia launch the Tonex One+

Boasts wireless control from mobile devices The latest iteration of IK Multimedia's compact amp and effects modelling pedal expands on the capabilities ...

11/05/2026

Transfigured Orchestra Vol 3: Cinema Brass from Sonora Cinematic

Spans traditional orchestral and experimental sounds Sonora Cinematic have recently released the third instalment in their Transfigured Orchestra series, de...

11/05/2026

SUPERBOOTH 2026 Video Show Reports

Our exhibition coverage Watch all our SUPERBOOTH 2026 video coverage in one place. Check back to this page regularly as we will be updating with more video ...

11/05/2026

You're not meant to look at an Eclipse, but you won't be able to take your eyes off Delta's Eurovision staging

You're not meant to look at an Eclipse, but you won't be able to take yo...

11/05/2026

L3Harris Reaches Over 50% in FAA Telecommunications Modernization

L3Harris has completed more than 50% of a nationwide effort to rebuild the invisible backbone of America's airspace....

11/05/2026

aconnic presents at Equity Forum German Spring Conference 2026, Frankfurt to engage with investors and analysts

aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, is participating in the Equity Forum Ge...

11/05/2026

CBS Sacramento Debuts New AR/VR Studio

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/05/2026

Gray Media Advances James Fitch to Senior VP, News Services

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/05/2026

Smarter Monetization Stronger Retention and PurposeDriven...

As Asia Pacific's streaming market continues to evolve, operators across the region are rebalancing their strategies and shifting their focus from subscribe...

11/05/2026

QuickLink to Highlight Latest StudioEdge Models StudioPr...

LONDON, MAY 11, 2026 QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will showcase its latest innovat...

11/05/2026

Cobalt Digitals BroadcastAsia Line up Highlights Flexible...

Cobalt Digital's BroadcastAsia Line-up Highlights Flexible End-to-End IPMX/ST 2110 Ecosystem Award-winning blueCORE standalone signal processors at the he...

11/05/2026

Encompass and VideoMagic Launch Altitude Intelligence to...

Encompass Digital Media, in partnership with VideoMagic International, announced at NAB 2026 the launch of Altitude Intelligence, an AI-powered platform designe...

11/05/2026

Louis Libin Preps for the World Cup's Spectrum Crunch

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/05/2026

Report: Broadcast Employment Hard Hit by AI

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/05/2026

Alfalite installs 150 LED panels in Torre Iberdrola audit...

Alfalite, the only European manufacturer of LED screens, has completed a major new corporate installation in Spain with the upgrade of the auditorium at Torre I...

11/05/2026

VEON Shareholders Re-elect Board and Chairman, Reaffirming Confidence in Digital Growth Strategy

11 May 2026 VEON Shareholders Re-elect Board and Chairman, Reaffirming Confiden...

11/05/2026

Fox Corporation Reports Third Quarter Fiscal 2026 Financial Results

Fox Corporation Reports Third Quarter Fiscal 2026 Financial Results NEW YORK, NY, May 11, 2026 - Fox Corporation (Nasdaq: FOXA, FOX; FOX or the Company ) t...

11/05/2026

Arvato Systems becomes a member of InsurLab Germany

Arvato Systems Becomes a Member of InsurLab Germany Collaboration in the insurance industrys leading innovation network G tersloh - Arvato Systems has joine...

11/05/2026

A Predator in Plain Sight: New true-crime podcast reveals definitive story of pirate radio DJ and abuser Eamon Cooke

Pirate Predator uncovers new information from victims and survivors of abuse on ...

10/05/2026

Berklee Honors Jacob Collier, Jill Scott, and Vinnie Colaiuta at 2026 Commencement

Berklee Honors Jacob Collier, Jill Scott, and Vinnie Colaiuta at 2026 Commenceme...

10/05/2026

RT ALL-IRELAND DRAMA FESTIVAL WINNERS ANNOUNCED

RT ALL-IRELAND DRAMA FESTIVAL WINNERS ANNOUNCED DURING GALA AWARDS STREAMED LIVE ON RTE.IE/CULTURE Kilmeen Drama Group hailing from Rossmore, Co. Cork Scoops ...

09/05/2026

Bastl Instruments showcase Kalimba

New desktop instrument focused on tactile performance Bastl Instruments have announced Kalimba, a new desktop instrument that combines physical modelling, F...

09/05/2026

1010music release blackbox 2

Compact sampling workstation gains new features 1010music have announced blackbox 2, a new version of their compact standalone sampler designed for DAWless ...

09/05/2026

New SoundApp ARA Plugin Transforms Boris FX CrumplePop

New SoundApp ARA Plugin Transforms Boris FX CrumplePop Jessie Electa Petrov May 9, 2026 0 Comments CrumplePop 2026.5 streamlines music, voice, and cin...

09/05/2026

Celebrating a TV Legend: Sir David Attenborough

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

09/05/2026

Playmetrics Acquires SportsEngine From Versant

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

08/05/2026

NBC Sports, Peacock Scale Vertical-Video Production Across Sports - and Beyond - Ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026

NBC's 9:16 live-production workflows power Courtside Live, Rinkside Live, Vi...

08/05/2026

ESPN Pieces Together Production Strategy After WNBA's Unsettled Offseason

Native 1080p HDR productions will rely on a mix of remote workflows from Bristol and Los Angeles Despite another prosperous WNBA season in 2025, there was no g...