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...

20/05/2026

New Nissan Stadium Is First NFL Venue With Permanent Built-In Music Stage

True to the Music City theme, the Tennessee Titans plan to make live music a prominent fixture on game days at the new venue Reflecting the continuing converge...

20/05/2026

NHL Taps Honeywell To Make Arenas, Facilities More Energy-Efficient

The long-term goal is innovation for the next generation of hockey rinks at both the professional and the community level The National Hockey League (NHL) toda...

20/05/2026

A Look Into the Future: What It Takes To Power the Next Generation of Sports Stadiums

End-users and vendors alike work toward cost-effective yet high-quality solution...

20/05/2026

Nasvhvilles New Nissan Stadium To Host Super Bowl LXIV in 2030

The National Football League has announced that Nashville will host Super Bowl LXIV in 2030 at the new Nissan Stadium. The announcement was made at the NFL Spri...

20/05/2026

NFL Awards Minnesota as Host Site of 2028 NFL Draft

The NFL has announced that the 2028 NFL Draft presented by Bud Light will take place in Minnesota, uniting fans from around the world to celebrate one of the mo...

20/05/2026

Lawo Highlights Edge One at InfoComm 2026

As professional AV workflows continue to evolve, expectations around audio, video, networking, and control are rising rapidly. At InfoComm 2026 in Las Vegas, La...

20/05/2026

Haivision to Showcase Video Wall, IPTV, and Ultra-Low Latency Video Innovations at InfoComm 2026

Haivision will showcase its latest innovations at InfoComm 2026, taking place fr...

20/05/2026

Spotify House Returns to CMA Fest With 3 Days of Nonstop Country Music

For the seventh year, Spotify is returning to CMA Fest with Spotify House, the festival's premiere destination for fans. We're taking over downtown Nash...

20/05/2026

Aero 2 from Acustica Audio

Amp-simulation software expanded Acustica Audio's latest release greatly expands on their amp-simulation platform, turning it into a complete amplifica...

20/05/2026

Arturia update the KeyLab Mk3

MainStage integration, Analog Lab improvements & more Arturia have just announced the release of an update that brings an assortment of new features to thei...

20/05/2026

SGL Carbon holds successful Annual General Meeting with strong approval of proposed resolutions

At the Annual General Meeting held on May 20, 2026, the shareholders of SGL Carb...

20/05/2026

From Gulkula to the nation: Yothu Yindi Foundation and NITV deepen national access to Garma Festival

From Gulkula to the nation: Yothu Yindi Foundation and NITV deepen national acce...

20/05/2026

SBS appoints David Fernandez as National Manager, Digital & TV Sales

SBS appoints David Fernandez as National Manager, Digital & TV Sales 20 May, 2026 Media releases SBS has appointed David Fernandez as National Manager, Dig...

20/05/2026

Rohde & Schwarz and INFOZAHYST: A strategic alliance set to redefine modern defense

Rohde & Schwarz and INFOZAHYST: A strategic alliance set to redefine modern defe...

20/05/2026

L3Harris Achieves Major Milestones With Latest Series of Rotating Detonation Engine Tests

A Rotating Detonation Engine being hot fire tested at Purdue University's Zu...

20/05/2026

VAMPIRE Confirms Integrated Capability During Live Exercises

A U.S. Army VAMPIRE system, assigned to Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 51st Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 7th Infantry Division/Multi-Domain Command - Pacific ...

20/05/2026

NCAA Tournaments Spark March Madness for Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery in Nielsen's The Gauge

Cable Captures Only Monthly Increase Among Viewing Categories in March, Earns it...

20/05/2026

The Gauge: Poland | April 2026

April brought a symbolic decrease in the overall time spent in front of television screens. On average, Poles watched video content for 3 hours and 51 minutes a...

20/05/2026

DirecTV Asks FCC to Block Scripps' INYO Acquisition

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/05/2026

RTS Technology Centre Launches the RTS Technology Awards...

The Royal Television Society Technology Centre today announces the launch of the RTS Technology Awards 2026, celebrating excellence, innovation and achievement ...

20/05/2026

Lightware powers immersive video spectacle for The Hunger...

In the heart of London's financial district, the new purpose-built Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre invites audiences to experience Suzanne Collins' inte...

20/05/2026

New LiveU LU900Q Powers Record Breaking Broadcast of the...

LiveU, the leader in live IP-video solutions, today announced that production powerhouse BCC Live successfully deployed the new LU900Q intelligent production un...

20/05/2026

Nella Mente di Narciso Docuseries Uses Blackmagic Design Workflow

Nella Mente di Narciso Docuseries Uses Blackmagic Design Workflow Brie Clayton May 19, 2026 0 Comments PYXIS 6K full frame camera and DaVinci Resolve ...

20/05/2026

Beeble launches Canvas, a node-based AI compositor for VFX and Virtual Production pipelinesx

Beeble launches Canvas, a node-based AI compositor for VFX and Virtual Productio...

20/05/2026

DSPolitical and FreeWheel Partner on Political CTV Ads

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/05/2026

Amazon, Netflix and Google to Capture Half of CTV Ad Market by 2030

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/05/2026

Roku Introduces 'Creator Hub

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/05/2026

First Nations Factual Co-production Development Fund launched to elevate Indigenous storytelling in global markets

First Nations Factual Co-production Development Fund launched to elevate Indigen...

20/05/2026

TLC Announces All-Star Comedy Line-Up for Mock the Week: Summer Specials' on TLC

TLC Announces All-Star Comedy Line-Up for Mock the Week: Summer Specials' o...

20/05/2026

'One Hundred Years of Solitude' Concludes This August, With Part Two Premiering on the 5th and the Grand Finale on the 26th

Back to All News One Hundred Years of Solitude Concludes This August, With Part...

20/05/2026

Beloved NHK Dramas to Stream on Netflix Worldwide Starting June 22

Back to All News Beloved NHK Dramas to Stream on Netflix Worldwide Starting June 22 Entertainment 20 May 2026 GlobalJapan Link copied to clipboard Netflix...

20/05/2026

Dolby Recognized as 2025 Supplier of the Year and Overdrive Award Winner by General Motors

May 20 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Recognized as 2025 Supplier of the Year and Over...

20/05/2026

Two cooks shortlisted for the final of RT Today's TV Home Cook Competition

Mayo's Dee Freney and Margaret Leahy from Galway have reached the final of RT Today's TV Home Cook competition. Both contestants will cook again live...

20/05/2026

RT IN FULL BLOOM AT BORD BIA BLOOM 2026 WITH LIVE BROADCASTS, MUSIC, CHAT AND MUCH MORE

RT IN FULL BLOOM AT BORD BIA BLOOM 2026 WITH LIVE BROADCASTS, MUSIC, CHAT AND M...

19/05/2026

Young Journalist' finalists visit London for training and networking

The winner of Thomson Foundation's Young Journalist of the Year 2025, Tracy Bonareri Onchoke, and runner up Wangu Kanuri enjoyed a three-day trip to London ...

19/05/2026

Cisco and USGA Announce Multiyear Partnership Extension

Cisco and the USGA have announced a multiyear extension of their partnership, which began in 2018. Cisco serves as the Official Technology Partner of the USGA, ...

19/05/2026

Urban Edge Network and Spiideo Partner to Enhance NAIA Sports Streaming

Urban Edge Network (UEN), a streaming platform for NAIA sports, has announced a partnership with Spiideo to provide streaming and production tools to UEN's ...

19/05/2026

Warner Bros. Discovery Announces Expanded Roland-Garros 2026 Coverage

Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) will provide live coverage of all 900 Roland-Garros matches across its platforms beginning with qualifiers on May 18. In Europe, 21...

19/05/2026

Tubi Launches FIFA World Cup 2026 FOX Hub

Tubi, Fox Corporation's free streaming service, has announced the launch of the FIFA World Cup 2026 FOX Hub, a dedicated destination for World Cup programmi...

19/05/2026

Telefnica and Sony Conduct 5G mmWave Broadcast Trial at Movistar Arena

Telef nica, in collaboration with Sony, has conducted a 5G connectivity trial at the Movistar Arena in Spain using the 26 GHz millimetre wave (mmWave) band. The...

19/05/2026

Ross Production Services Integrates Calrec Argo M into New Hypermax-1 Truck

Ross Production Services (RPS) has installed a Calrec Argo M console into its new Hypermax-1 remote production truck, replacing one of three Argo S consoles pre...

19/05/2026

Panasonic Projector and Display Acquires HIVE Media Control

Panasonic Projector and Display Corporation has announced the acquisition of 100% of the shares of UK-based media technology company Hive Media Control Ltd. (HI...

19/05/2026

Globecast Completes Major Renovation of Singapore Facility

Globecast has announced the completion of a nine-month renovation of its Singapore facility, converting it from a traditional linear broadcast operation into a ...

19/05/2026

Grass Valley Signs Three-Year Enterprise Agreement with Phoenix Broadcast Solutions

Grass Valley has announced a three-year enterprise agreement with Phoenix Broadc...

19/05/2026

Watch Brasil Selects Bitmovin for Streaming Player, Encoder, and Observability

Bitmovin has announced that Watch Brasil, a streaming platform operating across Brazil and Europe since 2018, has replaced its legacy systems with Bitmovin'...

19/05/2026

Ateme and Akamai Power Nepal Premier League Live Streaming

Ateme has announced the migration of Dish Home Nepal's Nepal Premier League (NPL) streaming infrastructure to Ateme's TITAN Live solution deployed on Ak...