Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Screen Australia invests in diverse projects acro film, television and multiplatform

30/05/2014

In the final round of drama funding for the financial year, Screen Australia announces production investment in 12 projects including two feature films, a television series and nine multiplatform programs. Screen Australia's support of over $4.5 million in these projects will initiate production worth over $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 program 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 $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, 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 multiplatform 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.
LINK: http://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/news_and_events/2014/mr_140530_appro...
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...

06/05/2026

Wisycom RF Solutions Support Gravity Medias Live Cycling and Marathon Broadcasts

Gravity Media Chief RF Communications Engineer Glenn Willems uses Wisycom RF over Fiber and wireless solutions across major cycling events and international mar...

06/05/2026

Sennheiser Spectera Module Now Available in Bitfocus Companion and Buttons

A Sennheiser Spectera module is now available in Bitfocus Companion and Buttons, enabling direct integration of Spectera with the two software platforms. The mo...

06/05/2026

Ted Turner, Cable Television Pioneer, Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer, Dead at 87

Ted Turner, the visionary media entrepreneur whose appetite for disruption helpe...

06/05/2026

FIFA World Cup 2026: Peacock Launches Visin de Campo (aka Pitchside Live), Will Stream All 104 Matches in Spanish

Peacock is going all-in on the beautiful game - streaming all 104 FIFA World Cup...

06/05/2026

NoiseWorks Audio launch VoiceAssist Basic, Standard & Advanced

New pricing tiers for vocal/dialogue restoration tool NoiseWorks Audio's AI-powered vocal and dialogue processing plug-in is now available in three diff...

06/05/2026

RME TotalMix FX 2 now available

Popular mixing & routing software overhauled Following a recent public beta test, RME have launched the final release version of the powerful mixing and rou...

06/05/2026

Focusrite: Designing The ISA C8X Audio Interface

New SOS Video Feature Focusrites ISA C8X is a milestone product that brings together the companys analogue heritage and their expertise in digital audio. Yo...

06/05/2026

L3Harris to Boost Polish Navy Combat Power with Advanced Ship System

Polands Miecznik-class frigates are part of the largest contract in Polish shipbuilding history. (Image Credit: PGZ Stocznia Wojenna)...

06/05/2026

FCC's Anna Gomez Urges Rigorous Review of Paramount-WBD Merger

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

06/05/2026

Riedel Ups Marc Engroff to CFO, Shifts Frank Eischet to Group COO

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

06/05/2026

Amagi Launches In-Content Ads' to Attract More CTV Advertisers

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

06/05/2026

Riedel Expands Leadership Structure Appoints Marc Engroff...

Riedel Communications today announced the expansion of its leadership structure as part of a strategic initiative to strengthen both its operational management ...

06/05/2026

Production Sound Mixer Dirk Sciarrotta Delivers Camera Re...

For nearly three decades, Veteran Production Sound Mixer and Five-time Emmy Award Winner Dirk Sciarrotta has helped define the sonic identity of the long-runnin...

06/05/2026

ZEISS CinCraft LensCore: Cinema Lens Looks for Compositing

ZEISS CinCraft LensCore: Cinema Lens Looks for Compositing Brie Clayton May 6, 2026 0 Comments ZEISS announces the launch of CinCraft LensCore, a nove...

06/05/2026

Wisycom Solves Extreme RF Challenges Across Miles of Live Action for Gravity Media

Wisycom Solves Extreme RF Challenges Across Miles of Live Action for Gravity Med...

06/05/2026

NAB Launches Weekly Podcast on Local Broadcast Policy

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

06/05/2026

Mavis Launches Mavis Studio iPad For Media Production

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

06/05/2026

Narrative Entertainment partners with Encompass to provid...

Narrative Entertainment has partnered with Encompass to deliver high-quality subtitling of its Great! network content using the Altitude Intelligence AI assiste...

06/05/2026

SipRadius extends its seamless creation and connectivity...

SipRadius, widely recognized for making content processing and connectivity secure and seamless, is proud to launch a dramatic new approach to AI content creati...

06/05/2026

Big Blue Marble at ANGA COM - TV as a Service in the spot...

When the broadband and media industry gathers at ANGA COM in Cologne from May 19 to 21, Big Blue Marble will be at the forefront. The international broadcast an...

06/05/2026

Cinegy makes its MPTS debut with software-defined televis...

Cinegy GmbH, a leading developer of software-defined television technology, is proud to exhibit at MPTS for the first time. Visitors to the stand will discover ...

06/05/2026

Val Jeanty Receives 2026 Doris Duke Artist Award

Val Jeanty Receives 2026 Doris Duke Artist Award Jeanty, a composer, percussionist, and turntablist, is the fourth Berklee recipient of the prestigious award ...

06/05/2026

Zeiss Launches CinCraft LensCore

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

06/05/2026

Gomez Urges Rigorous FCC Review of Paramount-WBD Merger

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

06/05/2026

Wisycom Solves Extreme RF Challenges Across Miles of Live...

When live cycling races and international marathons stretch for miles across cities and countryside, there is no margin for RF failure in live broadcast. As Chi...

06/05/2026

ZEISS CinCraft LensCore - Cinema Lens Looks for Compositi...

Oberkochen/Germany, May 5, 2026 ZEISS announces the launch of CinCraft LensCore, a novel solution for creating physically based cinematic lens looks for visual...

06/05/2026

VEON's Kyivstar Authorized to Resell Starlink for Businesses & Enterprises in Ukraine

06 May 2026 VEON's Kyivstar Authorized to Resell Starlink for Businesses & ...

06/05/2026

UKTV Brings the Early Years of Neighbours to U in 420Episode Back Catalogue Deal

UKTV has secured the exclusive rights to the early back catalogue of iconic Australian drama series Neighbours, following a landmark content deal with Fremantle...

06/05/2026

Sky commissions feature documentary to mark 10th anniversary of Manchester Arena bomb

Wednesday 6 May 2026 Sky commissions feature documentary to mark 10th anniversa...

06/05/2026

Sky and Formula 1 agree long-term partnership across UK, Ireland and Italy

Wednesday 6 May 2026 Sky and Formula 1 agree long-term partnership across UK, Ireland and Italy Sky in the UK & Ireland to remain the home of Formula 1 until ...

06/05/2026

GUPPYFRIEND champions microplastic reduction in sport with The Real Bag For Life Sky TV campaign

Sky Zero Footprint Fund-backed TV campaign launches nationwide, supported by new...

06/05/2026

Riedel Expands Leadership Structure, Appoints Marc Engroff as CFO and Frank Eischet as Group COO

Wuppertal May 6, 2026 Riedel Expands Leadership Structure, Appoints Marc Engro...

06/05/2026

Harmonic Defines a New Era of Broadband Connectivity at ANGA COM 2026

SAN JOSE, Calif. - May 6, 2026 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced its latest broadband innovations for ANGA COM 2026, highlighting its vision for a new e...

06/05/2026

Statement from Rupert Murdoch, Chairman Emeritus, Fox Corporation on Ted Turner's Passing

Statement from Rupert Murdoch, Chairman Emeritus, Fox Corporation on Ted Turner&...

06/05/2026

Calling all animal lovers, The Shelter: Animal SOS returns for a sixth season

Friday 8 May on RT One and RT Player Meet the NSPCA team caring for and protecting animals in need in this six-part series Fly on the wall, six-part series...

06/05/2026

NVIDIA Spectrum-X - the Open, AI-Native Ethernet Fabric - Sets the Standard for Gigascale AI, Now With MRC

The race to build the world's most powerful AI factories demands networking ...

06/05/2026

May 05, 2026

How changes to proteins can alter drug interactions for new precision therapies Scripps Research team maps how chemical modifications to proteins affect drug bi...

05/05/2026

Lessons from fragile contexts on responding to disinformation

Experts from the world of academia, tech, business, politics and media convened for a Thomson Talks at the Cambridge Disinformation Summit in April. It's th...

05/05/2026

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Phone Cameras Bring New Excitement to Street League Skateboarding

Three phones were hardwired for power and transmission to the truck; camera feat...

05/05/2026

Case Study: How Zaki Rose Rebuilt Its Production Infrastructure, and What It Means for Sports Content Creators

The creative studio behind campaigns for the NBA, Fanatics Sportsbook & Casino, ...

05/05/2026

Nielsen Co-Viewing Pilot Shows Average 4% Viewership Increase for February Live Events

Nielsen has announced results from a co-viewing pilot program covering February&...

05/05/2026

Nippon TV and FOR-A Win NAB Product of the Year and Future Best of Show Awards for viztrick AiDi

viztrick AiDi, an on-device AI solution developed by Nippon TV, delivered global...

05/05/2026

ARRI Introduces Omnibar LED Linear Fixture for Film, Live Entertainment, and Content Creation

ARRI has announced Omnibar, a battery-powered, IP65-rated multi-color LED linear...

05/05/2026

France Tlvisions Becomes First Broadcaster to Deploy Imagine Communications SNP-XS

Imagine Communications has announced that France T l visions is the first broadc...

05/05/2026

WNBA Announces Historic Canadian Media Rights Agreement with Bell Media

The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and Bell Media today announced a multiyear agreement to broadcast and stream WNBA games in Canada beginni...