Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Screen Australia announces $5.7m+ in production funding

25/06/2019

25 06 2019 - Media release Screen Australia announces $5.7m in production funding

Josh Lawson, Evie Macdonald, Grace Feng Fang Juan

Screen Australia has announced over $5.7 million in production funding for three feature films, two children's television series and two online projects.

The slate includes a psychological thriller from director Daina Reid called Run Rabbit Run; a film adaptation of Leah Purcell's award-winning play The Drover's Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson; and First Day, a children's series about a transgender girl starting high school.

Screen Australia's CEO, Graeme Mason said: It s great to see several established creatives taking on new challenges. Daina Reid has had incredible success in television here and overseas, and we're excited to see her returning to Australia to direct ghost thriller Run Rabbit Run, the debut screenplay from award-winning author Hannah Kent.

Leah Purcell has an impressive body of work, telling powerful stories from behind and in front of the camera, and we're thrilled to support her first feature as director and lead. The Drover's Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson is a brutal and beautiful story of identity, and there's no one better to tell it on screen.

It's also exciting to support some stories which offer viewers a chance to connect with Australian experiences and perspectives that are rarely seen on our screens. In First Day we see an authentic portrayal of personal growth and acceptance; and Girl, Interpreted, a bilingual comedy series about a Mandarin interpreter in Melbourne, brings humour that carries across cultural boundaries. I'm confident these will resonate with viewers, Mason continued.

The feature film projects are

Run Rabbit Run: A modern day ghost story from director Daina Reid (The Handmaid's Tale) and writer Hannah Kent, acclaimed author of the award-winning Burial Rites. The film follows Sarah, a fertility doctor, who is frightened by her young daughter's inexplicable memories of a past identity. This feature will be produced by Carver Films' Sarah Shaw and Anna McLeish (Relic, Snowtown) who previously worked with Reid on the SBS drama series Sunshine. Run Rabbit Run received development funding under Screen Australia's Gender Matters Brilliant Stories initiative and will be the third feature from the initiative to go into production. This project received major production investment from Screen Australia and 30WEST, in association with Film Victoria and the South Australian Film Corporation.

The Drover's Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson: A film adaptation of Leah Purcell's award-winning stage play and reimagining of Henry Lawson's classic short story. Set in the Snowy Mountains of NSW in 1893, the film follows Molly Johnson as she and her children struggle to survive the elements. Molly forms a bond with run-away man Yadaka, who helps her to understand her true identity. This revenge Western asks the question, how far will you go to protect the ones you love? It is written and directed by Purcell who will also star as Molly, alongside Rob Collins as Yadaka. The producers are David Jowsey and Greer Simpkin whose credits include Mystery Road and Sweet Country, as well as Bain Stewart (She.Say.). The project has received development support from Create NSW.

Tin: A romantic comedy and second feature from writer/director Josh Lawson (Little Death) who is collaborating again with producer Jamie Hilton (Breath) as well as Michael Pontin (Standing Up For Sunny) and Isabel Stanfield. This film tells the story of time-poor Teddy who wakes up the morning after his wedding to discover that every few minutes he is jumping forward to the next year. Teddy must use every precious moment wisely to keep from losing the love of his life, and to learn to love the life he's losing. This project is financed with support from Create NSW, Spectrum Films and Cumulus.

The full list of funded feature film blocklines can be found here

The children's television projects are

First Day: A four-part series which follows 12-year-old transgender girl Hannah as she navigates the challenges of starting high school and finding the courage to live her most authentic self. The series is based on the stand-alone episode created in 2017 through Screen Australia and ABC Children s Girls initiative, a funding program to uncover and support the next generation of Australian female content makers. The episode won the inaugural MIPCOM Diversify TV Excellence Award for Kids' Programming and the Gender Equity Prize at the prestigious Prix Jeunesse International Children s Television Festival in 2018. The series is written and directed by Julie Kalceff, creator of hit online drama Starting From Now, and will star Evie Macdonald as Hannah. Producers Kirsty Stark (Unboxed) and Kate Croser (Top End Wedding) and co-producer Kate Butler are also attached. This project is commissioned by ABC Children s and financed with support from the South Australian Film Corporation and the Australian Children's Television Foundation.

Kangaroo Beach: A 26-part animated series centred on the adventures of four junior lifeguards - joey Pounce, koala Frizzy, wombat Neville and platypus Gemma. The furry friends are never far from fun, or danger, but under the guidance of grown-up lifeguards the young cadets are on their way to becoming pint-sized heroes of Kangaroo Beach. Each episode has an important water safety message, and consulting on water safety information will be Bruce Hoppo' Hopkins (Bondi Rescue) and Craig Riddington of Surf Educators International. This series is created by Tim Bain who has written for global hits such as PJ Masks, Fireman Sam and Thomas the Tank Engine. The writers are Tim Bain, Charlotte Rose Hamlyn (Blinky Bill), Simon Dodd (Spongo, Fuzz
LINK: https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/sa/media-centre/news/2019/06-25-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 ...

09/10/2026

Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026

September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026 New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...

07/10/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Media Operations from Ingest to Distribution

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...

25/09/2026

SVG GameDay, Ep. 32: National Hockey Leagues John Bochiaro - Leading the Leagues In-Venue Efforts

In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...

25/09/2026

HBS Taps Ronald den Hollander as CEO

Infront has named Ronald den Hollander as CEO of its Host Broadcast Services (HBS) subsidiary, effective 1 October 2026. The appointment follows the previously ...

25/09/2026

NABA to Host Cyber University 2.0 Cybersecurity Summit in New York

The North American Broadcasters Association (NABA) will hold Cyber University 2.0, a full-day cybersecurity summit for the broadcast and media industries, on Tu...

25/09/2026

Alpha Networks and Ateme Deliver Low-Latency Video Platform for International Sporting Event

Alpha Networks and Ateme have delivered a joint video platform for the digital d...

25/09/2026

Viaplay Migrates Free-to-Air Channels to Encompass Altitude Scheduling

Encompass Digital Media has announced the migration of multiple Viaplay free-to-air channels - TV3, TV6, TV8, and TV10 - to its Altitude Scheduling platform. Al...

25/09/2026

NAB Show New York 2026 Set for October 21-22 at Javits Center

NAB Show New York 2026 will take place October 21-22 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. Registration is open at nabshow.com/newyork. Th...

25/09/2026

NHL Network to Air NHL Tonight, NHL Now, NHL Tonight: First Shift, and On The Fly During 2026-27 Season

NHL Network has announced its studio programming lineup for the 2026-27 regular ...

25/09/2026

First Baptist Nashville Installs Clear-Com Arcadia Central Station

Clear-Com has announced that First Baptist Nashville has upgraded its production communications with a Clear-Com intercom system as part of a sanctuary technolo...

25/09/2026

Broadcast Management Group Upgrades to EVS XT-VIA Platform at Cloud Control Center

Broadcast Management Group (BMG) has deployed EVS XT-VIA live video production s...

25/09/2026

BBright Adds dotCentral as U.S. Sales and Support Partner

BBright, a Hexaglobe Group company, has announced that dotCentral has joined as a sales and support partner in the United States. BBright's portfolio cover...

25/09/2026

MeyerPro Deploys ROE Visual Graphite GP 2.6 for Acumatica Summit 2026

MeyerPro delivered audio, video, broadcast, and LED production for the Acumatica Summit 2026 at the Seattle Convention Center's Summit Building, January 25-...

25/09/2026

PWHL to Hold Inaugural All-Star Weekend in Toronto on March 7

The Professional Women's Hockey League has announced its inaugural All-Star Weekend, to be held Saturday, March 7, 2026, at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. The...

25/09/2026

Presidents Cup Makes Leap to 1080p HDR as NBC Sports, PGA TOUR Step Up Coverage

The 2026 Presidents Cup is underway at Medinah Country Club outside of Chicago with Team USA and an International Team of men's golfers facing off for four ...

25/09/2026

SVG Remote Production Forum Goes Inside WBDs Techwood Facility, Maps the Next Phase of REMI Production

Warner Bros. Discovery's Atlanta hub hosted a day of discussion on REMI prod...

25/09/2026

Antares release AutoTune Advanced

Algorithm update & new DVA vibrato-detection engine A new flagship version of Antares' iconic pitch-correction software has arrived, and along with a co...

25/09/2026

Two notes to launch the Captor X Pro

New flagship unit to arrive in early 2027 Two notes Audio Engineering have revealed that a new and improved version of their hugely popular reactive load bo...

25/09/2026

Finalist 2 from Tim Exile

AI-free mixing tool gets an upgrade Launched in October 2025, Tim Exiles Finalist is an algorithmic mixing tool that's been designed for those who don&#...

25/09/2026

Rohde & Schwarz Mobile Test Summit 2026 puts the spotlight on 6G - registrations open

Rohde & Schwarz Mobile Test Summit 2026 puts the spotlight on 6G - registrations...

25/09/2026

IBC 2026: When Intelligence Became the Industry's New Competitive Advantage

In our latest blog, Tim Pearson reflects on IBC 2026 and considers the main learnings against an industry that saw AI finally coming out of the labs and into pr...

25/09/2026

Digital Anarchy Releases Newest Version of its Real-Time Skin Retouching Tool for Video

Digital Anarchy Releases Newest Version of its Real-Time Skin Retouching Tool fo...

25/09/2026

Blackmagic Design Used on More Than 50 Summer Films in 2026

Blackmagic Design Used on More Than 50 Summer Films in 2026 Brie Clayton September 25, 2026 0 Comments Hero image: Disclosure Day Blackmagic Design p...

25/09/2026

How I Automated Social Media Resizing in After Effects - Free Script

How I Automated Social Media Resizing in After Effects - Free Script Graham Quince September 25, 2026 0 Comments If your text keeps getting cut off on...

25/09/2026

IBC2026 celebrates collaborative breakthroughs as it anno...

IBC has unveiled the winners of the prestigious IBC2026 Innovation Awards at an event held at the RAI Amsterdam on Sunday 13 September, honouring collaborative ...

25/09/2026

IBC2026 brings global media industry together to turn inn...

IBC2026 brought the global media, entertainment and technology community together for four days of business, innovation and collaboration at the RAI Amsterdam. ...

25/09/2026

Lightware Helps Integrators Overcome MacBook Neo USB Topo...

Lightware testing has revealed that each USB-C port on Apple's new MacBook Neo consumes three of the seven USB tiers available under the USB specification, ...

25/09/2026

Lightware Expands Education Support With New Products and...

Lightware is supporting educational institutions in building modern learning environments by combining professional training with education-focused AV technolog...

25/09/2026

Study: Only 10% of Young Adults Watched Local TV News Last Week

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

25/09/2026

Optimum, A+E Global Media Sign New Distribution Agreement

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

25/09/2026

MPA, Unions Back 'Motion Picture, Television, and Entertainment Revitalization Act

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

25/09/2026

NAB Show New York Announces More Speakers and Programming Highlights

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

25/09/2026

Comcast NBCU, NBCUniversal Local Award $2.5 Million to Nonprofits

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

25/09/2026

Orange Belgium Strengthens Its Consumer and B2B TV Servic...

Long-Standing Customer Renews Multiyear Contract for VO's Secure Video Player, Content Security, and Device Monitoring Solutions Viaccess-Orca (VO), a glob...

25/09/2026

Automate Video Progress Bars in After Effects - No Keyframes!

Automate Video Progress Bars in After Effects - No Keyframes! Graham Quince September 24, 2026 0 Comments Learn how to create an automated video playb...

25/09/2026

How to watch an unmissable weekend of womens football on Sky Sports and NOW

Friday 25 September 2026 How to watch an unmissable weekend of women's football on Sky Sports and NOW Sky Sports and NOW will broadcast seven live games f...

25/09/2026

YAGA trailer released, coming exclusively to Sky and NOW on 31 October in the UK and Ireland

Friday 25 September 2026 YAGA trailer released, coming exclusively to Sky and N...

25/09/2026

'Watch this space: a new strategic direction for UK media'.

Watch this space: a new strategic direction for UK media. Arqiva has submitted its response to the Governments Green Paper on the future of television distribut...

25/09/2026

Last chance to apply to be part of this year's Late Late Toy Show

Want to be part of this year's Late Late Toy Show? Final call for applications in search for this year's stars The most wonderful night of the year is...

24/09/2026

Broadcast Management Group Assists Virginia Public Media With Move to New HQ in Richmond

Broadcast Management Group (BMG) is supporting Virginia Public Media (VPM), the ...

24/09/2026

Two Red Digital Cinema Cameras Receive GhostFrame Pro Certification

RED Digital Cinema's RED V-RAPTOR [X] and RED V-RAPTOR XL [X] cameras with the Phantom Track feature are the first cameras to receive GhostFrame Pro Certifi...

24/09/2026

FOX Sports Adds 4K Live Stream on Tubi to List of Available Options for Cowboys-Eagles on Thanksgiving Day

Bringing together the full family of networks, FOX Sports is also adding Tubi, F...

24/09/2026

Virginia Techs Lane Stadium Invests in Gameday Experience with New Daktronics LED Display, Audio Solutions

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) has unveiled...

24/09/2026

SVG AI Innovation Lab Blog Tracks How AI Is Reshaping Live Sports Production

The blog collects SVG's reporting on AI across U.S. and European sports broadcasting Since SVG launched the AI Innovation Lab in April to advance the devel...

24/09/2026

SVG TranSPORT Keynote Conversation: How FOX Built a Transcontinental Transmission Backbone for the FIFA World Cup

SVG's annual TranSPORT conference, which will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 20 in...

24/09/2026

FloSports is Using AI To Build a New Generation of Live Production Tools to Bolster the Streamer's Internal Operations

The self-built Master Control Room has cut streaming operations incident-respo...

24/09/2026

Ortana Links AudioShake, ScorePlay for Live and Archive Audio Cleanup

Ortana Media Group, the software systems integrator behind the Cubix workflow platform, has connected AudioShake's audio separation models to ScorePlay thro...

24/09/2026

AudioShake Debuts Multi-Speaker 2.0 for Separating Overlapping Voices

AudioShake has released Multi-Speaker 2.0, the company's newest Multi-Speaker model, which removes 75% more noise and offers 32% better separation of overla...

24/09/2026

Op-Ed: Planning Media Day When the Calendar Isn't Certain - How MLB Clubs Can Prepare for 2027 Now

By Jon Morgan, Founder and Executive Producer, Ryval Studios For Major League B...