25 09 2023 - Media release Screen Australia announces over $10 million of production funding for nine projects L-R: An Ideal Wife writer/director/producer Sophie Hyde, Runt writer Craig Silvey and Ladies in Black director Gracie Otto.
Screen Australia has announced six feature films, two television dramas and one children's project that will share in over $10 million of production funding.
The projects include The Fox which stars Jai Courtney (Storm Boy, Suicide Squad) and is from the producers of supernatural horror film and worldwide box office hit, Talk to Me; An Ideal Wife about the story of Oscar Wilde's wife Constance Lloyd from writer/director/producer Sophie Hyde (BAFTA-nominated Good Luck To You, Leo Grande) and starring Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones); reimagined television drama Ladies in Black, adapted from the original novel The Women In Black by Madeleine St John; and season three of ABC's popular children's show Ginger and the Vegesaurs.
Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke said, These projects speak to the incredible breadth, quality and relatability of Australian stories. Australia's screen sector is something we should all be proud of. Australian stories allow us to learn more about ourselves, come to understand each other and let the world get to know us. The Australian Government is proud to support an empowered and innovative Australian screen industry.
Screen Australia's CEO Graeme Mason said, This latest slate announcement presents an exceptional line-up of feature films and television series that have the ingredients to surprise, entertain and translate on a global scale. These high calibre projects speak to the remarkable talent within the Australian film industry, and the international appeal that Australian stories hold.
This funding underscores Screen Australia's commitment to nurturing local talent, showcasing their creativity with audiences worldwide, and supporting innovative stories that resonate. Whether you love crime drama, comedy or period dramas there really is something for everyone in this unique mix of projects, said Mason.
In 2022/23FY Screen Australia supplied over $40 million of production funding for feature films, television dramas and children's programs.
The funded feature films are:
An Ideal Wife: This drama tells the story of Oscar s Wilde's wife Constance Lloyd, leader of the dress reform movement that led to women's widespread rejection of corsets. Told from Constance s point-of-view, audiences follow her discovery of her husband s relationships with men as she wonders if there is another, more progressive way for them to live leading to her own sexual awakening and transformation. Starring Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones), An Ideal Wife is from writer/director/producer Sophie Hyde (Animals, BAFTA-nominated Good Luck To You, Leo Grande) and writers Matthew Cormack (52 Tuesdays) and Claire Barr (Night Shift). Matthew Gledhill (Far From Men), Olivier Delbosc (Stars at Noon) and Chris Curling (The Miracle Club) are also producing. It is financed in association with the South Australian Film Corporation with support from the Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund. International sales by Embankment.
The Fox: After Nick, an affable heir to a vineyard dynasty discovers his fianc Kori is cheating on him, a rogue, talking fox that Nick captures offers him a trade-off to fix the problem: if Nick lets the fox live, the fox will help him save his relationship. All he has to do is push Kori into a magic hole with the power to change her into the perfect partner. But after following the fox's advice, the re-emerged Kori's new quirks make him question his decision. The Fox is a dark comedy feature film from Causeway Films that stars Jai Courtney (Storm Boy, Suicide Squad) and is from writer/director Dario Russo and producers Samantha Jennings and Kristina Ceyton, whose credits include Talk to Me. It is financed in association with the South Australian Film Corporation, with support from KOJO Studios and the Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund. Madman Entertainment is distributing locally and international sales are managed by Protagonist.
He Ain t Heavy: Needing to take drastic measures to protect her family, 30-year-old Jade puts her drug-addicted brother Max into a home-made rehab in their empty grandparents' house in this drama/thriller feature film. But Jade's plan quickly deteriorates when her mum, Bev, unexpectedly arrives and they discover Max is wanted for a crime. He Ain't Heavy is written and directed by David Vincent Smith and produced by Jess Parker whose credits include Featherweight and I m Not Hurting You. Kristina Ceyton (The Babadook, You Won't Be Alone) is executive producing, with Bonsai Films distributing locally. It is financed in association with Screenwest and Lotterywest.
Inside: After being transferred from juvenile to adult prison, Mel is taken under the wings of Mark Shepard, Australia's most despised criminal, and Warren Murfett, a soon-to-be-a-paroled inmate, in this crime thriller. But when Warren is forced to remove Shepard from the picture to pay his debts, he finds a surprising accomplice in the guilt-ridden Mel with the paternal love triangle that develops between them being their undoing. Charles Williams is writing/directing and is a Cannes Films Festival Palme d Or winner for All These Creatures. Marian Macgowan (The Great) and Kate Glover (The Phantom of the Open) are attached as producers, with Bonsai Films handling local distribution and international sales by Goodfellas (Wild Bunch). Inside is financed with support from the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) Premiere Fund and Screen NSW.
My Melbourne: Set in Melbourne, this feature film is a collection of diversified stories told by writers and actors forming t
