Abe Forsythe.
Abe Forsythe’s zombie film Little Monsters, French-Australian co-production Slam and an as yet untitled film from the Roache-Turner brothers are among 12 productions recently backed by Create NSW.
The 12 productions, which include three features and three TV dramas, shared in over $2.5 million of funding via the agency’s Production Finance Program, Regional Filming Fund and Made in NSW initiative.
Create NSW has said the investments will see $60.85 million in direct production expenditure for state and create over 3,400 jobs.
As previously reported in IF, Forsythe’s Little Monsters, produced by Jodi Matterson (Down Under) with Steve Hutensky (The Nightingale) and Keith and Jess Calder (Blair Witch), is scheduled to shoot in Sydney later this year. The film, which blends romance, comedy and zombies, will be executive produced by Bruna Papandrea (Big Little Lies).
Partho Sen-Gupta’s French-Australian co-production Slam, which stars Adam Bakri (Omar), Rachael Blake (Cleverman, Lantana) and Abbey Aziz (Let It Be Love), will also shoot in Western Sydney later this year. Producers of the thriller are Michael Wrenn (Three Summers), Tenille Kennedy (Bad Girl) and Marc Irmer (Sunrise).
Tristan Roache-Turner and Kiah Roache-Turner will follow up Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead in a new film to be produced by Andrew Mason (The Matrix) and eOne’s Troy Lum. The currently untitled film will follow a man who discovers that he is part of a secret sect of magical beings who hunt down and destroy demons in the internet.
In television, Create NSW has backed an untitled eight-part series from Playmaker (The Code, Love Child), to be produced by Sue Seeary and EP’d by David Maher and David Taylor, as well as previously announced series such as SBS’ Dead Lucky, set to go into production this week, as well as season five of ABC’s Rake and season two of Nine’s Doctor Doctor.
Among the documentaries and factual projects funded are Bunya Production’s Beautiful Minds: The Agents of Change, Nel Minchin’s Making Muriel, Ten’s Todd Sampson ‘Body Hack 2.0′ and The Australian’s vodcast series The Queen and Zak Grieve.
It has also backed an unnamed documentary series from Screentime, to be directed by Jeff Siberry and Helen Barrow, and produced by Niamh Linnie. It will shoot in Sydney, Port Macquarie and internationally.