Press release from NSW Government
Minister Assisting the Premier on the Arts, Virginia Judge today announced a further $2.4 million investment in the New South Wales screen industry.
The latest round of the Screen NSW Production Investment Fund will support 12 new screen projects expected to generate nearly $18 million in direct production expenditure in the state.
“The New South Wales screen industry is a thriving part of the state’s economy and an engine for growing jobs,” Ms Judge said.
“In Sydney, and around regional New South Wales, our film and television industries are back on the map and the Government is very proud to be supporting our talented screen industry workers.”
Feature films supported through the Government’s Production Investment Fund include:
• Griff The Invisible by first-time director Leon Ford and Cedar Boys line-producer Nicole O’Donohue;
• The Reef featuring Underbelly’s Damian Walshe-Howling; and
• The Tree, a French/Australian co-production by acclaimed director Julie Bertucelli.
“The Rees Government is committed to ensuring a bright future for the local screen industry, through targeted investments, and a broad range of programs both to support production and grow audience,” Ms Judge said.
“As well as these new production investments, the Government will provide $628,000 to fund 34 projects designed to support the broader screen industry through ScreenNSW’s Industry and Audience Development program.
“The allocations from the Industry and Audience Development Program provide many opportunities for audiences in regional NSW and western Sydney, as well as those closer to the city, to enjoy film festivals and other film-related events.
“The funding also provides for professional skills development in the screen industries which has been identified by the Government as a driver of innovation.”
Ms Judge said more than a third of the funding will go to regional NSW with another 10 per cent to be spent specifically in western Sydney.
“This latest announcement comes just after the NSW Government secured two key screen industry events for Sydney, the national Screen Producers Association of Australia annual conference and the internationally-renowned cutting edge digital media event, XMedia Lab,” she said.
“These two events will bring hundreds of screen professionals from Australia and internationally to NSW.”
Background on projects supported through the Screen NSW Production Investment Fund:
The 12 screen productions to receive production funding are:
• The Reef (Feature Film) – Investment $225,000
• Accentuate the Positive (Factual – Single) – Investment $50,000
• Storm Surfers 2 (Factual – Cross platform) – Investment $50,000
• Sales, Seduction and Sex (Factual Series) – Investment $175,000
• Sleeping Beauty (Feature Film) – Investment $375,000
• Oranges and Sunshine (Feature Film) – Investment $135,000
• Love in Time of Economy (Factual) – Investment $40,000
• Wrong Side of the Bus (Factual) – Investment $21,300
• Sleek Geeks 2 (Factual – Series) – Investment $110,000
• Making Australia Happy (Factual – Series) – Investment $150,000
• Griff The Invisible (Feature Film) – Investment $350,000
• The Tree (Feature Film) – Investment $110,000
Background to the supported film projects:
• The Reef, the new feature film from the creative team behind the highly successful genre-movie Black Water – Writer/Director/Producer Andrew Traucki and Producer Michael Robertson. The Reef tells of a group of friends holidaying – a week of sailing and diving in a tropical paradise. Disaster strikes when the boat capsizes, and the group have to swim to land!
• Accentuate the Positive, a documentary that looks at incorporating positive psychology into a high school curriculum to combat the epidemic of depression in the next generation, to be written and produced by Jessica Douglas-Henry and directed by John Janson-Moore
• The sequel to the thrilling Storm Surfers 1 documentary, Storm Surfers 2 from Writer Chris Nelius; Producers Marcus Gillezeau and Chris Nelius; Directors Marcus Gillezeau, Chris Nellius and Justin McMillan
• Sales Seduction and Sex is the fascinating story of how the department store is one of the greatest inventions to come out of the industrial revolution. Producers of the factual series are Sonja Armstrong and Christine Le Goff, Executive Producer is Chris Hilton, Writers are Sylvia Sagona and Sally Aitken, and Director is Sally Aitken
• Writer/director Julia Leigh’s debut feature film Sleeping Beauty is a bold story about Lucy, a young woman who accepts work as a ‘sleeper’ in a Sleeping Beauty Chamber: “You will fall asleep, you will wake up. It will be as if the hours never existed.” The first man to visit Lucy venerates her youth and beauty. The second is sadistic. Nonetheless she returns. Sleeping Beauty is produced by Jessica Brentnall and executive produced by Tim White.
• Oranges and Sunshine tells the story of Margaret Humphreys, a social worker from Nottingham, who uncovered one of the most significant social scandals in recent times: the forced migration of children from the United Kingdom. Almost single-handedly, against overwhelming odds and with little regard for her own well-being, Margaret reunited thousands of families, brought authorities to account and worldwide attention to an extraordinary miscarriage of justice. This feature film is written by Rona Munro and directed by Jim Loach. Oranges and Sunshine is produced by Camilla Bray and Emile Sherman and executive produced by Rebecca O’Brien and Iain Canning.
• Love in Time of Economy, an experimental documentary on the big things in life – birth, love and death and how the changing structure of 21st century life is impacting on these profound experiences. Written and produced by Tom Murray and directed by both Tom Murray and Madeleine Hetherton.
• Writer, director, producer Rod Freedman’s documentary Wrong Side of the Bus follows the journey of a father as he takes his son to South Africa, the land of his birth, to confront his guilt for colluding with Apartheid.
• Sleek Geeks 2, a factual series, takes an everyday look at science. Mixing humour and science, Dr Karl and Adam Spencer answer some of life’s mysteries. Executive Produced by Nick Murray and Michael Cordell, the series is produced by Rick McPhee and directed by Damian Davis.
• Factual series, Making Australia Happy, explores what is happiness and can it be improved? Science says yes and over eight weeks volunteers from Australia’s unhappiest suburb are put under the microscope to learn to be happy, and infecting those around them. Executive produced by Daryl Karp, the series is written by Mark Lewis, produced by Jennifer Cummins and directed by Kalita Corrigan.
• Griff The Invisible is the first feature film by writer/director Leon Ford. Griff and Melody are outsiders, invisible, until they find each other. Produced by Nicole O’Donohue, the film is executive produced by Jan Chapman and Scott Meek.
• The feature film, The Tree tells of eight-year-old Simone who, after the sudden loss of her much loved father, shares a secret belief with her grieving mother She’s convinced her father’s spirit lives amongst the high branches of their Moreton Bay Fig and he’s come back from the dead to protect them. Using the strength of imagination and invention as a means to survive, the film explores the unstoppable power of life asserting itself over sadness. Written by Julie Bertucelli and Elizabeth Mars the film is produced by Sue Taylor and Yael Fogiel, executive produced by Sue Taylor and Rose Blight and directed by Julie Bertuccelli.