Screen Australia will invest $1.9 million across six documentaries including programs which look at the life of media mogul Rupert Murdoch and Warumpi Band leader George Rrarramu.
The six programs, which include one from the National Documentary Program and five from the International Program funding programs, will generate $7.3 million in production, according to Screen Australia.
George Rrarramu, the single film chosen from the National Documentary Program, details the legendary Warumpi Band front man and his contribution to Indigenous music. The documentary is written by Lisa Watts and Steven McGregor, who will also direct.
From the International Program, a two-part SBS and ITV documentary, Murdoch looks into the life of Rupert Murdoch, one of the most powerful figures in the world, and how he has radically impacted today’s media. The Murdoch empire grew from a small Adelaide home base to dominate the world but is currently under threat after a phone hacking scandal in the UK.
Also funded is three-part series Redesign My Brain. This series will explore the new science of brain plasticity with director/writer Paul Scott following a celebrity host experiencing a radical brain makeover. Paul Scott and Isabel Perez will produce Redesign My Brain for ABC TV.
For a full list of projects that received funding, see below:
National Documentary Program (NDP)
George Rrurrambu
Night Sky Films Pty Ltd
1 x 57 mins
Producers Rachel Clements, Lisa Watts
Director Steven McGregor
Writer Lisa Watts, Steven McGregor
Broadcaster ABC TV
Synopsis George Rrurrambu, legendary front man of the Warumpi Band, made an extraordinary contribution to contemporary Indigenous music and awakened the Australian consciousness of a third world in its own back yard.
International Program
Kakadu
Eye Spy Productions Pty Ltd trading as Northern Pictures
4 x 57 mins
Producer Sue Clothier
Director/Writer Nick Robinson
Broadcaster ABC TV
Sales Cineflix
Synopsis Kakadu, an epic four by one hour documentary series combining human and animal lives to tell the extraordinary story of a year in Kakadu National Park.
Murdoch
Electric Pictures
2 x 52 mins
Producers Andrew Ogilvie, Dinah Lord
Director/Writer Janice Sutherland
Broadcaster SBS, ITV
Sales BBC Worldwide, TenAlps
Synopsis The definitive account of how one man changed the face of the media and became one of the wealthiest, most powerful and enigmatic figures in the world.
Redesign My Brain
Mindful Media
3 x 55mins
Producers Paul Scott, Isabel Perez
Director/Writer Paul Scott
Broadcaster ABC TV
Sales Cineflix, Universal Pictures International
Synopsis For the first time on TV the new science of brain plasticity is put to the test as a celebrity host experiences a radical brain makeover under the guidance of the world’s top neuroscientists.
Possum Wars
360 Degree Films
1 x 55 mins
Producer Sally Ingleton
Director Bruce Permezel
Broadcaster ABC, SVT
Sales ZED, ABC Commercial
Synopsis When possums and people vie for real estate – it’s war!
Sydney Harbour – Life on the Edge
Prospero Productions
1 x 52 mins
Producers Ed Punchard, Julia Redwood
Director Russell Vines
Broadcaster Nat Geo Aus
Sales Content West
Synopsis A fascinating quest to reveal the true heart of Australia – its life on the coast. The first ever complete 360º view of Australia’s unique Sydney Harbour from the sky, land and beneath the waves.