A mobile coffee van that has its momentum halted by a space alien and a trans comedian who must navigate the pitfalls of viral fame are among the subjects covered by the projects in the first round of this year’s Digital Originals.
Screen Australia, SBS, and National Indigenous Television (NITV) have selected 10 projects to take the next step in the initiative, which aims to develop short-form drama to premiere on SBS On Demand, SBS Viceland, and NITV from screen creatives historically under-represented in the sector.
The chosen teams have commenced a workshop in Melbourne designed to provide them with an opportunity to work on narrative writing skills and develop their projects to align with the SBS Charter, SBS Commissioning Equity and Inclusion Guidelines, and SBS and NITV platforms, after which they will pitch Screen Australia, SBS and NITV. Up to five projects will then be selected to take their projects into further development, and from these, up to three will later be chosen for production funding and commissioning.
Screen Australia online and games head Lee Naimo said Digital Originals was “a genuine talent escalator” for emerging and under-represented creative talent in Australia.
“This initiative offers participants a truly unique opportunity to not only create a premium online series but to also learn from the best in the business and develop their projects in a nurturing environment,” he said.
SBS scripted commissioning editor, Loani Arman said the broadcaster couldn’t wait to work with the next crop of teams.
“The Digital Originals initiative is an unbeatable career pathway for creative talent from excluded or under-represented backgrounds who are burning to tell stories that are rich in culture, courageous in their points of view, and delivered with a level of excellence that sees their stories connect with audiences here in Australia and around the world,” she said.
Her sentiments were echoed by NITV head of commissions Marissa McDowell who paid tribute to the Digital Originals initiative for assisting in creating career pathways and elevating First Nations creatives by “providing meaningful support for emerging talent, and a platform to share contemporary stories from fresh perspectives”.
The selected Digital Original projects are as follows:
Blak Coffee: Dynamic Aunty Laureen and her headstrong but wayward niece Alysha strive for success in their mobile coffee van in a competitive industry, enticing caffeinators with their special bush blend. But the inconvenient arrival of a space alien who looks just like a Hollywood celebrity makes it ultra-challenging for them.
Team: Edoardo Crismani, Colleen Raven Strangways, Josh Trevorrow.
Boundary’s End: Two Blak Queens living on Boundary St, are thrust into the unknown when their onsite landlord dabbles in spellcasting, accidentally blurring the boundary between reality and fantasy. Now at the centre of a fairy tale with a confused prince and his esquire, they’ll need to complete wacky quests in order to find normality again.
Team: Kisha Broome, Miriam Dynevor.
Jennifer Eric is Cancelled: When trans comedian Jennifer Eric suddenly becomes a viral sensation, she must navigate fame, success and true love at a breakneck pace – begging the question of who will be there for her when it all comes to a crashing halt.
Team: Chloe Black, Olivia Bilic, Claudia Holmes.
Fish Boi: Second-gen Filipino-Aussie Kiko ‘Fish Boi’ Cablog takes audiences on a wild ride through clan, crew and culture as he cruises the highways and streets of Western Sydney – delivering fish for his family’s Filo (Filipino) store, while scheming his way to ‘escape the West’.
Team: Robertino Zambrano, Dulce Aguilar.
Dismissable: When their local beauty pageant becomes disability-only, disabled Alana and her able-bodied sister Nicky clash over whether to make it a success or take it down. As the disabled community competes for the crown, sometimes true equality is getting to be as shallow and backstabbing as everyone else.
Team: Rhian Wilson Ruge, Artemis Munoz, Alistair Baldwin.
Influenced: Eric, a charismatic paraplegic motivational speaker, is on the cusp of his biggest national tour yet. But when mysterious messages from his deceased ex-girlfriend begin to surface, they threaten to shatter the carefully constructed facade of Eric’s inspirational empire. Over six pivotal days, as the pressure mounts and his empire teeters on the edge of collapse, Eric must take drastic measures to take back control of his narrative.
Team: Isaac Elliott, Lucy Knox.
Lingered: When millennial Darcy returns to their regional hometown after transitioning gender, they reunite with their semi-estranged mother Nora, whose sudden decision to sell the family home unearths strange occurrences. But after stepping inside, Darcy discovers that Nora’s actually been hiding someone Darcy thought they’d never have to meet again.
Team: AP Pobjoy, Cyna Strachan, Kirsty Fisher, Jean Tong, Liam Heyen.
Little Korea: A film crew follows a naïve Korean migrant single mother who embarks on a journey to conquer the food industry in the brutally competitive Korean restaurant community.
Team: Lark Lee, David Gim, Katrina Irawati Graham.
Scrubbers: A black-owned roadhouse comedy based in the Nullabour plains. With the Nullabour road connecting East and West, it attracts holiday travellers, truckies, and a lot of misfits – meaning that lots and lots of strange things happen out there.
Team: Iya Ware, Emele Ugavule, Tommy Misa.
Six Suspects: A prized Indonesian ruby brooch, entrusted by the city’s mayor to the Melbourne Fashion Gala Festival for its grand finale runway, vanishes just before its unveiling by local hijabi model and showstopper, Inayah Muhammad. Suspect number one is Inayah Muhammad.
Team: Kauthar Abdulalim, Nazli Sevinc, Santilla Chingaipe.