(L-R) Craig Silvey, Ben Young, Melissa Kelly and Ryan Hodgson, the team behind ‘Cage In the Wild’.
Monash, a drama about army officer John Monash from Bruce Beresford; a thriller from Jasper Jones author Craig Silvey and director Ben Young, Cage in the Wild; and a TV adaptation of novel The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart from Sarah Lambert and Made Up Stories are among the 21 projects to have recently received story development funding from Screen Australia.
The agency today announced seven television series, four online projects and 10 feature films will share in nearly $700,000.
Since July 2018, Screen Australia has had two strands for development funding: the Premium Fund for higher budget projects from established screen content makers, and the Generate Fund for lower budget projects with an emphasis on supporting emerging talent, or experienced talent wanting to take creative risks.
CEO Graeme Mason said: “It’s great to see such an array of established creators utilising the Premium Fund to pursue projects of ambition and scale. We’re particularly pleased to see more television and online development coming through our doors.”
“The Generate Fund is bringing new voices into Screen Australia’s development slate, and I’m thrilled we are able to support emerging artists like Ashlee Page working on her first feature with Fat Lady, and Dan Prichard developing his first screenplay with online series Sundowners.”
The TV projects include:
HIGH ROTATION
Cream Team
Genre Comedy, Drama, Musical
Producers James Cripps, Catherine Kelleher
Executive Producer Craig Anderson
Director Henry Stone
Writers James Cripps, Catherine Kelleher, Henry Stone
Synopsis Closeted dreamer Ella hasn’t made music in 10 years, but when an unauthorized remix of her dusty-old demo gets airplay, she decides to reignite her creative aspirations only to be confronted by the retrograde institutions of the Australian music industry.
LOG
Pirate Size Productions
Genre Comedy, Animation
Producer Bryony McLachlan
Writers Nick Watson, Dan Nixon
Synopsis A log drifts into the lives of people in need and somehow always manages to help.
PARTNERS IN CRIME
Bikeshed Productions
Genre Dramedy, Crime
Executive Producers/Directors/Writers Eliza Reilly, Hannah Reilly
Producer Julia Corcoran
Synopsis Sisters Katie and May are trying to make it in the crime world, without killing each other first.
ROUGH
Noble Savage Pictures Pty Ltd
Genre Comedy, Drama
Producers Hayley B Johnson, Majhid Heath
Director Catriona McKenzie
Writers Kodie Bedford, Rae Earl
Synopsis A woman’s quest for financial stability through the world’s oldest profession teaches her the importance of emotional independence and freedom.
SECRET THREADS
Rebecca Ingram
Genre Supernatural, Thriller, Crime
Creator Rebecca Ingram
Writers Michele Lee, Kris Wyld, Mike Jones
Synopsis Within the tight-knit and superstitious Hmong-Laos community of Melbourne, a suspicious death – believed by many to be a vengeful spirit – will drive Parita Waters to uncover the truth of a government conspiracy and her family’s war-time transgressions.
THE LOST FLOWERS OF ALICE HART (WORKING TITLE)
Made Up Stories
Genre Drama, Mystery
Producers Bruna Papandrea, Jodi Matterson, Steve Hutensky, Casey Haver, Sarah Lambert
Executive Producers Bruna Papandrea, Jodi Matterson, Steve Hutensky, Casey Haver, Sarah Lambert
Writer Sarah Lambert
Synopsis The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart (Working title) tells the story of a young girl whose violent childhood casts a dark shadow over her adult life. After a family tragedy, 9-year-old Alice is raised by her grandmother on the language of Australian native flowers, a way to say the things that are too hard to speak.
ZAROVILLE HALLOWEEN
Toy Shop Entertainment
Genre Comedy, Horror
Producers Ruby Schmidt, Ian Zaro
Writers Ruby Schmidt, Ian Zaro, Kodie Bedford
Synopsis Follow the exceedingly spooky and all too relatable life of Ian, a young black millennial living in the Far North Queensland town of Zaroville during Halloween!
The online projects include:
AVENGE MY DEATH
unko Pty Ltd
Genre Comedy, Crime, Mystery
Producers Belinda Dean, Ellen Fraser
Director Claudia Pickering
Writer Nicole Conway
Synopsis Wild 20-somethings Erin, Jax and Sara are inseparable – that is, until Erin goes on a date with a guy she met online and winds up dead. With the police bungling the investigation, Jax and Sara vow to hunt down her killer using the only piece of evidence they have: a dick pic.
MISERY FM
720 Creative Pty Ltd
Genre Comedy
Producer Karla Burt
Executive Producer Paul Walton
Director Tom Salisbury
Writers Michael Cleggett, James Lloyd-Smith
Synopsis An absurd series from cult comedy heroes Gravity Boots is a hilarious scripted snapshot of life inside a radio station located in the regional South Australian town of Misery.
SUNDOWNERS
On The Deck Productions
Producer/Writer Dan Prichard
Director Laura Scrivano
Genre Action adventure, Comedy, Science fiction, Family
Synopsis A mother. A son. A virus. At the end of the day, it’s all about love.
THE HOLY FLOYD FOLEY
Noble Savage Pictures Pty Ltd
Genre Comedy
Producers Majhid Heath, Hayley Johnson
Writer Shane Salvador
Synopsis When Pastor Floyd Foley’s flock numbers are threatened by the arrival of a hot shot new church, he and his congregation of misfits will stop at nothing to lure the congregants back. Guided by the hilarious BAFTA winning Allan Mustafa and Hugo Chegwin, writer Shane Salvador will bring small town antics and comedy together in the mockumentary series, The Holy Floyd Foley.
Feature film projects include:
CAGE IN THE WILD
Factor 30 Films
Genre Drama, Thriller, Crime
Producers Melissa Kelly, Ryan Hodgson
Director Ben Young
Writer Craig Silvey
Synopsis After a young woman leaves the scene of a catastrophic event and absconds to the forests of South Western Australia, she must learn to survive while haunted by the horror of her past.
DRAG MUMMA
Small Cow Productions Pty Ltd
Genre Comedy, Drama
Executive Producer Christopher Gist
Writer Christopher Gist
Synopsis During the time of Australia’s Marriage Equality Bill, an outer suburban mum enters the drag world by stealth to reconnect with her son.
FAT LADY
Causeway Films HQ Pty Ltd
Genre Comedy, Crime
Producers Samantha Jennings, Kristina Ceyton
Director Ash Page
Writer Ash Page
Synopsis An obese agoraphobe and her pretend welfare carer unexpectedly team up to make a quick buck and escape their downtrodden existence. Their plan; to sell ecstasy on the Dark Web. If they can avoid killing each other, they just might live happily ever after.
HEARTS OF STONE
Full Circle Productions Pty Limited
Genre Drama
Producer Stuart Quin
Executive Producer Stuart Quin
Writer Shirley Pierce
Synopsis A diverse group of lawyers of many races and creeds work to free people of colour falsely charged with murder.
INSIDE
Simpatico Films Pty Ltd
Genre Drama, Thriller, Crime
Writer/Director Charles Williams
Synopsis A prisoner approaching the end of his sentence is forced to sacrifice his last chance at freedom when his estranged son pressures him into murdering a young inmate.
MONASH
Dancing Road Productions Pty Ltd
Genre Drama
Producer Helen Leake, Gena Ashwell
Director Bruce Beresford
Writer Louis Nowra
Synopsis Sir John Monash, a complex, highly intelligent man loved by his men, is almost destroyed by the slaughter of his beloved soldiers at Gallipoli but he refuses to give in. He has to battle the establishment that looks down upon him due to his German – Jewish background, modernise conventional warfare and lead those under his command to a victory that broke the spirit of the German Army.
TURF WARS
Roar Film Pty Ltd
Genre Comedy, Drama
Producer Steve Thomas
Executive Producer Jason Byrne
Writer Martine Delaney
Synopsis When an old man and his late wife decide to grow vegetables in their nature strip, in the midst of a dying community, it becomes a battle with authorities. A battle that might just change the world around them.
UNTITLED LESLEY WILLIAMS PROJECT
See Saw Productions Pty Ltd
Genre Drama
Producers Emile Sherman, Iain Canning, Rachel Gardner
Executive Producers Lesley Williams, Tammy Williams
Writer Sarah Walker
Synopsis The inspiring true story of an indefatigable Murri woman’s hard-fought journey to self-empowerment and dignity in proud defiance of a lifetime of disenfranchisement, that would change not her only life but the lives of thousands of fellow Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
UNTITLED PROJECT
Macgowan Films Pty Ltd
Genre Comedy, Drama, Musical
Producers Marian Macgowan, Jason Stephens
Director Jonathan Teplitzky
Writer Joanna Murray-Smith
Synopsis Theatrical adaptation of a successful musical documentary series.
VOICES IN DEEP
Small Village Films Pty Ltd
Genre Drama, Thriller
Producers Jason Raftopoulos, Alexandros Ouzas
Writer/Director Jason Raftopoulos
Synopsis A tragedy at sea connects the lives of an Australian humanitarian worker and two orphaned refugees as they fight for survival in present day Athens.