A sequel to Warwick Thornton’s Sweet Country is among 19 new projects to share over $3 million from Screen Australia’s First Nations Department.
Set in 1930s Australia, Wolfram continues the story of Philomac, now 17 and still living under the watchful eye of his ill-tempered master Mick Kennedy. After meeting Max and Kid, Philomac decides to free himself and the siblings from the white men’s brutality by running away into desert country.
Steven McGregor and David Tranter penned the script, with the latter producing alongside David Jowsey, Greer Simpkin, and Cecilia Ritchie
Thronton said the film represented his family’s story.
“My great-grandmother and her daughters worked the Hatches Creek mines for whitefellas,” he said.
“Now a truth will come out and it’s called Wolfram.”
Other titles to receive support include NITV titles Dreaming Big, a six-part series that centres Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian youths on the cusp of becoming the nation’s next generation of sports stars, and Larissa Behrendt’s feature documentary One Mind, One Heart, about the discovery of a historic political Yirrkala bark petition and its journey home to Yolgnu country.
Screen Australia’s head of First Nations Angela Bates said the demand for First Nations funding had never been higher.
“Our First Nations creatives are at the forefront of Australian storytelling, with many incredible projects being celebrated on the world stage and even more in development,” she said.
“Across the 23/24FY, our Department invested over $7.1 million of funding including 105 opportunities across development, production, initiatives, attachments and market support – highlighting the incredible talent and rich narratives within Indigenous communities. With films like Wolfram and documentaries Dreaming Big and One Mind, One Heart, I’m inspired by the depth of powerful screen stories authored by First Nations Australians.”
Screen Australia has also announced the three television dramas, 11 feature films, and two documentaries that will share in over $540,000 of development funding. The projects include feature film Native Gods from 2024 Enterprise Business recipient Djali House; comedy series Long Story Short from writer/director Tanith Glynn-Maloney; documentary Fire Country, a transformative exploration of Indigenous fire knowledge and wisdom; and feature film RED, about eight Western Australian First Nations women who share the ugly secret of being surrounded by the missing.
Find the full list of projects funded for production here and development here.