ScreenACT has announced the top ten feature film projects in the running for its Low Budget Feature Pod funding program.
The ten projects were selected from 42 participants who took part in a seven-day workshop run by international script consultant Stephen Cleary. Participants also received feedback from Titan View managing director John L. Simpson (who will distribute the final film), Ronin Films managing director Andrew Pike, Arclight head of production Michael Wrenn, and The Sapphires producer Kylie De Fresne.
The top ten are:
- Ariadne's Fate (Geraldine Martin; Science Fiction)
- Beneath the Sunny Skies (Susan Thwaites; Drama)
- Blue World Order (Che Baker, Dallas Bland; Science Fiction)
- Exchange (Declan Shrubb; Horror/Zombie)
- Flesh and Blood (George Jenkins; Drama)
- Oil and Water (Ian Hart; Drama)
- Payday (Kris Kerehona; Drama)
- The Farmer (Andrew Einspruch & Billie Dean; Comedy/drama)
- The Mission (Doug Kirk, Andrew Marriott; Science Fiction)
- Waiting for Robbo (Simon Weaving; Comedy/thriller)
“Low Budget Feature Pod is the third major Pod that ScreenACT has delivered over the past three years," ScreenACT director Monica Penders said in a statement. "And our most exciting to date, given that this is not just about development – it’s about at least one project going all the way through to production and distribution."
The ten projects and teams selected will receive three months of intensive development, working on scripts, budgets, financing and distribution plans. The final film selected will have a proposed budget of about $300,000, including investment from the ACT Screen Investment Fund.