Award-winning children’s television programs Lockie Leonard and Dogstar have now been given State Government support for the production of a second series.
The two highly successful programs are among four new Western Australian film and television productions to share in more than $1million in State Government funding through ScreenWest.
The other projects are the groundbreaking Indigenous feature film Mad Bastards co-produced by the Pigram Brothers, and the documentary My Asian Heart from CM Films.
Culture and Arts Minister Sheila McHale said State Government investment in these projects would ensure the WA screen production boom continued well into 2009.
“We already have nearly two dozen feature films, television drama and documentary projects currently being shot or in pre or post-production in this State,” Ms McHale said.
“The four new projects will now seek to lock down their budgets with national and international partners over the next few months.”
The Minister said it was particularly pleasing to announce financial support towards a second series of the AFI and Logie-winning children’s series based on stories by Tim Winton, Lockie Leonard, and the Australian Writer’s Guild Award (AWGIE) winning animated series, Dogstar.
“Both series were huge successes in Australia and internationally, and this has been reflected by the fact that the marketplace has come back and asked for more,” she said.
“While these four projects include both big and small screen productions across different genres, they all share the common element of telling uniquely Western Australian stories.
“From the remote Indigenous communities of the Kimberley to a view of modern day Asia through the lens of a WA photojournalist, these projects will utilise the many talented local cast and crew available, and take advantage of our unique and beautiful landscapes.”
Project details:
Lockie Leonard 2
Production Company: Goalpost Pictures
26 x 24-minute children’s television series
Synopsis: Growing up is an even hairier business.
Dogstar 2
Production Company: Media World Pictures
26 x 30-minute animation series
Synopsis: After the Dogstar is accidentally re-launched into space, the intrepid Clark kids once again set off to find their missing pet dog Hobart and return all the world’s dogs back to Earth.
Mad Bastards
Production Company: Bush Turkey Films
90-minute feature film
Synopsis: When TJ a renowned fighter in a remote Western Australian community is locked up one time too many, he takes on the prejudice of the local justice system and opens up new hope for his community by learning to fight a different way.
My Asian Heart
Production Company: CM Film Productions
52-minute documentary
Synopsis: Classic photojournalism is still alive, though struggling, among a new generation of photographers. Philip Blenkinsop is one of them.
Click here to read the Minister’s Media Release.
[Release by ScreenWest]