Two feature films, one from Robert Connolly and the other a Kiwi-Aussie co-pro penned by 'The Breaker Upperers'' Jackie van Beek; a ABC TV comedy from Closer Productions; and two online projects are the latest recipients of $3.5 million worth of production funding from Screen Australia.
An air hostess escaping a cult, an Afghan refugee saving his family, an Australian father escaping a dead-end job and a bureaucrat trying to contain a national scandal each struggle – to the limits of their sanity – with an immigration system that is itself struggling.
The ABC intends to ramp up digital-first content as well as reaching new audiences, including those who rarely if ever watch broadcast television.
The ABC has released its 72-page 2020-2022 content plan, essentially a restatement of its core values and goals which also stresses the need to engage with new and younger audiences.
Wednesday's AACTA Awards saw a trifecta for Jennifer Kent, who took home Best Film, Best Direction and Best Screenplay for 'The Nightingale', with star Aisling Franciosi also winning Best Lead Actress.
Northern Pictures series 'Employable Me', commissioned by the ABC, has been nominated for a Rose d’Or Award for Reality and Factual Entertainment.
Megan Young has been appointed production executive for ABC Children's.
Some $1.17 billion was spent on drama production in Australia in the last financial year - the second highest year on record and more than 50 per cent up on the previous year - driven by all-time high expenditure on local content and significantly bolstered levels of foreign spend.