ABC Children’s and Screen Australia have partnered on The Kaleidoscope Project, a new funding initiative that will back the creation of up to four standalone films that capture what it’s like to be a young culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) Australian.
24 features, five online series and two "high-end" television projects have received development funding.
"Each creative team is to imagine the episode is like an open letter to their 12-year-old self that explores the hopes, the dreams, the challenges, the hardships and the belly laughs that drive today’s girls," the ABC said in a statement.
Following two months of industry consultation, Screen Australia’s new guidelines for drama development funding – which are platform neutral and see broadened eligibility criteria - take effect from today.
Screen Australia has announced almost $750,000 of story development funding for nine feature films, 11 television series and two online projects.
Louise Gough is set to return to Screen Australia as head of development, succeeding Nerida Moore, who will depart the agency in December.
Screen Australia has announced $1 million worth of funding via its Enterprise program, including four Enterprise People talent opportunities and 11 Enterprise Business & Ideas projects.
Having hit its initial Gender Matters target, Screen Australia has set a new KPI: by 2021-22, it hopes that 50 per cent of key creatives across all projects that receive development and production funding are women.