Launched on July 30, Screen Australia's COVID-19 Budget Support Fund so far has supported 24 projects that are greenlit and ready to go into production within six months.
Screen Australia’s record spend on adult TV drama in 2017-18 has not come at the expense of support for feature films.
First-time feature directors Thomas Wright ('Acute Misfortune'), John Sheedy ('H is for Happiness'), Ben Lawrence ('Hearts and Bones') and Natalie Erika James ('Relic') will vie for the Australian Directors' Guild Award for Best Direction in a Feature Film ($1 million or over) against Sophie Hyde ('Animals') and Wayne Blair ('Top End Wedding').
While some distributors are cutting back, Umbrella Entertainment plans to release 19 titles in cinemas this year, up from 14 in 2019.
Natalie Erika James' debut feature, psychological horror movie 'Relic' will have its world premiere in the Midnight section of the Sundance Film Festival.