Funding Approvals
2024-2025 Documentary PRODUCTION
ROBODEBT (WORKING TITLE)
3 x 60 mins
CJZ Pty Ltd
Director Ben Lawrence
Writer Jane Allen
Executive Producers Paula Bycroft, Michael Cordell
Broadcaster SBS
Synopsis A series that combines documentary storytelling with drama to uncover the human story of the notorious “Robodebt" scandal that struck at the heart of inequality and social cohesion in Australia. A brave bunch of Australians took a stand against Centrelink debts that were unfair, inaccurate and illegal. This is the story of their heroic fight against impossible odds.
END GAME
3 x 48 mins
Smashing Films
Executive Producers Daniel Brown, Steve Bibb, Dean Gibson
Broadcaster ABC
International Sales ABC Commercial
Synopsis Fed up with excuses, Tony Armstrong is on a global mission to find solutions to combat the rising tide of racism in Australian sports to create real change for future generations.
INTO THE NIGHT
4 x 60 mins
iKandy Films
Directors Janine Hosking, Katrina McGowan
Producers Janine Hosking, Katrina McGowan
Broadcaster Stan
Synopsis Into the night is an epic investigation into one of Australia’s most baffling crimes. This four-part series poses the question—how far would you go to solve a loved one’s murder?
RISE
1 x 90 mins
Only Human and Dreamchaser
Writer/Director Patrick (Pat) Abboud
Executive Producers Monique Keller, Billy Russell
Synopsis With exclusive access into Western Sydney’s underground LGBTQIA+ ballroom scene, the documentary RISE follows participants as they prepare to compete at the iconic West Ball. In a world seeking to erase them, which of these queer rebels will finally have their moment on the cutthroat stage?
CROWDED HOUSE
1 x 110 mins
Ghost Pictures Pty Ltd and Fumes NZ Limited
Directors Lynn-Maree Milburn, Richard Lowenstein
Writer Lynn-Maree Milburn
Producers Carthew Neal, Sue Murray, Richard Lowenstein, Andrew de Groot, Lynn-Maree Milburn
Executive Producers Paul Wiegard, Lawrence S. Mestel, Natalia Nastaskin
Broadcaster ABC
Distributor Madman Entertainment
Synopsis A cinematically immersive journey into the heart of the iconic band, Crowded House, and the unique song-writing genius of Neil Finn, unravelling the psychological complexities and challenges the band faced in the wake of their success, and spotlighting the evolution of the current line-up that includes Neil’s two sons, Liam and Elroy Finn.
DEATH OF A SHAMAN
1 x 90 mins
DOAS Productions Pty Ltd
Writer/Director Dan Jackson
Producer Dan Jackson
Executive Producers Robert Fernandez, Dan Levinson
Synopsis A Shuar shaman selects his grandson as his apprentice in the hope that he will preserve their people's ancestral wisdom for another generation. Meanwhile, the shaman’s son leads an Indigenous uprising that seeks to overthrow the Ecuadorian president. What transpires next will foreshadow either the preservation or destruction of a people.
SILENCED
1 x 90 mins
Stranger Than Fiction
Writer/Director Selina Miles
Producer Blayke Hoffman
Executive Producer Jennifer Peedom
Synopsis #MeToo broke the cultural silence on sexual assault but the backlash has given rise to a new kind of silencing. Now internationally renowned human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson is fighting for a woman’s right to speak.
TROUBLEMAKER
1 x 90 mins
Media Stockade Two Pty Ltd
Directors Jared Nicholson, Ben Lawrence
Writer Jared Nicholson
Producers Rebecca Barry, Madeleine Hetherton-Miau, Chris Kamen
Synopsis A massacre survivor and a filmmaker form an unlikely bond as they slip down the rabbit hole of paranoia, in a desperate search for solace and truth.
DIGBY & CAMILLE
1 x 90 mins
Yarra Bank Films Pty Ltd
Directors Trevor Graham, Digby E. Webster
Writer Rose Hesp
Producers Trevor Graham, Lisa Wang
Executive Producers Mitzi Goldman, Roger Savage, Jenny Lalor
Synopsis After eight years of dating, Digby and Camille want to marry, but can love conquer all when you are living with a disability?
ZYZZ & CHESTBRAH - THE POSTER BOYS
1 x 90 mins
Sweetshop & Green and Olympia Pictures
Director Selina Miles
Writers Tom Blackwell, Selina Miles, Harry Wynn
Producers Gal Greenspan, Tom Blackwell
Development Producer Anu Hasbold
Broadcaster Stan
Synopsis Following the meteoric rise of legendary bodybuilders and viral internet sensations Zyzz and Chestbrah, brothers Aziz and Said struggle to find their place in a hostile world. They discover a sense of belonging on bodybuilding forums, where they create their online alter egos—Zyzz and Chestbrah—building a dedicated global following. But Zyzz’s relentless pursuit of perfection threatens everything. When tragedy strikes, Chestbrah is left to piece together the complex legacy they created.
AGES OF ICE
3 x 54 mins
Northern Pictures Productions Pty Ltd
Director Karina Holden
Producers Nicola Sullivan, Karina Holden
Broadcaster ABC, PBS
Synopsis Exploring the future of ice, in the planet’s coldest corners.
THE GOLDEN SPURTLE
1 x 75 mins
Hytra Films and Hopscotch Films
Director Constantine Costi
Producers Rebecca Lamond, John Archer
Synopsis Once a year, contenders from around the globe descend on a picturesque village in the Scottish Highlands to compete for the title of World Porridge Champion. A mid intense rivalries, steaming bowls of porridge, and the lives of charmingly eccentric locals we see a living legacy unfold.
DEATH CAP
3 x 60 mins
Dreamchaser Entertainment Pty Ltd and Den of Martians
Director Gil Marsden
Producer Gil Marsden
Executive Producers Monique Keller, Carl Fennessy, Hugh Marks
Co-Executive Producer Billy Russell
Broadcaster Stan
Synopsis A seemingly ordinary family lunch becomes a global media story when four guests fall critically ill, with three later dying. With exclusive access into one of the highest profile criminal cases in modern memory, the documentary series Death Cap explores how one tragic lunch may shatter the myth of small-town security in Australia, while examining the fairness of a trial amidst a global media frenzy.