Funding Approvals
IN THE ARCHIVE
2021-2022 development funding
PREMIUM
1978
Bronte Pictures Pty Ltd
Genre Drama, Musical
Director Tony Ayres
Writer Pete McTighe
Producer Blake Northfield
Executive Producer Andrea Denholm
Synopsis In the heart of Sydney's Kings Cross an event like no other is about to come to life. Little do the people involved know what difference they will make in years to come. We take the journey with a young man living in a housing commission environment about to explore the world and community of his sexuality and fall in love for the first time. We discover 1978 - the birth of Sydney's famous Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.
BEAR THE DOG
Hoodlum Entertainment
Genre Action adventure, family
Writer Stuart Beattie
Producer Tracey Vieira, Stuart Beattie
Executive Producers Tracey Robertson, Susan Cartsonis, Nathan Mayfield, Brent Emery, Suzanne Farwell, Tracey Vieira
Synopsis With wildlife ranger Ash continually bumping heads with her co-workers, her boss decides she must find a dog to work with in the field where she specialises in rehoming koalas and ensuring they survive in their new homes. Bear has as many issues as Ash. He’s OCD and was given up for adoption because of his behaviour. Together, with a bushfire threatening the local koala population they must learn that the things that make you different are actually your superpowers.
HELENA!
Byzant Pty Ltd
Genre Drama
Director Gracie Otto
Writer Katherine Thomson
Producers Antony Waddington, Marcus Gillezeau
Executive Producer Elizabeth Trotman, Ron Halpern
Synopsis At the dawn of the 20th century, cosmetics guru Helena Rubinstein leaves Melbourne to conquer Europe then New York; the first woman to beat the men of Wall Street at their own game, she discovers the real cost of a global empire when her marriage, children and sisters’ livelihoods are at stake.
KANGAROO (WORKING TITLE)
Macgowan Films
Genre Comedy, Drama, Family
Director Kate Woods
Writer Harry Cripps
Producers Louise Smith, Marian Macgowan
Indigenous Consultant Danielle MacLean
Synopsis Kangaroo is a heart-warming family comedy about Chris Matherson who becomes stranded in an Outback town after a car accident. There, he teams up with 11-year-old Indigenous girl Charlie, and the pair form an unlikely friendship working together to rescue and rehabilitate orphaned joeys (baby kangaroos), an endeavour that proves to be life-changing for both of them.
THE LAUGH OF LAKSHMI
Felix Media
Genre Musical drama
Writer/Director S. Shakthidharan
Producer John Maynard
Executive Producer Bridget Ikin
Synopsis Separated during Sri Lanka’s civil war, a mother and son are re-united in modern day Sri Lanka.
MOVE
Borella Films Pty Ltd
Genre Family
Writer Steve Worland
Producer Sonia Borella
Executive Producers Joel Pearlman, Edwina Waddy
Synopsis When Ruby, 13, suffers injuries from a serious accident, her perfect dreams of a perfect dancing career are shattered. Charismatic ‘dance whisperer’ Ms Cameron, has other ideas, and with the help of Ms Cameron and her new dance troupe, Ruby might just come to see that being perfect is overrated.
SECRET SANTA
Nicholas Boshier
Genre Action adventure, Comedy, Family
Writers Jazz Twemlow, Nick Boshier
Producers Jazz Twemlow, Nick Boshier
Executive Producer Debbie Liebling
Synopsis Decades after a mind-blowing chance encounter with the man himself, four joyless ex-best friends must go on a globetrotting mission to find Santa. Again.
THE GOOD PEOPLE
Aquarius Films Pty Ltd
Genre Psychological thriller
Writer Hannah Kent
Producers Angie Fielder, Polly Staniford, Martina Niland
Synopsis 19th century Ireland: as the Catholic church wages war against pagan beliefs, three women conspire to free a young boy from evil spirits – leading to tragic consequences.
TWO NATIONS
Jungle Entertainment Pty Ltd
Genre Comedic thriller
Writer/Director Trent O'Donnell
Producer Bridget Callow-Wright
Executive Producer Jason Burrows
Synopsis Inspired by the true story of journalism’s most audacious sting. A small town Australian dog food entrepreneur is recruited as a fake pro-gun lobbyist to infiltrate the world’s most powerful gun lobby, The NRA. This grounded, comedic thriller is the story of one man searching for a purpose, one nation understanding how much dirty money is in its political system, and how two nations are irrevocably intertwined.
PARADISE
Aquarius Films Pty Ltd
Genre Drama
Directors Phoenix Raei, Rhys Graham
Writers Abdul Karim Hekmat, Roger Monk
Producers Angie Fielder, Polly Staniford, Osamah Sami
Synopsis Paradise is the powerful true story of two men who meet and fall in love in an Australian offshore detention centre. Their relationship becomes a life-affirming source of strength as they take on institutional indifference and overcome hopelessness, finally making their way to freedom.
JIMPA
Closer Screens Pty Ltd
Genre Drama
Director Sophie Hyde
Writers Sophie Hyde, Matthew Cormack
Producers Liam Heyen, Sophie Hyde
Executive Producer Audrey Mason-Hyde
Synopsis A straight woman, her Queer family, and a life changing visit. Acclaimed director Sophie Hyde's most personal film yet - JIMPA - is a celebration of LGBTQI+ culture and considers, with nuance, the conflict and connection of a multigenerational Queer family on screen.
BLUEY (WORKING TITLE)
Genre Drama, Coming of Age
Writer Director Darlene Johnson
Producers Darlene Johnson, Tania Chambers
Synopsis Bluey, an angry young woman trapped in a life of violence, meets a mystery mentor who could change everything. Bluey is a story of courage, transformation and survival.
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October 2021 announcement
DRUM WAVE
Carver Films Pty Ltd
Genre Folk Horror
Director Natalie Erika James
Writers Natalie Erika James, Christian White
Producers Sarah Shaw, Anna McLeish, Natalie Erika James
Synopsis A young composer confronts her fear of motherhood when she marries into a remote island community with bizarre fertility rituals.
IN MY BODY
Truant Pictures
Genre Horror, Thriller
Writer/Director Miranda Nation
Producers Zareh Nalbandian, Toby Nalbandian
Synopsis At a prestigious Parisian acting school, a young woman fights to keep her sanity as the rigorous classes, merciless instructors and cut-throat co-students turn her success into a matter of life or death.
LAUGH CLUB
Invisible Republic Pty Ltd
Genre Comedy, Drama
Writer Lou Sanz
Producer Michael Wrenn
Synopsis In the wake of a miscarriage, mummy-blogger Morgana King rejecting all sympathy assaults another parent and is sentenced to community service running the local misfit-filled Laugh Club.
NO FRIEND BUT THE MOUNTAINS
Aurora, Sweetshop&Green and Hoodlum
Genre Drama
Director Rodd Rathjen
Writer Ákos Armont
Co-Writer/Associate Producer Behrouz Boochani
Producers Ákos Armont, Gal Greenspan, Antony Waddington, Kerrin McNeil
Executive Producer Tracey Robertson
Synopsis Imprisoned without a crime, on an island hidden from view, Kurdish refugee journalist Behrouz Boochani, weaponises WhatsApp to rally the world, behind the cause of those in offshore detention.
THE ARCHITECT
Big and Little Films Pty Ltd and Cameron Lukey
Genre Drama
Director Leah Purcell
Writers Matt Cameron, Peter Houghton
Producers Cameron Lukey, Michael McMahon
Synopsis Based on the original play by Aidan Fennessy. Terminally ill, Helen has a decision to make. Her husband John is about to travel overseas and is insisting she hire a carer. To John’s surprise, she chooses the least likely candidate – Lennie, an enigmatic drifter and jack-of-all-trades. As Lennie wrestles with his past and Helen confronts her future, an unexpected friendship forms between two unlikely strangers.
THE SWEET ABOVE
Every Cloud Productions Pty Ltd
Genre Action adventure, Comedy, Drama
Writers Elliot Vella, Gretel Vella, Timothy Walker
Original Story by Wain Fimeri.
Executive Producers Fiona Eagger, Deb Cox, Mike Jones, Drew Grove, Michael Smith
Synopsis How an Air Race that changed history turned the people of a battling country town into heroes.
THE VIBE
Ben Howling
Genre Action adventure, Musical, Science fiction, Family
Writer/Director Ben Howling
Producer Ben Howling
Synopsis In Duey’s world, people radiate a visible and audible aura of music which reflects their mood, known as their ‘Vibe’. After a dance battle gone awry, Duey has his Vibe knocked completely out of him, leaving him Vibe-less and with only one option - to undertake the Sacred Pilgrimage to recapture his Vibe.
TOGETHER
Princess Pictures Holdings Pty Ltd
Genre Horror
Writer/Director Michael Shanks
Producers Mike Cowap, Andrew Mittman
Executive Producers Emma Fitzsimons, Laura Waters
Synopsis When not-so-young-anymore couple Tim and Millie finally take the plunge and buy a house they are exposed to a mysterious virus that causes their bodies to start to fuse together.
UNTITLED MATT OKINE PROJECT
Aquarius Films in association with Wooden Horse
Genre Coming of Age Drama
Writer/Director Matt Okine
Producers Angie Fielder, Polly Staniford
Executive Producer Jude Troy
Synopsis Based on his debut novel, Being Black n’Çhicken n’Chips, and loosely based on Matt Okine’s experiences of growing up in Brisbane, this film is a journey back to 1998, when 12-year-old Australian-African Mike Amon faces the struggle of entering high school, falling in love for the first time, a rapidly changing body – and learning that his mother has been diagnosed with late-stage cancer.
GENERATE
10 MOMENTS
Big and Little Films and Future Pictures
Genre Drama
Writers John Sheedy, Neil Triffett, Tim Spencer, Franco di Chiera, Pete McTighe, Brendon McDonall, Alberto Di Troia, Roger Monk, Samuel Van Grinsven, Adrian Chiarella
Directors Nicholas Verso, Neil Triffett, Samuel Van Grinsven, Aaron Wilson, Adrian Chiarella
Producer Matt Govoni
Executive Producer Michael McMahon
Synopsis An 11x10 minute anthology feature film that tells the story of a gay male relationship from the moment a couple first meet through to their decision to continue or separate ten years later, using eleven key moments told by eleven gay male directors working in a multiplicity of genres.
A LIFE UNKNOWN (WORKING TITLE)
Ismail Ahmed Khan
Genre Drama, Mystery
Writer/Director Izzy Khan
Synopsis A young mother, living as a foreigner with her husband in his home country, must learn to live without him after his strange disappearance.
DEADNAME
Kylie Aoibheann
Genre Psychological horror
Writer/Director Kylie Aoibheann
Synopsis Returning to her creaky family home in search of answers to her mother’s horrific death, a 20-year-old transgender woman is haunted by the grotesque apparition of her younger “male” self... which seeks to reclaim what belongs to it.
PASA FAHO
Kalu Oji
Genre Comedy, Drama, Family
Writer/Director Kalu Oji
Producer Ivy Mutuku, Mimo Mukii
Synopsis It’s been nearly two years since struggling shoe shop owner, Azubuike, has spent a summer holidays with his now 10 year old son, Obinna. When Azubuike receives news that his store is to be sold to developers, the task of guiding Obinna into manhood seems unfathomable in the midst of his economic downfall. When Obinna, in anger, commits a shocking act, Azubuike must confront his own demons to be able to rekindle their bond, before it is lost for good.
SEBASTIAN
Wildflower Films Pty Ltd
Genre Comedy, Drama
Writer/Director Taylor Ferguson
Producer Nicole O’Donohue
Synopsis After the death of her brother and a family divorce, a determined 12 year-old (Drew) navigates a loving but destructive relationship with her childlike mother as she swindles her way into an elite pony club, uninvited. Set against the backdrop of Far North Queensland, this is a gritty and funny coming of age story exploring the depths of grief within a dysfunctional family and how it shapes us.
SMALL SPACES
Triptych Pictures Pty Ltd
Genre Thriller
Writer/Director Shelly Lauman
Producers Kristian Moliere, Rebecca Green
Synopsis Nine years ago, Tash Carmody saw her imaginary friend, Sparrow, abduct young Mallory Fisher at a carnival but no one believed her. Now in her final year of high school, Tash has learnt to manage the trauma caused by the past. That is, until Sparrow reappears and childhood memories come flooding back. As Tash tries to determine what is real and what isn't, discovering the truth about what happened to Mallory that night is the only key to ending her nightmare that just won’t go away.
THE ALIEN ABDUCTION OF EMILY HILL
Haven't You Done Well Productions and Pacific Electric Picture Company
Genre Romantic comedy, Science fiction
Writers Michelle Brasier, Sam Lingham
Producers Michelle Brasier, Sam Lingham, Georgia Mappin, Ed Helms, Mike Falbo, Brett Harris
Executive Producer Niki Aken
Synopsis When Emily’s fiance, mid marriage ceremony, is abducted by a beam from the sky, she finds herself sucked into her own bright spotlight.
THE BORDER
Good Thing Productions Company Pty Ltd
Genre Comedy
Director Eryk Lenartowicz
Writers Eryk Lenartowicz, Yvette Underwood
Producers Virginia Whitwell, Nick Batzias
Synopsis The last city left on Earth, an absurdly overpopulated dystopian metropolis surrounded by a malevolent forest inhabited by a terrifying creature that feeds off human sacrifices. Population is strictly controlled, unsanctioned procreation punishable by death and self-sacrifice rewarded. A hopeless romantic, Matylda, discovers that she is unlawfully pregnant after an awkward one-night stand with Vincent. They are forced to make a choice between the rules of the city, and the creature in forest.
THE COCONUT CHILDREN
Caravan Pictures Pty Ltd
Genre Comedy, Drama, Romance
Director Ben Lawrence
Co-Writers Vivian Pham, Kim Pham
Producer Paula Jensen
Synopsis Based on the highly acclaimed, award-winning debut novel, this adaptation transforms the bitter-sweet coming-of-age story where Hong Kong cinema, Shakespeare monologues and a drunken grandmother collide with the infinite possibilities of a girl’s wild imagination and the desperate heart of a teenager searching for love and identity.
WILDFLOWERS
Thomas Wilson-White
Genre Comedy, Drama, Romance
Writer/Director Thomas Wilson-White
Synopsis Will Beckett takes a job as an assistant on an international period film shooting in Tasmania and falls into a love affair with the famous male lead. Losing themselves in a gentle and profound romance, the lines between fact and fiction blur and both men are confronted with reality when their time together abruptly comes to an end.
AGRIPPINA
Blackfella Films Pty Ltd
Genre Drama
Writer/Director Amanda Blue
Producers Darren Dale, Erin Bretherton
Synopsis A curious teenage girl escapes the restrictive confines of her migrant suburban community to discover love, her sexuality and acceptance in 1980s queer Sydney.
MELALEUCA
Everyone We Know
Genre Drama
Director Jessica Barclay Lawton
Writers Jessica Barclay Lawton, Zef Aster
Producer Lizzie Cater, Zef Aster
Executive Producer Kate Laurie
Synopsis A genderqueer 21-year-old is propelled into a complicated sexual awakening, while they wrestle the angst and restlessness of a young life in crisis.
MIMESIS
Triptych Pictures Pty Ltd
Genre Drama, Science Fiction, Psychological
Director Hannah Hilliard
Writers Hannah Hilliard, Ian Shadwell
Producer Kristian Moliere
Synopsis When gifted computer scientist Beth Francis resurrects her dead sister Ivy as an Artificial Consciousness, she hopes to heal her grief and revolutionise science. But as Virtual Ivy struggles with her new identity, she shines the light on Beth’s fractured relationship with their mother, drawing them into a re-examination of the circumstances leading up to her unexplained death. As Virtual Ivy’s intelligence grows, Beth confronts the possibility that she may become more powerful than the women who made her.
DOWN THE HUME
Azure Productions Pty Ltd
Genre Drama, Neo-noir
Director Craig Boreham
Writers Craig Boreham, Peter Polites, Adrian Chiarella
Producers Annmaree J Bell, Paul Struthers
Synopsis When Bux, a young gay Greek man, suspects his Anglo boyfriend, Nice Arms Pete, is stepping out on him he decides to stalk him amongst the gay beats of the western suburbs. But he soon discovers that the web of betrayal goes far deeper than he could ever have imagined.
SWEET MILK LAKE
Harvey Zielinski
Genre Dramedy
Writer Harvey Zielinski
Producers Rosie Lourde, Harvey Zielinski
Synopsis After being mistaken for his alpha-cis twin brother by his estranged and dying dad, a soft-spoken trans-man relishes the opportunity to be “one of the boys”; until the weight of the lie becomes heavier than his need for the truth.
COMMON GROUND
Carolyn Johnson Films Pty Ltd
Genre Drama
Writers/Directors Amin Palangi, Eve Spence
Producer Carolyn Johnson
Synopsis Kayla, a couch-surfing young woman in need of a home, sets out to find her estranged cousin who can support her. Then she meets a refugee with nothing to offer but love. Will Kayla risk her newfound security for him?
INSIDE
Simpatico Films Pty Ltd
Genre Drama, Crime
Writer/Director Charles Williams
Producer Marian Macgowan
Synopsis When a soon-to-be-paroled inmate manipulates a juvenile into murdering Australia's most infamous never-to-be released prisoner, a strange paternal love triangle forms, with transformative and shocking consequences for all.
TAKE ME HOME
Sweetshop & Green
Genre Comedy, Drama
Director Sameh Zoabi
Writers Sarah Bassiuoni, Sameh Zoabi
Script Editor Matthew Dabner
Producer Gal Greenspan, Amir Harel
Synopsis When Sara Mustafa (20s) is contacted by her estranged father, she reluctantly agrees to fulfil his dying wish – repatriate his remains to his birthplace of East Jerusalem, for burial. Travelling from Sydney, to Amman, to Jerusalem, and into the house of her embattled grandmother, Sara discovers the family she’s never known, and understands the bitter legacy of a childish decision that kept her Palestinian father from his homeland until his death.
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October 2021 announcement
A GOOD LIBRARIAN’S GUIDE TO VENGEANCE
Peking Pictures Pty Ltd
Genre Comedy, Drama
Writer/Director Sam Voutas
Script Editor Sarah Golding
Producer Melanie Ansley
Synopsis When a librarian is sent into aged care against her will by her best friend, she sets about escaping in order to settle the score.
DAWN
Donna McRae
Genre Horror, Thriller
Writer/Director Donna McRae
Synopsis A neurotic spinster must make amends for a forgotten incident in order to rid herself of a childhood ghost.
KHANA
Co-Curious Ltd
Genre Drama, Crime
Writer Arka Das
Executive Producer Annabel Davis
Synopsis A young migrant worker clocks long hours as a dish-pig at an Indian restaurant in Sydney’s Western suburbs. When the opportunity arises to achieve his dream of becoming a chef, Ronny feels his life is about to change. However; he quickly finds his dream has become a prison and he is drawn into the dark underworld of indentured labour where freedom comes at a hefty price.
MIMESIS
Triptych Pictures Pty Ltd
Genre Drama, Science fiction
Director Hannah Hilliard
Writers Hannah Hilliard, Ian Shadwell
Producer Kristian Moliere
Synopsis When gifted computer scientist Beth Francis, resurrects her dead sister in the form of an Artificial Consciousness, she hopes to come to terms with her own grief and heal her relationship with her mother. Once brought to life, the virtual sister struggles with her new identity and draws Beth and her mother an exploration of the days leading up to her unexplained death, changing their relationship forever.
PIANO MUMS
Nimbus Creative Co
Genre Drama
Writer Aven Yap
Producers Aven Yap, Gabrielle Dalton, Judd Tilyard, James J Yi
Synopsis The close bond of a pushy migrant piano mum and her teenage prodigy son is tested when the pressure to realise unfulfilled dreams and justify sacrifices force them apart, until the power of music and self-discovery brings them back together.
SACCHARINE
Thrum Films Pty Ltd
Genre Drama, Horror
Writer/Director Natalie Erika James
Synopsis A young medical student attempts to win the affections of her personal trainer with a sinister underground diet craze: eating human ash.