Funding Approvals
2023-2024 production FUNDING

MAY 2024

PLAYING GRACIE DARLING
6 x 45 mins
Curio Pictures Pty Ltd
Genre Drama, Crime, Mystery
Director Jonathan Brough
Writers Miranda Nation, Anya Beyersdorf
Producer Rachel Gardner
Executive Producers Jo Porter, Rachel Gardner
Broadcaster Paramount+
International Sales Sony
Synopsis When Joni was fourteen, her best friend Gracie Darling disappeared during a séance and was never seen again. Twenty-seven years later, local kids get their kicks ‘Playing Gracie Darling’ - but the seemingly innocent game turns sinister when another girl disappears. Joni must trust her instincts and confront her deep fear of the unknown to find out what really happened to Gracie on that fateful night.

MOTHER AND SON SEASON 2
6 x 30 mins
Wooden Horse
Genre Comedy
Writers Matt Okine, Sarah L. Walker, Tristram Baumber, Tim Spencer
Producer Jude Troy
Executive Producers Jude Troy, Richard Finlayson
Broadcaster ABC
International Sales ABC Commercial
Synopsis The all-new Mother and Son is back in the continuing misadventures of the ever mischievous, occasionally muddled Maggie, who runs rings around her neurotic thirty something stay-at-home son Arthur.

April 2024

ELEVEN (WORKING TITLE)
6 x 60 mins
Gristmill Pty Ltd
Genre Drama
Writer/Directors Robyn Butler, Wayne Hope
Producers Robyn Butler, MaryAnne Carroll, Wayne Hope
Executive Producers Robyn Butler, Wayne Hope, Greg Sitch
Broadcaster Stan
International Sales Hat Trick International
Synopsis A young woman struggles to get over the death of her fiancé.

RFDS SEASON 3
8 x 45 mins
Endemol Shine Australia Pty Ltd
Genre Drama
Original Creators Imogen Banks, Mark Fennessy, Ian Meadows
Directors Adrian Russell Wills, Shawn Seet, Leticia Cáceres, Ian Watson, Ian Meadows
Writers Ian Meadows, Adrian Russell Wills, Kodie Bedford, Magda Wozniak, Julia Moriarty
Producer Lisa Scott
Executive Producers Sara Richardson, Julie McGauran, Ian Meadows
Broadcaster Seven Network
International Sales Banijay Rights International
Synopsis RFDS is a gripping medical drama based in Australia’s red heart in all of its precarious beauty, where the modern-day heroes of the Royal Flying Doctor Service navigate private lives as turbulent and profound as the heart-stopping emergencies they attend.

STRIFE SEASON 2
8 x 30 mins
Fifth Season Productions AU Pty Ltd
Genre Comedy, Drama
Writers Sarah Scheller, Lexi Freiman, Andy Healy, Jessie Stephens, Clare Stephens, Amy Stewart, Mary Coustas
Producer Lorelle Adamson
Executive Producers Sarah Scheller, Bruna Papandrea, Steve Hutensky, Katie Amos, Asher Keddie, Mia Freedman
Broadcaster BINGE
International Sales Fifth Season
Synopsis With the threat of competition looming, Evelyn Jones does not want to be left behind. All she ever wanted was to give a voice to women, but has she simply given her voice to women? Strife Season 2 is from Fifth Season in partnership with Made Up Stories.

THE FAMILY NEXT DOOR
6 x 50 mins
Beyond Entertainment Pty Ltd and Muse Entertainment
Genre Drama, Mystery
Director Emma Freeman
Created for Television by Sarah Scheller
Producer Melinda Wearne
Executive Producers David Ogilvy, Jenny O’Shea, Joel Rice, Meghan Mathes Jacobs
Broadcaster ABC
International Sales Abacus Media Rights
Synopsis Based on Sally Hepworth’s novel of the same name and created for television by Sarah Scheller. When enigmatic Isabelle moves into a small coastal town, driven to solve a mystery, her investigation casts suspicion on four families. Her quest to reunite one family will have consequences for them all.

January 2024

WATCHING YOU (WORKING TITLE)
6 x 60 mins
Lingo Pictures Pty Ltd
Genre Thriller
Writers Alexei Mizin, Ryan Van Dijk
Producers Jason Stephens, Bree-Anne Sykes
Executive Producers Helen Bowden, Cailah Scobie, Alicia Brown
Broadcaster Stan
International Sales ITV Studios
Synopsis A gripping psychological thriller based on J.P. Pomare’s novel The Last Guests.

OPTICS    
6 x 30 mins
Chaser Digital Pty Ltd and Easy Tiger Productions Pty Ltd
Genre Comedy
Director Max Miller
Writers Charles Firth, Jenna Owen, Vic Zerbst
Producer Paige Wharehinga
Executive Producers Rob Gibson, Ian Collie, Charles Firth, Jenna Owen, Vic Zerbst
Broadcaster ABC
International Sales ITV Studios
Synopsis Optics follows two whip-smart 20-something women (Jenna Owen and Vic Zerbst) who are unexpectedly promoted to run crisis management PR firm Fritz & Randell, after the death of office patriarch Frank Fritz. As they battle weekly public relations crises from celebrities, sports stars and corporate titans, and power challenges from veteran PR flack Ian Randell (Charles Firth), their resentful former supervisor, they slowly come to realise that their firm might have a scandal brewing of its own, and start to wonder: have they been set up to fail?

November 2023

LAST KING OF THE CROSS SEASON 2
8 x 48 mins
Second King Productions Pty Ltd
Genre Drama
Directors Grant Brown, Ian Watson, Tori Garrett
Writers Sam Meikle, Sarah Smith, Fin Edquist, Jane Allen, Tim Pye, James Pope
Producer Alexandra Doering
Executive Producer Mark Fennessy
Broadcaster Paramount+
International Sales Cineflix Rights
Synopsis John Ibrahim sets his sights on a new kingdom… Oxford Street, only to be confronted by all new dangers and all new villains.

October 2023

SUNNY NIGHTS
8 x 60 mins
Jungle Entertainment
Genre Drama
Director Trent O'Donnell
Writers Nick Keetch, Ty Freer, Marieke Hardy, Lally Katz, Clare Sladden, Niki Aken
Executive Producers Trent O'Donnell, Nick Keetch, Ty Freer Amotz Zakai, Myra Model
Executive Producers (Jungle Entertainment) Shay Spencer, Jason Burrows, Chloe Rickard
Executive Producers (Echo Lake Entertainment) Doug Mankoff, Andrew Spaulding, Chris Davis
Producer Bridget Callow-Wright
Broadcaster Stan
International Sales Cineflix Rights
Synopsis A brother and sister venture to Sydney determined to grow their struggling spray tan business, but when they get caught up in the city’s criminal underworld, they must figure out how to stay alive, out of prison, and in the black.

BAY OF FIRES SEASON 2
8 x 50 mins
Archipelago Productions Pty Ltd and Fremantle Australia 
Genre Action adventure, Comedy, Drama, Thriller
Writers Andrew Knight, Max Dann, Romina Accurso, Hannah Samuel, Josephine Dee Barrett
Producers Marta Dusseldorp, Fiona McConaghy
Executive Producers Greg Sitch, Andrew Knight, Brett Popplewell
Broadcaster ABC
International Sales Fremantle International
Synopsis When Stella is caught between a rock and a hard place she must learn to enjoy the gravel in between.

August 2023

TOP END BUB
8 x 30 mins
Goalpost Television Pty Ltd
Genre Romantic comedy
Writers Miranda Tapsell, Joshua Tyler
Executive Producers Rosemary Blight, Miranda Tapsell, Joshua Tyler
Broadcaster Prime Video
International Sales ZDF Studios
Synopsis Can newlyweds Lauren & Ned keep their marriage together after unexpectedly becoming the guardians of an eight-year-old in the Top End of Australia?

CRITICAL INCIDENT
6 x 48 mins
Matchbox Productions Pty Ltd
Genre Drama
Directors Neil Sharma, Daniel Nettheim
Writers Sarah Bassiuoni, Ruth Underwood, Hannah Fitzpatrick, Natasha Henry
Producer Bree-Anne Sykes
Executive Producers Sheila Jayadev and Debbie Lee
Co-Executive Producer Sarah Bassiuoni
Broadcaster Stan
International Sales All3Media International
Synopsis When a police officer pursues a teenage suspect on to a busy train platform, a bystander is critically injured, and the lives of the pursued and pursuer are thrown into turmoil.

PLUM     
6 x 60 mins
ROADSHOW ROUGH DIAMOND
Genre Drama
Directors Wayne Blair, Margie Beattie
Writers Brendan Cowell, Fiona Seres
Producers Dan Edwards, John Edwards, Jonathan Duncan
Broadcaster ABC
International Sales Entertainment One
Synopsis Plum is a one-hour relationship thriller about an ex-sports star trying to keep his family together when the damage of contact sport and hard living form an inimitable opposition.

AUSTIN
8 x 25 mins
Northern Pictures Pty Ltd
Genre Comedy
Directors Darren Ashton, Madeleine Dyer
Writers/Creators Darren Ashton, Ben Miller, Joe Tucker, Lloyd Woolf, Adam Zwar, Kala Ellis
Producers Joe Weatherstone
Executive Producers Catherine Nebauer, Darren Ashton, Ben Miller, Sally Phillips, Lloyd Woold,Joe Tucker, Peter Anderson, Jessica Miller
ABC Executive Producers Todd Abbott, Rebecca Anderson
Broadcaster ABC
International Sales ITV Studios
Synopsis When much loved children’s author Julian Hartswood (Ben Miller, Professor T, Bridgerton) inadvertently causes a social media storm, his career and that of his illustrator wife Ingrid appears to be over. That is until Austin (Micheal Theo, Love on the Spectrum), the neurodiverse son that Julian never knew existed, turns up out of the blue. Could embracing this modern nuclear family be Julian’s route back from cancellation? Will Ingrid (Sally Phillips, Pride and Prejudice, Zombies) forgive him for being such a pompous sh*t? One thing is for certain: if Julian thinks Austin is going to be a push over, he’s in for a rude awakening.

FOUR YEARS
8 x 30 mins
Easy Tiger Productions Pty Ltd
Genre Drama
Directors Mohini Herse, Fadia Abboud
Writers Mithila Gupta, Nicole Reddy, S. Shakthidharan
Producers Ian Collie, Rob Gibson, Stephen Corvini
Broadcaster SBS
International Sales ITV
Synopsis Newly-weds Sridevi and Yash are married in India but then must spend time apart as Yash moves to Australia to pursue his medical career. Four years later, Sridevi moves to join him, but a lot has happened in those intervening years. Can they rekindle the love they once had?

Children's TV

ANDREW THE BIG BIG UNICORN
40 x 7 mins
Pirate Size Productions, Mainframe Studios and Infinite Studios
Creator Dan Nixon
Co-Creator Alyssa Smedley
Director Katrina Hadley
Producers Michael Hefferon (Mainframe Studios), Bryony McLachlan (Pirate Size Productions), Freddie Yeo (Infinite Studios)
Executive Producers Michael Hefferon (Mainframe Studios), Tanya Green (Mainframe Studios), Avrill Stark (Pirate Size Productions), Michael Wiluan (Infinite Studios)
Co-Producer Nick Colla (Pirate Size Productions)
Broadcaster ABC, CBC and SRC
International Sales Kartoon Studios
Synopsis Andrew, a wide-eyed, joyful young rhino bursting with creativity navigates life as a big BIG unicorn in the ever surprising world of Hornsby Downs.

DO NOT WATCH THIS SHOW
12 x 11 mins
DNWTS Pty Ltd
Genre Children’s Comedy
Director Leo Baker
Writers Andy Lee, Jason Marion, Katie Westcott, Melanie Bracewell, Ray Matsen
Producers Andy Lee, Greg Sitch
Series Producer Patrick Crawley
Broadcaster ABC
International Sales Lee Bones/Frank Worldwide Sales
Synopsis Do Not Watch This Show is an adaptation of the successful childrens’ book series Do Not Open This Book, created by Andy Lee and illustrated by Victorian illustrator Heath McKenzie.

FLOWER AND FLOUR
39 x 7 mins
Cheeky Little Media Pty Ltd
Genre Family, Comedy
Director Cindy Scharka
Writers Dan Mansour, Wendy Hanna, Amy Stewart, Lawrence Leung
Executive Producers Patrick Egerton, Celine Goetz
Broadcaster ABC
International Sales Sinking Ship Entertainment
Synopsis Take a little girl with a big heart, sprinkle in some imagination, and just add Flour.

KNEE HIGH SPIES
20 x 11 mins
Werner Film Projects Pty Ltd
Genre Children's
Director Jack Jameson
Creator Tim Bain
Writers Tim Bain, Alix Beane, Charlotte Rose Hamlyn
Producer Nicole Minchin
Co-Producer Tim Bain
Executive Producers Joanna Werner, Stuart Menzies
Broadcaster ABC
International Sales Australian Children’s Television Foundation
Synopsis Join pint-sized spy teddy Jeremy Buttons and his ragtag toy team on an action-packed adventure full of peril, pandemonium and pre-school puzzles...Can YOU help crack the code?

SPOOKY FILES SEASON 2
10 x 24 mins 
Tony Ayres Productions and Megaboom Pictures 
Genre Comedy, Drama, Mystery, Science fiction 
Writers Guy Edmonds, Matt Zeremes, Marisa Nanakhorn Brown, Emma Gordon, Clem Bastow, Alexander Andreotti, Tim Williams 
Producer Paul Watters 
Executive Producers Tony Ayres, Andrea Denholm  
Broadcaster ABC and BBC 
International Sales NBCUniversal Global Distribution 
Synopsis Spooky Files Season 2 continues the adventure-filled, fun and spooky monster of the week series with buckets of scares and buttloads of laughs, from the makers of hit shows Hardball and Nowhere Boys.

KANGAROO BEACH SEASON 3
24 x 11 mins, 1 x 22 mins
Cheeky Little Media Pty Ltd
Genre Action adventure, Comedy, Family
Directors Steve Moltzen, Simon Williams, Tanya Bystrova
Writers Tim Bain, Charlotte Rose Hamlyn, Sylvie van Dijk, Lorin Clarke, Lawrence Leung, Wendy Hanna, Tracey Defty-Rashid, Angus Woodiwiss
Producers Celine Goetz, Francesca Hope
Executive Producers Patrick Egerton, David Webster
Broadcaster ABC
International Sales Australian Children’s Television Foundation and Infinite Frameworks
Brand Manager Cheeky Little Commercial
Synopsis Four young animal friends share an action-packed summer training as cadets with their lifeguard heroes, keeping the water safe at a spectacular beach.

TALES FROM OUTER SUBURBIA
10 x 22 mins
Flying Bark Productions, Highly Spirited, Siamese
Genre Drama, Family
Director Noel Cleary
Creative Director Shaun Tan
Writers Sam Carroll, Lally Katz
Producers Sophie Byrne, Alexia Gates-Foale
Executive Producers Barbara Stephen, Bernadette O'Mahony, Julia Adams, Francesca Hope and ABC Executive Producers Libbie Doherty, Jo Boag 
Broadcaster ABC
International Sales Australian Children’s Television Foundation
Synopsis A clever ‘almost thirteen’ year old and her younger brother move to Outer Suburbia with their newly single mother. Their summer holiday turns into a series of unexpected and surreal adventures as they adapt to their new reality.

TURQUOISE BAY (WORKING TITLE) 
1 x 90 mins
Cottesloe Films Pty Ltd & Southern Light Films Pty Ltd
Genre Family
Directors Miranda Edmonds, Khrob Edmonds
Writer Kathryn Lefroy
Producers Timothy White, Miranda Edmonds
Broadcaster Stan
International Sales Australian Children's Television Foundation
Synopsis A heart-warming story about family, friendship, and the natural world.