Story Development – one year on

Funding models open doors for emerging and established creators.

In 2018 Screen Australia established, through industry consultation, new development funding guidelines designed to streamline the application process, and create greater opportunities across platforms for project makers.

The changes ushered in the Generate Fund, aimed at “lower budget projects with an emphasis on new and emerging talent, or experienced talent wanting to take creative risks,” Screen Australia announced. 

It has no eligibility requirements but applications must be competitive against the fund’s criteria and meet its aims.

The Premium Fund is designed for “higher budget projects of ambition and scale from successful screen content makers”. The project must demonstrate commercial viability, and there must be a “path to a significant and clearly defined audience”.

Screen Australia says some of the key aims of the new guidelines include to:

• allow projects of any platform to apply for development funding;
• support emerging talent through Generate Fund;
• encourage established creators to take risks under Generate Fund;
• allow progress of higher budget projects with ambition and scale from successful practitioners through Premium Fund;
• identify a significant and clearly defined audience;
• and reflect the diversity of Australia.

In this series writer/directors Kauthar Abdulalim (Salma and the City), Nicholas Verso (The Gathering) and Adele Vuko (Over and Out) explain how they accessed and utilised Screen Australia development funding.

What to read next

Reflecting Australia through diverse stories

Screen Australia’s Generate Fund is opening up new pathways for emerging screen creators, including writer/director Kauthar Abdulalim.

19 Jul 2019
Amal Awad