SBS Offering Development Funding for Unscripted Formats

SBS Australia has put in place a development fund for original factual format ideas exploring the subject of inequality and social cohesion in the country.

Revealed at the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) in Melbourne, the initiative has up to A$50,000 ($33,000) in development funding on offer. Ideas must have the SBS Charter at their core and should also demonstrate “scale, boldness and ambition in their approach to delivering something overwhelmingly new and fresh.”

In particular, SBS is looking for original and ambitious ideas that explore inequality and social cohesion and tackle the fault lines of Australian society today. How the topic is approached is “up for grabs.” Ideas can be anything from three to six one-hour episodes. Project proposals should be no more than three pages, and submissions must include a title, a logline and a single-paragraph synopsis.

Entries will close on May 5.

Head of SBS Unscripted, Joseph Maxwell, said: “You hear a lot about taking risks in our industry, but what does that really mean? At SBS, we want to genuinely break new ground in ways we haven’t seen before.

“This first-of-its-kind initiative in Australia is an opportunity for creatives across the country to reach for new levels of courageousness in their craft and redefine what cutting-edge means while creating what could be a new, channel-defining factual format for SBS.

“We want the biggest, boldest, and bravest ideas that get the nation talking and to challenge audience expectations. Surprise and even scare us through inventive approaches to help SBS unpack issues we face in society and create must-see, talk-about TV that can create real impact.”