Eight Docs Land A$2.3 Million in Screen Australia Funding

Eight new documentary projects will share A$2.3 million ($1.4 million) in direct production funding courtesy of Screen Australia.

The slate of funded projects includes Crowded House, chronicling the rise and evolution of the famed Australian band. “These stories, spanning numerous genres and disciplines, are a reflection of the ambition, sophistication and creativity of the current Australian documentary sector,” said Richard Huddleston, the head of documentary at Screen Australia. “These projects will grow Australia’s reputation for innovative, premium storytelling and point to an exciting future of global partnerships.”

Crowded House hails from Ghost Pictures and Academy Award-nominated producer Carthew Neal and his production company Fumes. It is being financed by the New Zealand Film Commission in association with ABC and VicScreen, with the support of Primary Wave and Nude Run.

Robodebt is a three-parter for SBS about the Robodebt scandal, hailing from director Ben Lawrence and writer Jane Allen. In the works for ABC, meanwhile, is End Game, following Tony Armstrong on a mission to find solutions to combat the rising tide of racism in Australian sports, with ABC Commercial handling distribution.

RISE is set in Western Sydney’s underground LGBTQIA+ ballroom scene and is written and directed by Patrick (Pat) Abboud, with Monique Keller and Billy Russell executive producing. Dan Jackson and executive producers Robert Fernandez and Dan Levinson are behind Death of a Shaman, financed in association with Soundfirm. Stranger Than Fiction’s Silenced follows human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson. It is financed in association with Minderoo Pictures and the ABC, with support from Screen NSW, the Shark Island Foundation and Soundfirm. Troublemaker is financed in association with the Shark Island Foundation, with support from the Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund, the South Australian Film Corporation, Screen NSW and WeirAnderson Films. Digby & Camille focuses on co-director Digby Webster and his girlfriend, trainee chef Camille Collins, who both live with Down Syndrome.