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Documentary production
IN the Archive

 

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Film Australia’s National Interest Program and Making History broadcast documentaries, 1996/97–2007/08

Film Australia (now part of Screen Australia) aimed to produce outstanding documentaries to shape a cultural record of Australian life. Its National Interest Program (NIP) was an agreement with the Australian Government to develop, produce, distribute and market programs that deal with matters of national interest to Australia. Its History Initiative, Making History, commenced in 2005 to develop, commission and produce a range of distinctive, high-quality history programs. In 2008/09, these programs were incorporated into Screen Australia’s National Documentary Program.

Between 1996/97 and 2007/08, Film Australia produced 203.8 television hours of broadcast documentaries under its National Interest Program and Making History Initiative. This does not include new media and education projects, which have also been produced under the NIP, or drama programs, which were produced under the NIP before 1998.

In 2007/08, budgets of completed projects totalled $15.7 million, almost double the previous year. This rise is largely due to the completion of six Making History documentaries.

Year Total TV hours* Total budgets* for projects completed in the year ($m)
Annual av. 17.0 7.4  
1996/97 29.0 5.5 * Includes 16.65 hours of archival materials reversioned and repackaged for broadcast and distribution. Educational programming produced but not included.
1997/98 12.0 4.3 * Drama and educational programming produced but not included.
1998/99 22.5 8.4  
1999/00 16.0 6.3 * 2-disc CD ROM also produced but not included.
2000/01 15.5 6.9 * Website also produced but not included.
2001/02 12.0 4.8 * A DVD and 5 x 5 min. animations also produced but not included.
2002/03 15.5 6.8 * 5 x 5 min. animations also produced but not included.
2003/04 13.3 6.8 * Website and 2 DVDs also produced but not included.
2004/05 15.0 7.0 * Website, new material for Australian Biography Online and a cross-platform initiative with ABC also produced but not included.
2005/06 15.3 8.8 * 3 new media projects also produced but not included.
2006/07 15.0 8.0 * Includes 3 projects made under Making History; 4 new media projects also produced but not included.
2007/081 22.7 15.7 * Includes 6 projects made under Making History; 2 new media projects also produced but not included.

Source: Screen Australia.

Notes:
These figures include expenditures for development, production and promotion of projects which are completed, but do not include development expenditure for projects which may not proceed to production, nor distribution expenditure for any projects.
1. Includes the official co-production Captain Cook: Obsession and Discovery (Australia/Canada/New Zealand).

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