Funding Approvals
2023-2024 Documentary PRODUCTION
THE JURY PROJECT
4 x 54 mins
Northern Pictures Pty Ltd
Director Tosca Looby
Executive Producer Karina Holden
Synopsis We’re told that trial by jury is the best justice available, but is it? In a television first, we are putting the jury system itself on trial, as we re-run a real, complex, close call murder case – word for word – in front of a new jury.
OSHER GUNSBERG: MY JOURNEY BEYOND PAIN
1 x 52 mins
Lune Media Pty Ltd
Writer David Galloway
Executive Producers Ashley Davies, David Galloway, Leonie Lowe
Synopsis In this new documentary My Journey Beyond Pain, presenter Osher Günsberg will spearhead a very personal investigation into the causes of chronic and persistent pain, meet the individuals and families it affects, and reveal what surprising new science, medications and alternative therapies are being used to treat and manage it.
SKIN IN THE GAME
1 x 60 mins
Southern Pictures Pty Ltd
Writer/Director Dena Curtis
Executive Producers Laurie Critchley, Georgia Woodward, Marlee Silva
Synopsis Marlee Silva, proud Gamilaroi and Dunghutti woman, emerging media star and rugby league royalty embarks on a deeply personal exploration of the future of Australia’s most loved sport – and what it says about who we are as a nation.
AUSTRALIA: AN UNOFFICIAL HISTORY
3 x 52 mins
Unofficial History Pty Ltd
Directors Chris Eley, Pauline Clague, Ili Baré
Writers Chris Eley, Ili Baré
Producers Jo-anne McGowan, Rebecca Bennett
Synopsis A forgotten vault of films from the 1970s reveals a decade of startling transformation in Australia… a country that had resisted change for so long.
MAGGIE BEER’S BIG MISSION
3 x 57 mins
Artemis Media Pty Ltd
Series Director/Producer Laki Baker
Senior Producer Phillipa Hutchison
Executive Producer Celia Tait
Synopsis Australia’s food icon and national treasure Maggie Beer leads an ambitious social experiment as she attempts to overhaul an aged care home by transforming meals, the dining experience and the surrounds, with the aim of improving the health and joy of the elderly, and the staff.
GUARDIANS OF THE RIVER
1 x 90 mins
Walking Fish Productions Pty Ltd
Writer/Directors Lachlan McLeod, Matasila Freshwater
Producers Kerry Warkia, David Elliot-Jones, Maria Tanner, Emmanuel Peni
Executive Producer Chris Kamen
Synopsis When an enormous mine threatens the Sepik River, Papua New Guinean activist Manu Peni and his people launch an urgent mission to protect the waterway, by recognising the river’s own Right to Life.
SECOND TO NONE
3 x 40 mins
Sweetshop & Green
Directors Renée Mao, Sonia Dauger
Producers Gal Greenspan, Fabrice Estève, Alice Burgin
Synopsis After years of riding in the shadow of men, one team of incredible female athletes must band together, overcome the lows, ride the highs to show the world that no mountains are high enough.
WHEN THE FRONT FELL OFF
1 x 90 mins
Retaining Wall Productions Pty Ltd
Director Lorin Clarke
Producer Richard Keddie
Synopsis An intimate tribute to the life and work of one of the world’s greatest satirists, John Clarke, told through the eyes of his daughter, Lorin.
SAND ROADS
1 x 90 mins
Emerald Films Pty Ltd & Invisible Republic Pty Ltd
Directors Gabriele Gianni, Lorenzo Conte
Writers Gabriele Gianni, Lorenzo Conte, Vittoria Pasquini
Producers Michael Wrenn, Sally Browning, Alessandro Borrelli
Synopsis Sand Roads is a journey told in two chapters - one filled with the spirit of youth; the other imbued with the weight of adulthood - showing the eternal struggle for self-discovery, adventure and how friendships can transcend life itself.
THE IRON WINTER
1 x 90 mins
Winter Herd Film Pty Ltd
Director Kasimir Burgess
Writers Kasimir Burgess, Ed Cavanough
Producers Chris Kamen, Morgan Wright, Ben Golotta, Enebish Sengemugaa
Synopsis Four herders revive Mongolia’s most dangerous winter ritual in a last-ditch attempt to save their community's ancient way of life.
THE KIMBERLEY
3 x 58 mins
Wildpacific Media Pty Ltd
Directors Nick Robinson
Writers Nick Robinson, Peta Ayers, Mark Coles Smith
Producers Nick Robinson, Electra Manikakis, Peta Ayers, Mark Coles Smith
Synopsis The Kimberley is a land that defies time - a vast biodiversity wonderland and refuge for countless species. Experience a year in the lives of the fascinating animals that call The Kimberley home, and follow traditional owners and ecologists as they fight to protect the incredible biodiversity of the region.
THE COLLEANO HEART
1 x 90 mins
WildBear Entertainment Pty Ltd
Director Pauline Clague
Writers Pauline Clague, Ljudan Michaelis-Thorpe
Producer Bettina Dalton
Executive Producers Alan Erson, Michael Tear
Synopsis Through the wisdom of their Aboriginal matriarch, the Colleano family outmanoeuvred 1900’s oppression and racism to rise to the highest echelons of international circus stardom, at the expense of concealing their Indigenous identity. Becoming part of the Hidden Generation - their descendants are compelled to peel back the layers of secrecy to reveal their true origins.
WELCOME TO YIDDISHLAND
1 x 90 mins
Racing Pulse Productions Pty Ltd
Writer/Director Ros Horin
Producer Jeff Daniels
Synopsis A feature-length observational documentary about a global movement of artists as they revive the ancient and endangered Yiddish language, to share an inclusive and progressive understanding of their world.
DEEPER
1 x 90 mins
Stranger Than Fiction Films Pty Ltd
Writer/Director Jennifer Peedom
Producer Blayke Hoffman
Executive Producers Sarah Noonan, Jo-anne McGowan
Synopsis In a remote cave system in New Zealand, two friends risk it all to pursue a dangerous obsession.
FLOODLAND
1 x 80 mins
Sweetshop & Green
Writer/Director Jordan Giusti
Co-Writer Joseph Nizeti
Producers Gal Greenspan, Rachel Forbes
Executive Producer Alice Burgin
Synopsis A town that prides itself on its resilience in the face of persistent flooding is shattered by the most expensive climate disaster in Australia’s history. It’s a time of hard truths and difficult decisions for those who call Lismore home - and a cautionary tale for a changing world.
THE MUSICAL MIND A PORTRAIT IN PROCESS
1 x 83 mins
Musical Mind Pty Ltd
Director Scott Hicks
Writer Scott Hicks, Jett Heysen-Hicks
Producer Kerry Heysen
Co-Producer Jett Heysen-Hicks
Executive Producers David Chiem, Mikael Borglund
Synopsis Inspired by the 25th anniversary of his movie Shine, director Scott Hicks explores the creative process of four elite international musicians, with unprecedented access to their private worlds. The film celebrates how each neuro-atypical artist expresses their unique creativity, power and pain of their art with passion, emotion and humour.
JOURNEY HOME – DAVID GULPILIL
1 x 94 mins
Savage Films, Brindle Films & Savage Films NT
Writer/Directors Maggie Miles, Trisha Morton-Thomas
Producers Trisha Morton-Thomas, Rachel Clements, Jida Gulpilil, Maggie Miles
Executive Producer Witiyana Marika
Associate Producer Cathy Gallagher
Synopsis David Gulpilil was a proud Yolngu man and one of Australia's finest actors. When he passed away in South Australia his family made a promise to return him to his Homeland, 4,500 kilometres north in the Arafura Swamp. This was an extraordinary logistical mission where Yolngu songlines were performed every step of the way to safely guide him home. This final chapter of David Gulpilil’s remarkable life is a story of triumph, of the enduring love of family, and a vital expression of one of the world’s oldest living cultures.