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Production investment approvals tv drama 2014-2015

HIGH-END TELEVISION DEVELOPMENT

TRIP
Genre Drama
Producers Emile Sherman, Iain Canning, Jamie Laurenson and Rachel Gardner
Writer Louise Fox

BRONZE
Genre Drama
Producers Peter Gawler, Greg Haddrick, Felicity Packard
Executive Producers Greg Haddrick, Bob Campbell
Writers Felicity Packard, Greg Haddrick, Peter Gawler
Synopsis In Neolithic Scandinavia the inventor of bronze fights to protect his invention from being misused, while in 2015 an Australian anthropologist fights to protect the medical miracle revealed by forensic analysis of the Nordic warrior’s frozen, mummified body.

Adult drama

BARRACUDA
Matchbox Productions Pty Ltd
Producer Amanda Higgs, Tony Ayres
Writers Belinda Chayko, Blake Ayshford
Broadcaster ABC
Domestic/International Sales Universal Media Studios International Limited
Synopsis Based on the book of the same name by Christos Tsiolkas, Barracuda follows young Olympic hopeful, Danny Kelly, as he deals with the pressure of obsession.

DEEP WATER
Blackfella Films
Producers Miranda Dear, Darren Dale
Writers Kris Wyld, Kym Goldsworthy
Broadcaster SBS
International Sales DCD Rights
Synopsis A gripping crime drama that explores a world in which the threat of violence or death is only one encounter away.

MARY: MAKING OF A PRINCESS
FremantleMedia Australia Pty Ltd
Producer Antonia Barnard
Executive Producers Jo Porter, Anthony Ellis
Director Jennifer Leacey
Writer Samantha Strauss
Broadcaster Network Ten
Domestic/International Sales FremantleMedia International Ltd
Synopsis Twenty-eight-year-old Mary Donaldson has all but given up on love when one night she goes to the pub and meets a prince. But falling in love is the easy part, compared to what it takes for an Australian girl to become the future Crown Princess of Denmark.

PETER BROCK (working title)
Shine (Aust) Pty Ltd
Producer Kerrie Mainwaring
Executive Producer Rory Callaghan
Director Geoff Bennett
Writers Justin Monjo, Adam Todd
Broadcaster Network Ten
Domestic/International Sales Endemol Shine International
Synopsis This is the true story of a man who was a hero to a generation of Australians. Loved and admired by many, but few knew the real Peter Brock – what made him tick?

TIPS FOR MARRIED LIFE
Endemol Australia Pty Ltd
Producer Mimi Butler
Executive Producers Janeen Faithfull, John Edwards
Writer Justin Monjo
Broadcaster Nine Network
Domestic/International Sales Endemol Shine International
Synopsis A grieving career wife has to wise up and fight for survival when she finds herself responsible for her dead husband’s criminal debts and wrongdoings.

THE CODE SERIES 2
Playmaker Media Pty Ltd
Producers Shelley Birse, Di Haddon, David Maher, David Taylor
Director Shawn Seet
Writers Shelley Birse, Sean Cook
Broadcaster ABC
International Sales DCD Rights
Synopsis Did Ned, Jesse and Hani really think they would be able to just stroll away from the shit-storm they unleashed at the end of series 1, a little bruised, but essentially scott-free? As series 2 opens, serious charges are being filed in an American court and Ned and Jesse Banks come face to face with the very real possibility of being extradited to the US. Fortunately for the Banks brothers, the folks in National Security are sitting on a nut they just can’t crack and Jesse Banks might be the man to do it…

THE FAMILY LAW
Matchbox Pictures Pty Ltd
Producers Julie Eckersley, Sophie Miller
Executive Producers Tony Ayres, Debbie Lee
Writers Benjamin Law, Marieke Hardy
Broadcaster SBS
International Sales NBC Universal
Synopsis Welcome to The Family Law. The story of a sprawling Chinese-Australian family who are unlike any you’ve ever met, and yet also disturbingly familiar. Based on the hit memoir, The Family Law is a black comedy series set on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast over one hot summer. Fourteen-year-old Benjamin Law strives for television soap mega-stardom whilst trying to stop his parents from splitting up, usually with disastrous results.

JACK IRISH SERIES
Essential Media and Entertainment Pty Ltd
Producers Ian Collie, Andrew Knight
Directors Jeffrey Walker, Daniel Nettheim, Jonathan Teplitzky
Writers Matt Cameron, Andrew Knight, Andrew Anastasios
Broadcaster ABC
International Sales DCD Rights
Cast Guy Pearce, Marta Dusseldorp
Synopsis Things are on the move for Jack Irish in this gripping new series. He’s offered a scam that could cost him dearly, secrets surround an unexpected romance and his new mysterious client goes missing before he meets her. As well as a major crime story arc, the familiar endearing characters of Jack’s world remain committed to complicating Jack’s life at every turn.

PETER ALLEN: NOT THE BOY NEXT DOOR
Shine Australia Pty Limited
Producer Kerrie Mainwaring
Executive Producer Rory Callaghan
Director Shawn Seet
Writers Justin Monjo, Michael Miller
Broadcaster Seven Network
International Sales Endemol Worldwide Distribution
Synopsis There are few Australian stories as remarkable as Peter Allen’s. The boy from the bush whose talent, determination and drive made him Hollywood royalty and an international household name. The only Australian to win an Oscar®, a Grammy and a Golden Globe®, Allen wrote some of our most iconic songs. He died in 1992 at 48, but his songs and spirit live on – whether on the stage as part of The Boy from Oz or as part of Coldplay’s no. 1 worldwide hit ‘Every Teardrop is a Waterfall’.

LOVE CHILD SERIES 2
Playmaker Media Pty Ltd
Producers Tom Hoffie, Tim Pye
Executive Producers David Taylor, David Maher, Sue Seeary
Writers Jane Allen, Tim Pye, Cathy Strickland, Tamara Asmar, Chris McCourt
Directors Shawn Seet, Geoff Bennett, Lynn-Maree Danzey
Broadcaster Nine Network
Distributor All 3 Media
Synopsis It’s 1970 and Joan Millar, now a qualified obstetrician, and the young mothers we have come to love are back in the heart of Kings Cross fighting for their rights, for self-empowerment and for each other in a fast-changing world.

MOLLY
M4 Entertainment
Producer John Molloy
Executive Producers Michael Gudinski, Mark Morrissey
Director Kevin Carlin
Writers Matt Cameron, Liz Doran
Broadcaster Seven Network
Domestic/International Sales Mushroom Pictures
Synopsis At a time when Australia was finding her voice, Molly Meldrum helped us find the music.

THE PRINCIPAL
Essential Media & Entertainment
Producer Ian Collie
Director Kriv Stenders
Writers Kristen Dunphy, Alice Addison
Broadcaster SBS
Domestic/International Sales SBS Distribution, DCD Rights
Synopsis A gritty adult drama that revolves around a high school in Sydney’s tough south-west where life’s lessons are more often handed down on the streets than in the classroom.

PROJECT CM (working title)
Goalpost Pictures Australia Pty Ltd and Pukeko Pictures
Producers Rosemary Blight, Ryan Griffen, Angela Littlejohn, Lauren Edwards
Executive Producers Sally Riley, Kylie du Fresne, Ben Grant, Martin Baynton, Adam Fratto Writers Jon Bell, Jonathan Gavin, Michael Miller
Broadcaster ABC Television
Domestic Sales eOne Entertainment
International Sales Red Arrow International GmbH
Synopsis As a community struggles to co-exist with non-human creatures living amongst them, two estranged brothers find themselves at a crossroads.

SECRET CITY
Matchbox Productions Pty Ltd
Producer Joanna Werner
Executive Producer Penny Chapman
Writers Belinda Chayko, Matt Cameron, Marieke Hardy, Alice Addison, Tommy Murphy, Kris Mrksa, Greg Waters
Broadcaster FOXTEL
Domestic/International Sales Universal Media Studios International Ltd
Synopsis Amidst rising tension between China and America, senior political journalist, Harriet Dunkley, pursues a long-buried and exposing secret, leading to assassination attempts, suicide and murder. Beneath the placid façade of Canberra, she uncovers a ‘secret city’ of high-level Australians corrupted by the competing super-powers.

TELEVISION: CHILDREN’S DRAMA

NOWHERE BOYS: THE RISE OF BEAR
Matchbox Productions Pty Ltd
Producer Beth Frey
Executive Producers Tony Ayres, Michael McMahon
Writers Tony Ayres, Rhys Graham, Craig Irvin
Broadcaster ABC TV
Domestic Sales Australian Children’s Television Foundation
International Sales Universal Pictures (Australasia), NBCUniversal Television Distribution
Cast Dougie Baldwin, Joel Lok, Rahart Adams, Matt Testro
Synopsis As a devastating magical being threatens to destroy the multiverse, the Nowhere Boys discover that to save everything and everyone that they love, they must make the ultimate sacrifice… themselves.

TOMORROW WHEN THE WAR BEGAN
Ambience Entertainment Pty Ltd
Producers Michael Boughen, Tony Winley
Executive Producers Matthew Street, Kim Vecera, Christopher Mapp
Director Brendan Maher
Writers Blake Ayshford, Alice Addison, Justin Monjo, Josh Mapleston
Broadcaster ABC3
Australian Distributor ABC Commercial
International Sales Annapurna Pictures
Synopsis When their country is invaded by a large hostile force, a group of teenagers fight for their family and homeland. Based on the era-defining novels by John Marsden.

MAKO: ISLAND OF SECRETS SERIES 3
Jonathan M Shiff Productions Pty Ltd
Producer Jonathan M Shiff
Executive Producers Jonathan M Shiff, Julia Adams
Writers Mark Shirrefs (Story Producer), Sam Carroll, Anthony Morris, Phil Enchelmaier, Max Dann
Directors Evan Clarry, John Hartley
Broadcasters Network Ten, Disney Channel Australia
International Sales ZDF Enterprises
Cast Isabel Durant, Allie Bertram, Chai Romruen, Gemma Forsyth, Kerith Atkinson
Synopsis The Mako pod is threatened by a fearsome magical creature. Ondina, Mimmi, Sirena, Evie and Zac, together with the newly arrived Chinese mermaid, Weilan, must find a way to defeat it before the pod is destroyed forever.

DOGSTAR: CHRISTMAS IN SPACE
Media World Pictures Pty Ltd
Producer Colin South
Director Scott Vanden Bosch
Writers Philip Dalkin, Doug MacLeod
Broadcaster Nine Network
Domestic/International Sales DARO Film Distribution
Synopsis In space, no one can hear you open your presents.

MY LIFE IN 50 WORDS OR LESS
Big Chance Films Pty Ltd
Producers Joanna Werner, Miranda Dear
Executive Producers Darren Dale, Joanna Werner
Director Rachel Perkins
Writers Liz Doran, Jon Bell, Nakkiah Lui, Josh Mapleston, Kristen Dunphy
Broadcaster ABC Television
Domestic/International Sales Australian Children’s Television Foundation
Synopsis A long way from home, five Indigenous kids come to the city to explore their dreams. For some it’s the opportunity of a lifetime, for others it’s a last chance. For all of them, family is the last thing they expect to find.