Production financing programs

Screen Australia aims to invest in a range of audience-engaging and culturally relevant programs including feature films, television drama, children’s television drama and documentaries.

In selecting projects in which to invest, Screen Australia will value excellence, audience engagement and Australian cultural content across all platforms. Productions funded must have cultural merit and an awareness of the market, both here and overseas. We will involve the industry in the selection process.

• Features: the assessment of the level of Screen Australia funding for features is flexible, taking into account the Producer Offset, market attachment, the commercial, cultural, artistic and critical merit of the project and its ability to reach a wide audience or a specific targeted audience in Australia and overseas.
  
  
• Documentary: Screen Australia invests in Domestic and International documentaries, as well as in significant documentaries of particular cultural relevance through the National Documentary Program, and low-budget documentaries without a requirement for broadcaster attachment through the Special Documentary Program.
  
  
• TV drama: supplementing the adult TV drama program is a Low-budget Television Drama Program, which seeks to provide further opportunities for producers to make distinctive TV programs that challenge television conventions in all genres.
  
  
• Children's TV drama: this program aims to provide high-end entertaining television production and new cross platform viewing opportunities to Australian children. Includes funds to support the production of distinctive Australian children’s drama with no requirement for an international presale.
  
  
• Short animation production: this special program acknowledges the unique characteristics of this area of production activity, and aims to support the further evolution of  Australia’s animation sector. NOTE: Short animation production is managed by the Development Department and will be assessed in one round this financial year. Deadline: Friday 30 October 2009.
  
  

Notional budget allocations for 2009/10

Screen Australia has in principle allocated a budget of $60 million for investment in features, TV drama and documentaries in 2009/10. To assist in assessing the slate of projects to be financed for the year, this amount has been notionally distributed as follows:

• Features (including low-budget): $24–$28 million
  
• TV drama (adult and children’s): $18–$20 million
• Documentaries (including development): $16.5 million

These amounts should be seen as a guide only. A range of factors will influence the ultimate allocation for a financial year, and Screen Australia reserves the right to redistribute funds across program categories or change the overall allocation as the need arises.

Eligibility

Applicants for production financing must satisfy the general eligibility requirements for Screen Australia funding set out in the agency’s Terms of Trade, including the requirement that projects have Australian content.

Indigenous filmmakers may apply to any Screen Australia program in addition to the funding programs of the Indigenous Branch.

Screen Australia does not negatively discriminate on the basis of racial background, sexual preference, culture, language, gender, or physical or intellectual disability.