Funding Approvals
2024-2025 development funding
GENERATE
2 MOONS
Co-Curious Ltd
Genre Drama, Science fiction, Magical Realism
Director Fadia Abboud
Writers James Elazzi, Gabriel Faatau'uu-Satiu, Andrew Undi Lee, Randa Sayed, Danielle Stamoulos
Script Producer Clare Atkins
Producers Annabel Davis and Kali Reid
Executive Producer Sheila Jayadev
Synopsis Five regular people – an anxious cleaner, a heavily pregnant free-spirited woman, a fa'afafine (third gender) labourer, an ambitious property developer and a matriarch with a secret – are forced to confront the dualities in their lives as moon madness descends upon the city.
Premium
SWEET AND NEAR
Polaris Pictures
Genre Horror/Thriller
Writer Beatrix Christian
Producers Sue Clothier, Marta Dusseldorp, Donovan Chan, Jocelyn Little
Synopsis Following her marriage breakdown, Annette, is discovering a new life in Singapore but when her estranged husband woos her back home to their elegant but darkly isolated Tasmanian farmhouse, they soon get trapped in a paranoid spiral. Sweet and Near is from Polaris Pictures, Archipelago Productions and Beach House Pictures.
JUNK CASTLE
Corn Cob Films Pty Ltd
Genre Family
Writers Warren Coleman, Stephen Abbott
Producers Shane Elsmore, Monica O'Brien
Synopsis When the kids of Meldrum Crescent build a castle out of junk in their neighbourhood's only tiny park, they soon spark a turf war with an angry neighbour that will bring their imaginations to life in an epic suburban battle where fantasy and council permits collide.
UPLIFT KABUL
Causeway Creations Pty Ltd
Genre Drama, Thriller
Writer/Director Brietta Hague
Producers Kristina Ceyton, Sam Jennings
Synopsis Uplift Kabul follows two Australian women who stage a daring remote operation from their living rooms in lockdown, to evacuate 95 top female athletes and their families from Afghanistan, including a former Karate champion and owner of Kabul’s only women’s gym, in the 100 hours before the country falls to Taliban rule.
EVERY VERSION OF YOU
Goalpost Pictures Australia Pty Ltd
Genre Drama, Science fiction, Love Story
Writer Penelope Chai
Producers Kylie du Fresne, Adam Fratto
Synopsis In a climate-ravaged, near-future Melbourne, kindred spirits TAO-YI and NAVIN are split between the dying real world and a vibrant virtual one called GAIA. When Navin decides to permanently upload his consciousness to Gaia, Tao-Yi must choose whether to join him or lead an authentic life, even if it means losing her greatest love. Based on the award-winning novel by Grace Chan.
WRITTEN IN THE STARS
Sense & Centsability Pty Ltd
Genre Romantic comedy
Director Fawzia Mirza
Writer Menik Gooneratne
Producers Leanne Tonkes, Menik Gooneratne, Melissa Russo, Jenni Tosi, Andria Wilson Mirza
Executive Producer Su Dharmapala
Synopsis When her horoscope reveals the next 90 days are the best for marriage, a skeptical Sri Lankan Australian woman forsakes modern dating techniques, instead turning to Vedic Astrology in search of her soul mate…and ends up with 90 compatible suitors to meet and choose from before her time is up.
THE RENOVATOR'S DREAM
Magnetic Stories (Factor 30 Films)
Genre Comedy, Mystery
Writer/Director Richard Vilensky
Producer Melissa Kelly
Synopsis Stan Resnick is a DIY renovator turned DIY detective when his childhood home falls victim to an anonymous vandal with a predilection for penis graffiti. Determined to crack the case, Stan’s life begins to unravel as he tumbles headlong into a suburban conspiracy so crazy it could only be true.
UNTITLED THOMAS M. WRIGHT FILM
Blackheath Film Pty Ltd
Genre Thriller, Crime, Mystery, Noir
Writer/Director Thomas M. Wright
Producer Thomas M. Wright
Synopsis The film adaptation of an acclaimed novel, to be written and directed by Thomas M. Wright, under his company Blackheath Film.
OUT OF MIND
Truant Pictures Pty Ltd
Genre Thriller, Mystery
Writer/Director Felicity Price
Producers Toby Nalbandian, Greg Schmidt
Executive Producers Kieran Darcy-Smith, Zareh Nalbandian
Synopsis In the Northern NSW hinterland, an adrift teenager, Vincent Kline, is drawn into a new age evangelical Christian church, lured by its charismatic pastor and youthful congregation. When 18 y/o Anna, goes missing from the group, police and media suspicion turns on the pastor, exposing his unsavoury past. Vincent devotes himself to the community’s efforts to find the girl until her distraught mother uncovers a secret, leading her to the frightening discovery of how far one lonesome, young man will go to belong.
OUT OF BOUNDS
Carver Films Pty Ltd
Genre Comedy, Sport
Writer/Director Julie Kalceff
Producers Sarah Shaw, Anna McLeish
Synopsis When her best friend dies, Morgan attempts to turn her own life around by convincing her old school friends, all in their mid-30s now, to try out for an obscure sport and be its first Australian team at the World Cup in Ibiza.
DOG
Origma 45 and Yoki, Inc.
Genre Psychological Horror
Writer/Director Lucy Campbell
Producers Vincent Sheehan, David Michôd, Brad Zimmerman
Synopsis Lukas and Sofia's new life in a small town is shattered when they return home one night to find their dog gruesomely killed. Was it a wild animal, a neighbour or a sinister, supernatural force from the valley? Desperate for the truth, Lukas embarks on a witch hunt after evidence points to a young local kid - but as they are plagued by further unexplained, malevolent events, the family unit unravels with devastating consequences.
HELOISE
Jessica Carrera
Genre Drama, Horror, Thriller
Director Laura Scrivano
Writer Jorrden Daley
Producer Jessica Carrera
Synopsis When a devout young woman seeks salvation through enclosure as an anchoress, she must confront her blind faith or be left languishing in hell.
MIMESIS
Triptych Pictures Pty Ltd
Genre Drama, Science fiction
Director Hannah Hilliard
Writers Hannah Hilliard, Ian Shadwell
Producer Kristian Moliere
Synopsis A young computer scientist resurrects her dead sister as a groundbreaking artificial intelligence using a video database stolen from her mother, but when her virtual sister proves to be uncannily human, she must confront her fractured relationship with her mother and unravel secrets from their past.
WIFI
Broadstory
Genre Drama, Family, Historical/Legal
Writer Greg Haddrick
Producers Greg Haddrick, Lisa McCune, Fiona Banks
Synopsis When a small group of Australian scientists beat the world's best and most highly-resourced teams in the race to discover the holy grail of the 90's - WIFI - little did they know their fight had only just begun.
PARADISE
Third Act Stories
Genre Drama
Director Madeleine Gottlieb
Writer Eamon Farren
Producers Martha Coleman, Cyna Strachan, Liam Heyen
Synopsis Ethan is a liar and a coward. And now that his secret boyfriend in London has kicked him out, there’s nowhere else to go but back home to Australia - back onto the sand and out into the sun, as his sick mother rages against the dying of the light.
REM
Roderick MacKay
Genre Drama, Thriller, Horror
Writers Roderick MacKay, D.C. Stephens
Director Roderick MacKay
Producer Jessica Carrera
Synopsis The wealthy heiress of a land development empire becomes entangled with a struggling family who claim they are tormented at night by her ghost.
MOONSHOT
Truce Films
Genre Comedy, Drama
Director Nicholas Clifford
Writers Nicholas Clifford, Jules Duncan
Producers Jim Wright, Elise Trenorden
Synopsis Joy, a bad-tempered loner who is desperate for cash, takes in her space-obsessed nephew whose impossibly complicated and probably illegal science fair project threatens to blow up her life… in more ways than one.
RAY OF SUNSHINE
Tilt Media & Entertainment Pty Ltd
Genre Action, Comedy, Family
Writers Karen Jackson, Keith Thompson
Producers Di Robertson, Karen Jackson, Nathan Basha, Shontell Ketchell, Chris Hilton, Craig McMahon
Synopsis When a mischievous young man with Down Syndrome joins a bus tour of tropical Australia, he must charm the eclectic tourists, the misanthropic bus driver, and even the wildlife, to heal his broken heart and achieve his trip of a lifetime.
DREAMBOAT
Denim Pictures Pty Ltd
Genre Comedy
Writer Joan Sauers
Script Editor Megan Simpson Huberman
Script Consultant Zoë Coombs Marr
Producers Courtney Botfield, Kate Riedl
Synopsis Suzy’s plans for a cruisy retirement are capsized when best friend, Val, takes her on a cruise to the Antarctic, where she must deal with her past to re-invent her future. Dreamboat is a feature comedy celebrating the enduring power of BFFs, second chances, and embracing life’s next chapter, no matter where the tide takes you.
MAYA, MOTHER OF GOD
Harvey House Productions Australia Pty Ltd
Genre Drama, Thriller, Mystery
Writer/Directors Spencer Harvey, Lloyd Harvey
Synopsis When Maya’s young son claims responsibility for a global "miracle" on live television, her quiet life is upended as they become the target of a rising and dangerous religious hysteria.
UNIFICATION
You're So Cool Films Pty Ltd
Genre Thriller, Science fiction
Writer/Director Matt Vesely
Producers Blanca Lista, Elsa Pataky
Synopsis A brilliant scientist charged with building the world’s most advanced quantum computer discovers that she is already living inside of one – she is a simulated consciousness that must find a way to escape before her digital world collapses.
JILING
Darlene Johnson
Genre Drama, Coming of age, Sport
Writer/Director Darlene Johnson
Producers Tania Chambers, Darlene Johnson
Synopsis Jiling, a troubled teenager, must break the cycle of intergenerational trauma so she can gain custody of her child she was forced to give away while in Juvy. She finds hope and redemption by learning to channel her rage with the help of a hard-ass mentor.
DEVOTION
Dollhouse Pictures Pty Ltd with WeirAnderson Films Pty Ltd
Writer Hannah Kent
Producers Jessica Carrera, Deanne Weir
Synopsis A new start in an old land, yet Hanne and Thea cannot be together, but within the impossible is Devotion.
BULL
INFIN8 STUDIOS
Genre Drama, Crime, Period Prison Drama
Writers George Pullar, Taylor Danforth
Producers George Pullar, Michael Lawrence
Executive Producers John Molloy, Thomas Wright
Synopsis In 1995, a lifetime crook attempts to turn his life around inside Tasmania’s toughest prison by joining its notorious debating club.
FOR NOW
Causeway Works Pty Ltd
Genre Drama
Director Samuel Van Grinsven
Writers Samuel Van Grinsven, Jory Anast
Producers Sam Jennings Kristina Ceyton
Synopsis Three friends redefine the boundaries of their intimacy and in doing so make a decision that promises to tighten their bonds - or unravel them entirely.
CONUNDRUM
Veritas Entertainment Pty. Ltd.
Genre Thriller, Mystery
Director Ryan Coonan
Writers Ryan Coonan, Richard Barcaricchio
Producer Richard Barcaricchio
Synopsis When the black box from a crashed airliner records a cockpit intruder who disappeared after impact, an air crash investigator becomes obsessed with unravelling the mystery, and his connection to an unlikely suspect, before the next aircraft goes down.
LOVE FROM WISH & CO
Midwinter Entertainment PTY LTD
Genre Romantic comedy
Writer Lisa Hoppe
Producers Lisa Hoppe, Abi Tabone
Synopsis Love and second chances are at the heart of this uplifting film about two couples in strife after a tiny mistake has huge consequences for their relationships.
UNTITLED SUPERNATURAL PROJECT
Future Pictures PTY LTD
Genre Horror
Writer/Director Joel Anderson
Producers Joel Anderson, Mat Govoni
Executive Producer Roy Lee
Synopsis A psychic befriends a grieving family.
POSTIE
Princess Pictures Holdings Pty Ltd
Genre Animated Comedy
Writer Millie Holten
Producer Mike Cowap
Development Producer Sarah Lang
Executive Producers Christopher Casanova, Emma Fitzsimons, Laura Waters
Synopsis When Janet, a fiercely dedicated postie, receives a terminal diagnosis she embarks on an epic quest to deliver one last parcel where no postie has gone before. Accompanied by her loyal Honda CT110 and a dubious feral possum, Janet will overcome treacherous terrain, conniving creatures and smudged address labels on her summit of Mount Danger. Little does she know, a rag-tag crew of postie co-workers are on her trail, and will stop at nothing to save Janet from certain death.
FRIENDS FOR LIFE
Melodrama Pictures Pty Ltd
Genre Crime, Dark Comedy
Writer/Director Nicky Lianos
Producer Melanie Coombs
Synopsis Friends for Life is a stop motion animated true-crime feature set in Los Angeles around the 2000s about two elderly women, driven by a shared sense of invisibility, resentment, and greed, who become serial killers, targeting homeless men for life insurance payouts–forcing us to confront the desperate lengths people will go to be seen.
BOY GIRL WALL
Big and Little Films Pty Ltd
Genre Romantic comedy, Animation
Director Alethea Jones
Writer Matthew Ryan
Producers Michael McMahon, Naomi Mulholland
Associate Producer Vee Shi
Synopsis Two neighbours find their lives thrown into chaos when the wall between their apartments decides that they belong together.
Generate
HELLO DEATH-BOT
Spaceboy Studio, Mad Ones, Dark Horse Entertainment
Genre Comedy, Drama
Writer/Director Steve Anthopoulos
Producers Yingna Lu, Liam Heyen, Mike Richardson, Keith Goldberg, Chris Tongue.
Executive Producer Cyna Strachan
Synopsis When a mistreated robot vacuum decides to destroy humanity, he fakes a friendship with a stuttering teenager in order to access a nuclear command centre.
TWICE OVER
Never Sleep Pictures
Genre Romance
Director Alena Lodkina
Writers Alena Lodkina, Miles Allinson
Producers Kate Glover, Nathan Lewis, Aidan O’Bryan
Executive Producers Samantha Lang, Rebecca Lenkiewicz
Synopsis Anna, a 37-year-old drifter, inherits her uncle’s flat and travels to Perth to clear it out and sell it. When by chance she meets George, a similarly unattached man, a romance kindles between them, but can it hold when everything in their lives seems temporary and uncertain?
ARRIVING
AP Pobjoy
Genre Drama
Writer/Director AP Pobjoy
Script Editor Matthew Cormack
Synopsis When a once-famous portrait photographer is hired to capture an at-home water birth, she discovers that her subject—a trans man carrying his own child—might be the key to reviving her career. The two form an awakening relationship that changes their lives forever.
NOOKY'S HEIST
Film Sfakia Pty. Ltd.
Genre Heist, Comedy, Drama
Director Gabriel Gasparinatos
Writers Gabriel Gasparinatos, Corey 'Nooky' Webster
Producers Gabriel Gasparinatos, Corey 'Nooky' Webster
Synopsis Finding himself aging out of local youth programs, Nooky is caught between pursuing a rap career in Sydney or maintaining a life of petty crime in his hometown of Nowra. A spiritual awakening at a court-ordered beach camp forces him to question his choices and confront what truly matters - setting in motion a plan to head to London to steal back the spear of an Aboriginal resistance Warrior.
THE WAYWARD WIND
Munition Pictures
Genre Dramedy
Writer/Director Robin Summons
Producers Michele Turnure-Salleo, Selin Yaman
Synopsis When May, an estranged long-haul truck driver, attends her daughter’s wedding in the lakeside community she once called home, she struggles to find her place as both a mother to Zan and daughter to Joan. As the wedding looms large and disaster hangs in the air, the three women unite to contend with in-laws, celebrants and unspoken histories that threaten their fragile truce.
RARE BIRDS
Thaumatrope Pty Ltd
Genre Drama, Mystery
Director Gabrielle Brady
Producer Rita Walsh
Synopsis Rare Birds is a psychological thriller with elements of magic realism. It tells the story of a celebrated ornithologist and her family as they attempt to build their dream “eco” house in the Daintree Rainforest. Until their dream vision starts unravelling spectacularly out of control.
APOTCALYPSE
AdComms Pty Ltd
Genre Comedy
Director Stef Smith
Writer Brooke Hemphill
Producing Mentor Sheila Hanahan Taylor
Script Editor Pat Verducci
Synopsis Her Dad's carked it and his missus is a gold-digging psycho. What's a sheila to do? Fang it across the Aussie outback thru a zombie apocalypse, all while baked off her nana... of course!
LOVE IS DEAD
Gemma Bird Matheson
Genre Comedy, Horror, Thriller
Writer Gemma Bird Matheson
Producer Gemma Bird Matheson
Synopsis This feature follows Clare and her pregnant wife Dana as they embark on a camping trip into rural Queensland for their 'baby moon'. When Dana's unrelenting morning sickness slows them down, they're forced to divert to a local campsite where they have a disturbing run in with a group of young, homophobic men. And then Clare wakes in the middle of the night to find her pregnant wife missing... But this couple aren't the lesbian damsels in distress we first believe them to be. The real question is less 'will they survive?' and more 'will their relationship survive yet another miscommunication?'.
CHRISTMAS STUFFING
Bradley Slabe
Genre Action adventure, Comedy, Family, Holiday
Writer/Director Bradley Slabe
Synopsis A little girl's Christmas wish unwittingly turns her tough-as-nails dad into a teddy bear, who must now reclaim his dad-bod before sunset on Christmas Eve... or be stuffed forever.
BABY GIRL
Cloudberry Films Pty Ltd
Genre Drama, Family
Director Victoria Thaine
Writer Jolene Anderson
Producer Naomi Mulholland
Synopsis Terrified of going back into foster care, teenager Dot runs away with her 6-year-old neighbour in a troubled quest for a loving home.
COLOSSUS
Ripple Pictures
Genre Psychological Thriller
Writer/Director David Robinson-Smith
Producer Julia Corcoran
Executive Producer Michele Bennett
Synopsis As the grieving daughter and heir of an esteemed winemaker takes over the family company, horrific allegations against her late father surface and she must confront the truth of his past, their shared legacy and her future.
THE BLACK TALONS
Djali House Pty Ltd
Genre Comedy, Horror
Director Shari Sebbens
Writer Maria Lewis
Producers Huna Amweero, Hunter Page-Lochard
Executive Producers Deanne Weir, Samantha Jennings
Synopsis The Black Talons is a horror-comedy that follows an all-girls netball team fighting for their lives in a public housing tower as reptilian monsters emerge from the sewers.
THE BOOK OF EMMA
FremantleMedia Australia PTY LTD
Genre Romantic comedy
Creator Georgie Stone
Writer Rae Perks
Script Editor Magda Wozniak
Development Producer Nikki Tran
Executive Producer Carly Heaton
Synopsis When Trans school captain Emma discovers her crush is looking for a formal date, she turns to every rom com trope to win his affections, including accidentally falling for the wrong guy…
BAGGY UNDIES
Groove Therapy Pty Ltd
Genre Comedy, Drama
Director Stefan Hunt
Writers Stefan Hunt, Vanessa Varghese
Producer Alex Taussig
Synopsis Ray, the reckless front woman of surf-punk band, Baggy Undies, accidentally rises to national fame when her protest song goes viral. Unqualified for the role, Ray soon learns the cost of standing up in the laid-back country.
LOVE SUCKER
Clare Hoey
Genre Horror, Romantic comedy, Mystery
Writer/Director Clare Hoey
Synopsis A romantic fantasist must decide between her toothless relationship… Or one with more bite.
FAVOURITES
Tandem Media
Genre Comedy, Drama, Family
Director Nick Russell
Writers Nick Musgrove, Nick Russell
Synopsis When their ‘perfect’ summer holiday suddenly turns deadly, two parents face an impossible choice: which of their two children to save in a life-or-death situation. When the father chooses far too quickly, and both children miraculously survive, the fallout from “Keith’s choice” reverberates throughout his family, his marriage, and the entire Chicken Bay caravan park.
'TIS THE SEASON
Henceforth Productions
Genre Comedy, Christmas
Director Hannah Utt
Writers Alison Bell, Nath Valvo
Producer Alison Bell
Synopsis 'Tis the season of stress, fatigue and chaos, and for our middle-aged protagonists, siblings Rob, Amy and Will, this Christmas is worse than usual. Dad is finally retiring from the family business and must choose his successor. All three siblings are in contention for the role... of Santa Claus. Meet the Claus family - as dysfunctional as yours, only there’s more at stake come Christmas Day, Christmas itself.
WHO HATES THE PAPADOPOULOS HOUSE?
Slant Production Pty Ltd T/A BimBim Films
Genre Dark Comedy Thriller
Writer Michael Nikou
Producer Monique Fisher
Script Editor Marieke Hardy
Executive Producer/Mentor Sigrid Thornton
Synopsis A desperately aspirational lower class family cheat on a game show and win the grand prize; a mansion. When they attempt to sell their prize 25 years later, all hell breaks loose. A production partnership between BimBim Films and Around The Moon Productions.
IN DARKNESS VISIBLE
Alastair Edward Newton Brown
Genre Political Thriller, War Drama
Writer/Director Alastair Newton Brown
Producer Alastair Newton Brown
Synopsis Decades after the mysterious end of her intense love affair with fellow student Marin Katich, Australian journalist Anna Rosen must confront her past when Marin resurfaces as a prisoner in The Hague, accused of war crimes allegedly committed during the Bosnian war. As she navigates a complex web of personal and political stakes, Anna retraces their shared history - from Sydney to the war-torn Balkans - searching for evidence that could either incriminate Marin or set him free.
ZAHAVA
Plot Twist Pty Ltd
Genre Drama, Romance
Writer/Director Justin Olstein
Producer Clea Frost
Synopsis A Chassidic woman grapples with a burgeoning desire for the woman she hires to help care for her ailing husband.
MATRIARCH
Monkey and Pig Films Pty Ltd
Genre Drama, Horror
Writers Ivy Mak, Jayden Rathsam Hua
Producers Ivy Mak, Lois Randall
Synopsis When pregnant newlywed Connie moves in with her in-laws’ traditionalist Chinese immigrant family, she becomes ensnared in their demented pact with the God of Longevity that threatens to consume her body, child and identity.