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Funding approvals
2019-2020 documentary production

Commissioned Program | Producer Progam | Witness Initiative with AJ Jazeera| Pitch Australiana


Commissioned Program

A DINGO’S GOT MY BABY
2 x 90 mins
Easy Tiger Productions Pty Ltd
Director
 Mark Joffe
Writer Francine Finnane
Producers Mark Joffe, Francine Finnane, Ian Collie, Rob Gibson
Broadcaster Network 10
Synopsis A Dingo’s Got My Baby is the definitive story of the life of Lindy Chamberlain and how the shocking circumstances of the tragic loss of her baby and its extraordinary aftermath continues to resonate today.

THE FIGHT TOGETHER
1 x 75 mins
Essential Media & Entertainment
Writer/Director
 Larissa Behrendt
Producer Sam Griffin
Executive Producer Brendan Dahill
Broadcaster NITV
Synopsis An intimate portrait of a man driven to share his culture with the world.

THE SCIENCE OF SUCCESS
1 x 55 mins
Smith&Nasht
Writer/Director
 Annamaria Talas
Producer Simon Nasht
Broadcaster CuriosityStream
Synopsis Why do some people make it while others fall short? What’s the secret of success? There are piles of self-help books offering answers, advising us to: push yourself and trust that hard work will pay off. But they are wrong. We reveal the real science behind success.

WHAT DOES AUSTRALIA REALLY THINK
3 x 56 mins
Joined Up Films Pty Ltd

Producer Darren Hutchinson
Executive Producers Jacqueline Willinge, Dan Brown
Broadcaster SBS
Synopsis In this new documentary series, we’re going to investigate 3 of the most important issues affecting the social fabric of our nation and find out if we can still claim to be the land of the fair go, or if we’re fast becoming the land of the free-for-all.

AUSTRALIA’S HEALTH REVOLUTION WITH DR MICHAEL MOSLEY
3 x 53 mins
Artemis Media Pty Ltd
Series Director 
Russell Vines
Producer Nia Pericles
Executive Producer Celia Tait
Broadcaster SBS
Synopsis Backed by the latest science, can renowned science journalist Dr Michael Mosley and local sports physiologist-turned diabetes warrior, Ray Kelly revolutionize the nation’s health and reverse type 2 diabetes across the country, saving both lives and limbs?

UNTITLED BOOK SERIES 
3 x 57 mins
Blackfella Films
Director
 Bruce Permezel 
Writer Jacob Hickey 
Producer Darren Dale 
Series Producer Jacob Hickey
Broadcaster ABC
Synopsis An inspiring documentary series that takes us on a journey to celebrate our love of books, meet our great storytellers and explore our Australian identity.  

SEE WHAT YOU MADE ME DO
3 x 52 mins
Northern Pictures Pty Ltd
Broadcaster
 SBS
Series Director Tosca Looby
Consulting Producer Jessica Hill
Executive Producer Karina Holden
Synopsis In this three-part series we go under the cloak of domestic abuse to better understand the men who choose to be violent and the women who have stayed with them, too often until death. We meet the families who are fighting to protect themselves and the people at the coal face determined to rewrite this story.

SHAUN MICALLEF’S ON THE SAUCE 
3 x 60 mins
Cordell Jigsaw Productions Pty Ltd
Producer
 Paula Bycroft
Executive Producers Paula Bycroft, Andrew Farrell, Shaun Micallef
Broadcaster ABC
Synopsis Shaun Micallef goes on a shocking, surprising and entertaining quest to understand Australia’s cultural love affair with alcohol.

FIGHT FOR PLANET A
3 x 60 mins
Lune Media Pty Ltd
Executive Producers
 Jodi Boylan, David Galloway, Leonie Lowe
Producers Jodi Boylan, Kam Vurlow
Directors Jodi Boylan, Kam Vurlow
Broadcaster ABC
Synopsis Most Australians now accept that climate change is real and in this new 3-part series, presenter Craig Reucassel will look at the practical day-to-day changes that each and every one of us can make to reduce our carbon footprint, and help minimise the impacts of climate change. This series will show Australians what they need to be asking for from their politicians.  Some things can’t be done in your own backyard, but can be done with the help of politicians showing leadership.  It’s about empowering Australians with everyday solutions to the biggest problem of the 21st century and will place pressure on the people who are standing in the way of change.

BIG WEATHER (AND HOW TO SURVIVE IT)
3 x 57 mins
DMA Creative
Executive Producers
 Michael Angus, Karina Holden, Chris Thorburn
Director Daniel Marsden
Writer Polly Kate Marsden
Broadcaster ABC
Synopsis How do Australian communities keep safe, survive and thrive in a land of extremes?

BIRDSVILLE
1 x 51 mins
Mint Pictures Pty Ltd
Producer
 Dan Goldberg
Executive Producer Adam Kay
Writer/Director Dan Goldberg
Broadcaster SBS
Synopsis The untold story of an Outback outpost of 100 people that mushrooms to 10,000 twice a year, told through an eclectic cast of locals as they endure a year of tumultuous change.

BOWLED OVER
1 x 51 mins
Flickchicks Pty Ltd

Producer Meredith Garlick
Executive Producer Mandy Lake
Writer/Director Mandy Lake
Broadcaster SBS
Synopsis When an eclectic troupe of drag queens rescue the North Ipswich Lawn Bowls Club from financial ruin, just who is saving whom?

EVERY FAMILY HAS A SECRET SERIES 2
3 x 52 mins
Artemis Media Pty Ltd
Producer
 Claire Forster
Executive Producer Celia Tait
Writer/Directors Steve Peddie, Russell Vines
Broadcaster SBS
Synopsis Presented by Noni Hazlehurst, this masterfully crafted observational documentary series follows everyday Australians on a life changing journey, seeking out the hidden secrets within their families.

STUTTER SCHOOL 
1 x 51 mins
Kalmedia Pty Ltd and Southern Pictures Pty Ltd
Producer
 Heather Nash
Executive Producer Laurie Critchley
Director Liz Allen
Broadcaster SBS
Synopsis With unprecedented access to a groundbreaking speech program, this documentary joins four brave Australian stutterers, and their families, on a once-in-a-lifetime journey to confront their fears, find their voice and transform their lives. 

LIFE IN COLOUR PRESENTED BY DAVID ATTENBOROUGH 
3 x 50 mins
SeaLight Films, Humble Bee Pictures
Producers Colette Beaudry, Sharmila Choudhury, Adam Geiger,  Nick Green,  Sally Thomson, 
Executive Producers Colette Beaudry, Stephen Dunleavy
Director Adam Geiger 
Broadcaster Nine Network
Synopsis Colour makes our world a beautiful place to live in. But there is so much more to it than beauty. In fact, colour is intimately connected to almost every story nature has to tell. It is the means by which animals communicate and collaborate and even the language of life and death in the natural world. Attenborough’s Life in Colour will be a thrilling visual feast, full of revelation, fascination and compelling storytelling. Packed with innovation and new camera technology developed just for this series, it will open our eyes to a new realm of life on Earth.

GUN RINGER
10 x 30 mins
Ronde 
Executive Producer
 Ben Davies
Series Producer Liam Taylor 
Producer Tom Lawrence
Director Maria Handas
Creators Ben Davies, Tom Lawrence
Broadcaster ABC
Synopsis A season in the Outback with Australia’s feral-bull catching teams  

MIRIAM MARGOLYES ALMOST AUSTRALIAN
3 x 57 mins
SOUTHERN PICTURES Pty Ltd (and Kalmedia Pty Ltd)

Producers Ross Wilson, Allan Clarke
Executive Producers Laurie Critchley, Aline Jacques
Director Liz Allen
Broadcaster ABC
Synopsis A 3-part observational documentary investigating a key cultural issue of our time – Australia’s changing sense of nationhood during a period of increasing globalisation and fractious identity politics – through the deeply personal lens of Miriam Margolyes's own sense of becoming a new Australian. 

PRODUCER Program

August 2019

TELEVISION EVENT
1 x 90 mins
Common Room Productions 

Producer Jeff Daniels
Director Jeff Daniels
Synopsis Television Event is an archive-based feature documentary about The Day After (1983), the made-for-TV movie that set out to win the ratings war and ultimately helped end the Cold War.

ABLAZE
1 x 90 mins
JOTZ Productions
Producer
 Tom Zubrycki
Executive Producer Sue Maslin
Directors Alec Morgan, Tiriki Onus
Synopsis Opera singer Tiriki Onus journeys across Australia to solve the mystery surrounding a recently discovered old movie believed to be made by his Aboriginal Grandfather.

DEMOCRACY PROJECT
1 x 90 mins and 2 x 60 mins
Jungle Entertainment Pty Ltd
Producer
 Aline Jacques
Executive Producers Jen Peedom, Jason Burrows, Bridget Callow-Wright
Writer/Director Craig Reucassel
Synopsis Presenter Christiaan Van Vuuren sets out to fix a mistake in his viral anti-gun Youtube video by changing Australian gun laws. But instead, he finds himself at war with a corroding democratic system where money buys influence and results.

HATING PETER TATCHELL
1 x 80 mins
WildBear Entertainment Pty Ltd
Producers
 Veronica Fury, Dena Curtis, Lee Matthews
Writer/Director Christopher Amos
Synopsis Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell has affected change by publicly breaking the rules for more than 50 years, now he sets out on one of his most challenging campaigns yet, to confront the homophobic rules of Russia.

MORE LEARNING, LESS ACTIVISM
1 x 30 mins
Mashup Pictures

Producer Rob Innes
Executive Producer Mish Armstrong
Writer/Director Rob Innes
Synopsis A group of school students defied calls to stay in school and organized one of the largest youth-led movements Australia has ever seen. This is their story, told by them.

QUOLL FARM
1 x 52 mins
Wild Creature Films, Smith&Nasht
Producers
 Nick Hayward, Simon Nasht
Writer/Director Simon Plowright
Synopsis In a hidden corner of a distant land there is a magical place where wondrous animals come out to play.

STAR DREAMING
1 x 45 mins
Prospero Productions
Producer 
Julia Redwood 
Executive Producers Jules Fortune, Ian Booth, Ed Punchard
Director Perun Bonser
Synopsis Two children discover the mysteries of the universe through the unique combination of the world’s most advanced radio telescope and the oldest living culture on earth.

THE CHILDREN IN THE PICTURES
1 x 90 mins
DNX Media

Producers Simon Nasht, Akhim Dev
Executive Producer Tony Wright
Writers Akhim Dev, Geoffrey Smith
Director Geoffrey Smith
Synopsis This is a crime that thrives in silence. Once you know, you can never unknow.

THE DREAMLIFE OF GEORGIE STONE
1 x 20 mins
Closer Productions
Producers
 Matthew Bate, Maya Newell, Lisa Sherrard
Executive Producer Sophie Hyde
Writer Georgie Stone
Director Maya Newell
Synopsis Filmed over 10 years, DREAMLIFE is a 20 minute short that leads us into the elliptical memories of Georgie Stone, one of the world’s most dynamic trans-kid activists, as she changes laws, affirms her gender and for the first time, gains control of her own story.

November 2019

ART OF AUSTRALIA AND THE PACIFIC (WORKING TITLE)
3 x 57 mins
Wildbear Entertainment Pty Ltd & Frame Up Films
Director
 Larissa Behrendt
Writers Larissa Behrendt, Dena Curtis, Owen Hughes
Producers Alan Erson, Owen Hughes, Dena Curtis

Executive Producer Michael Tear
Synopsis From its deep origins and tumultuous histories to its extraordinary rise to global prominence today, this is the story of the Indigenous Art of Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific - with Aaron Pedersen and Ngahuia Te Awekotuku.
Production funding for this title was revoked in June 2020.

AUDREY & ME
1 x 85 mins
Chili Films
Director
 Penelope McDonald
Writer Penelope McDonald
Producers Trisha Morton-Thomas, Rachel Clements, Penelope McDonald
Synopsis Colliding worlds – a Warlpiri woman in a remote Australian town, juggles the expectations of her adoptive mother Audrey, an Aboriginal matriarch, renowned artist and movie star, her Sicilian stepdad, and her teenage daughter, as she navigates a new beginning, back in the fray, beyond the prison gates.

DARK WATER: BATTLE ON THE FRANKLIN
1 x 90 mins
Rock Island Bend Productions Pty Ltd
Director
 Kasimir Burgess
Writers Kasimir Burgess, Claire Smith
Producers Chris Kamen, Oliver Cassidy, Annie Venables
Synopsis Dark Water: Battle on the Franklin is a feature-length documentary that tells the definitive story of the Franklin campaign through the lens of a modern-day solo rafting adventure.

JENNY & LINDA (WORKING TITLE)
1 x 75 mins
Blackfella Films Pty Ltd
Director
 Amanda Blue
Writer Jacob Hickey
Producers Darren Dale, Fran Moore
Synopsis The extraordinary story of two women who sparked a revolution in Australian fashion.

PALAZZO DI COZZO
1 x 90 mins & 1 x 57 mins
Film Camp Pty Ltd
Writer/Director
 Madeleine Martiniello
Producers Philippa Campey, Samantha Dinning
Synopsis A charming portrait of Sicilian furniture merchant and cult icon, Franco Cozzo, struggling to maintain his iconic style as Australia - and his migrant clientele - change around him.

THE FUN OF FEAR VR
1 x 60 mins
StudioBento
Writer/Director 
Lester Francois
Producers Erinn Stevenson, Anna Brady
Synopsis The Fun of Fear is an interactive VR documentary that explores the history and science of fear as entertainment. We ask, why do sane people spend money to be scared witless?
Funding for this project was revoked in September 2020.

THE LIGHTS 
1 x 15 mins
No Thing Productions
 
Producer Brooke Silcox
Director Olivia Martin-McGuire
Synopsis A hybrid short documentary using dramatic realisation of recorded interviews to explore displacement and the story of migration.

UNBREAKABLE: THE JELENA DOKIC STORY
1 x 90 mins
In Films Pty Ltd
Director
 Wayne Blair
Writers Wayne Blair, Jessica Halloran, Ivan O’Mahoney
Producer Ivan O’Mahoney
Synopsis The incredible true story of how Jelena Dokic became a tennis star while surviving war, bullying and extreme domestic violence at the hands of Damir Dokic, the tennis father from hell. It’s the story of falling down from a great height, as the world looked away, and finally finding your feet again.
Note: A different documentary based on Jelena Dokic’s memoir Unbreakable received production funding in November 2018 and its funding was revoked in April 2019.

WORLDS
8 x 5 mins
Mashup Pictures Pty Ltd
Writer/Director
 Josef Gatti
Producers Rob Innes, Joseph Nizeti
Executive Producers Michael Lynch, Rob Innes
Synopsis A journey from chaos to geometry - where art and science collide to explore the patterns and evolution of nature and our relationship to it.

MARCH 2020

SHANE
1 x 
90 mins
Essential Media & Television Pty Ltd
Directors
 Jon Carey, Adam Darke
Producers Sam Griffin, Brendan Dahill, Dave Rowley, Andrew Berg
Executive Producers Paul Wiegard, John Sachs, Charles Low, Brian Berg, Michael , Athene Taee 
Co-Producers Rebecca Bennett, Jon Carey, Adam Darke
Synopsis A character study on Shane Warne, one of the greatest cricket players the world has ever known, as he travels the world revealing all aspects of his extraordinary life and career.

ARE YOU ADDICTED TO TECHNOLOGY?
1 x 60 mins
Joined Up Films and Closer Productions
Director
 Darren Hutchison, Jake Blackburn
Creative Director Matthew Bate
Producers Matthew Bate, Darren Hutchison
Executive Producers Dan Brown, Jacqueline Willinge
Synopsis Are You Addicted to Technology is a timely, radical and innovative interactive documentary, that will challenge everything we thought we knew about ourselves and our relationship with technology.

FLYWAYS
1 x 90 mins
Freshwater Productions and Storyland
Director
 Randall Wood
Writers Randall Wood, Trish Lake
Producers Trish Lake, Randall Wood
Synopsis Using nanotechnology and global tracking from the International Space Station, we follow migratory shorebirds, the world’s greatest endurance athletes as they travel the ancient flyways of our planet, and meet the scientists, international lawyers and citizen scientists collaborating to save them.

RIVER
1 x 75 mins
Stranger Than Fiction Films
Director
 Jennifer Peedom 
Writer Robert MacFarlane
Producers Jo-anne McGowan, Jennifer Peedom, John Smithson
Synopsis  A journey from source to sea, River is a cinematic and musical odyssey that explores the remarkable relationship between humans and rivers.

PAPER CITY
1 x 90 mins
Feather Films
Writer/Director
 Adrian Francis
Producer Melanie Brunt
Executive Producers Sophie Hyde, Rebecca Summerton
Synopsis Paper City tells the story of three survivors of the 1945 fire-bombing of Tokyo as they launch one final campaign to leave behind a record of this forgotten tragedy—before the last of them passes away. Using paper as a central metaphor—a means of documenting the past that is as fragile as life itself—Paper City will explore the power and frailty of memory. And, in giving a voice to the Tokyo survivors, the film will shine a light on the lasting impact of civilian-targeted air raids.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE
5 x 5 mins
Redman Media
Director
 Lyndal Redman
Producers Lyndal Redman, Lauren Hillman, Caroline Winter
Synopsis A journey of heartbreak over the loss of a child and the joy as one woman finally gives birth to her rainbow baby.

OFF COUNTRY (WORKING TITLE)
1 x 80 mins
Letterbox Films
Director
 John Harvey, Rhian Skirving
Producer John Harvey, Rhian Skirving
Executive Producer Tom Zubrycki
Synopsis Off Country will follow the lives of six young Indigenous students as they leave their communities to spend a year boarding at one of the oldest and most elite boarding schools in the country, Geelong Grammar.

HISTORY BITES BACK
1 x 52 minutes
Brindle Films
Directors
 Trisha Morton-Thomas, Craig Anderson
Writer Trisha Morton-Thomas
Producer Bridget May
Synopsis History Bites Back at negative social media comments and steer the conversation to look into the historical context of the fortunes and misfortunes of Aboriginal Australians from social security, citizenship and equal wages to nuclear bombs and civil actions.

THE BOWRAVILLE MURDERS (WORKING TITLE)
1 x 80 mins
Mint Pictures and Jumping Dog Productions
Director
 Allan Clarke
Writers Dan Goldberg, Stefan Moore
Producers Dan Goldberg, Stefan Moore
Executive Producers Susan Lambert, Adam Kay
Synopsis Exactly 30 years ago...Three murdered Aboriginal kids...One white suspect...Justice is not colour blind in Australia in 2020.

MAY 2020

A BIG LIFE
1 x 15 mins
Poison Apple Productions
Writer/Director
 Anna Brownfield
Producer Anna Brownfield
Synopsis A Big Life is told through the tales of Bobbie Nugent it is a story of butches and femmes, gangsters, sex workers, travelling side shows and early Australian transgender history.

A PLAGUE ON OUR HOUSES
2 x 50 mins
Emerald Films Pty Ltd
Writers
 Sally Browning, Rachel Sullivan
Director Sally Browning
Producers Sally Browning, Rachel Sullivan
Executive Producer Colette Beaudry
Synopsis Deadly virus spill-over events like COVID-19 are a vivid example of sustained human impact on our eco system through animal habitat destruction and environmental damage. Plague examines how we can predict future events and change our behaviour to take steps now to stop spill-over at its root cause before the next pandemic occurs.
Funding for this project was revoked in July 2021

BOB’S MANUAL FOR LIVING AND DYING
1 x 120 mins
3:57 Films Pty Ltd in association with Flood Projects
Writer/Director
 Amiel Courtin-Wilson
Producers Amiel Courtin-Wilson, Alice Jamieson-Dowd
Co-Producer Chris Luscri
Executive Producer Michael McMahon, Sophie Hyde
Synopsis Bob has seven days left to live... he wants to tell you something.

CARBON – AN UNAUTHORISED BIOGRAPHY
1 x 90 mins
Genepool Productions Pty Ltd
Directors
 Daniella Ortega, Niobe Thompson
Writer Daniella Ortega
Producers Sonya Pemberton, Lucy Maclaren, Niobe Thompson
Executive Producer Sonya Pemberton
Synopsis This is the ultimate biography of Carbon, the most talked about but least understood element on earth.

FACING MONSTERS
1 x 90 mins
Beyond West & Veerhuis Pictures
Director
 Geoffrey Smith
Producer Chris Veerhuis
Line Producer Susanne Morrison 
Executive Producer Frank Chidiac
Synopsis Facing Monsters is a candid insight into a man caught between the love he has for his family, and a childhood dream that could ultimately destroy him.

GENERAL HERCULES
1 x 90 mins
Toy Shop Entertainment
Writer/Director
 Brodie Poole
Producer Ruby Schmidt
Executive Producer Matthew Bate
Synopsis General Hercules is an observational documentary film exploring the relationship between a local government and its residents in the wake of economic and political changes in the remote gold mining town of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.

STRANGE BEASTS
1 x 9 mins
Oh Yeah Wow Pty Ltd
Director
 Darcy Prendergast
Producers Darcy Prendergast, Rachel Gilkison
Executive Producer Cameron Ford
Synopsis During its decade of operation, the Bacchus Marsh Lion Safari was one of Victoria’s most popular tourist attractions… now one its greatest mysteries.

STRONG FEMALE LEAD
1 x 55 mins
Northern Pictures
Writer/Director 
Tosca Looby
Executive Producer Karina Holden
Synopsis A documentary exploring Australia’s struggle with the notion of women and power when a strong female takes the lead.

THIN ICE VR
1 x 20 mins
Monkeystack Pty Ltd
Writer 
James Calvert and Ruth Cross
Director James Calvert
Producer Justin Wight
Impact Producer Kath McIntyre
Executive Producer Tim Jarvis
Synopsis Thin Ice VR is a story of Antarctic adventure, leadership and survival with an environmental warning about climate change presented by Tim Jarvis.

WOVEN THREADS - STORIES FROM WITHIN
8 x 5 mins
Woven Threads Pty Ltd
Writer/Director
 Michi Marosszeky
Producers Paul Sullivan, Michi Marosszeky
Synopsis Despite continued efforts to de-stigmatise mental health issues, they are often still denied or hidden. With 45% of Australians likely to have a common mental disorder in their lifetime, Woven Threads aims to bring the conversation of mental health to the foreground - to start accelerating dialogue and change.

WITNESS INITIATIVE WITH AL JAZEERA

AT THE COALFACE
Director
 Anu Hasbold
Platform AJE Witness
Synopsis A coal mining family in Mongolia grapples to keep up as the world progresses away from coal.

GIVE US GREEN, DARLING!
Director 
Caro Macdonald
Platform AJE Witness
Synopsis Darwin’s famous 'laksa queen' Amye Un takes on the Northern Territory’s most powerful to give us green and win a seat at the elections.

THIS IS REALITY
Director
 Chris Phillips
Platform AJE Witness
Synopsis The story of an ex-resistance fighter turned performance artist who creates East Timor’s first reality TV show to confront his past.

PITCH AUSTRALIANA

SEARCHING FOR THE TASSIE TIGER
Director
 Naomi Ball
Producers David Elliot-Jones, Louis Dai
Platform VICE and SBS VICELAND
Synopsis A documentary exploring new evidence and a growing civilian movement that are challenging the long-held belief that Tasmanian tigers are extinct.

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