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In the archive
2017–2018 PRODUCTION FUNDING

june 2018

DIRT MUSIC
Aquarius Films Pty Ltd, Wildgaze Films
Producers 
Finola Dwyer, Amanda Posey, Angie Fielder, Polly Staniford
Director Gregor Jordan
Writer Jack Thorne
Australian Distributor Universal
International Sales Cornerstone
Synopsis Georgie Jutland is an unconventional woman in a conventional town, living with her widowed partner, Jim, and his two small children. An encounter with enigmatic poacher Lu, an outsider to the community, reignites her sense of purpose and this unlikely affinity leads them both to find where they truly belong. Based on the Booker Prize shortlisted novel by Tim Winton.

THE DRY
Made Up Stories Pty Ltd
Genre 
Drama, Thriller 
Producers 
Bruna Papandrea, Jodi Matterson, Steve Hutensky 
Director Robert Connolly
Writer Harry Cripps
Australian Distributor Roadshow
International Sales Cornerstone
Synopsis After an absence of twenty years, Aaron Falk returns to his drought-stricken hometown to investigate an apparent murder-suicide committed by his childhood friend, Luke Hadler. But when Aaron's investigation opens a decades old wound - the unsolved death of 16-year-old Ellie Deacon – Aaron must struggle to prove not only Luke's innocence but his own.

BELOW 
Good Thing Productions Pty Ltd

Genre Action, Drama, Comedy
Producers Veronica Gleeson, Nick Batzias, Kate Neylon
Executive Producers Paul Wiegard, Annick Poirier, Virginia Whitwell
Director Maziar Lahooti
Writer Ian Wilding
Australian Distributor Madman Entertainment
International Sales Seville International
Synopsis In a near-future, darknet grifter Dougie is recruited to work security at a refugee detention centre. There, he is drawn into an underground operation blackmailing detainees to fight for profit. When tragedy strikes courageous fighter Azad, Dougie locates his hitherto dormant conscience and takes a stand.

DANGER CLOSE: THE BATTLE OF LONG TAN
Red Dune Productions Pty Ltd and Deeper Water Films Pty Ltd
Genre 
Drama, War 
Producers 
Martin Walsh, John Schwarz, Michael Schwarz, Stuart Beattie 
Executive Producers Tony Noun, Silvio Salom, James Costas, Alistair Birmingham, Gabriel Carey
Director Kriv Stenders
Writer Stuart Beattie
Story by Jack Brislee, James Nicholas, Karel Segers, Paul Sullivan
Australian Distributor Transmission
International Sales Saboteur
Synopsis The true story of how Major Harry Smith and his company of 108 young and mostly inexperienced Australian and New Zealand soldiers hold off an overwhelming enemy force of 2,500 battle hardened North Vietnamese and Main Force Viet Cong soldiers in The Battle of Long Tan.

M4M
Toothless Pictures Pty Ltd
Genre Drama
Producers Damian Hill, Paul Ireland
Executive Producers Bryce Menzies, Tony Nagle, Mitu Bhowmick, John Molloy, Ian Kirk, Clement Dunn
Director Paul Ireland
Writers Damian Hill, Paul Ireland
International Sales Bankside
Synopsis Inspired by Shakespeare's play, an unlikely love ignites between a modern Muslim woman and local loner amongst the background of racial tension and drugs in Melbourne's notorious commission flats.

APRIL 2018

H IS FOR HAPPINESS
Cyan Films Pty Ltd
Genre 
Family 
Producers 
Julie Ryan, Lisa Hoppe, Tenille Kennedy
Executive Producers Jonathan Page, Bryce Menzies, Avril Stark
Director John Sheedy
Writer Lisa Hoppe
Synopsis A twelve year old girl with boundless optimism and a unique view of the world, is inspired by the strange new boy at school and sets out to mend her broken family - whatever it takes.

HEARTS AND BONES
Night Kitchen Productions Pty Ltd
Genre 
Drama 
Producer Matt Reeder
Director Ben Lawrence
Writers Beatrix Christian, Ben Lawrence
Australian Distributor Curious Films
International Sales Urban Distribution International
Synopsis A shell-shocked photojournalist, haunted by what he has witnessed on assignment in Africa, returns home on the eve of becoming a father. When one of his photographs threatens to destroy a Sudanese refugee’s new life, the two men are reunited by nightmare events from the past. In the wake of a tragedy, a startling revelation forces each survivor to help the other find hope again. Hearts and Bones is a story about the mysterious bonds of family, friendship and fatherhood.

BABYTEETH
Whitefalk Films Pty Ltd
Genre 
Comedy, Drama 
Producer 
Alex White
Executive Producer Jan Chapman
Director Shannon Murphy
Writer Rita Kalnejais
Australian Distributor Universal Pictures International Australasia
International Sales Celluloid Dreams
Synopsis A bittersweet comedy about how good it is not to be dead yet. The Finlay’s are an ordinary middle class family in every way, with one exception: their teenage daughter Milla has cancer and a 23 year old drug dealer as a boyfriend.  A story about life, grief and the chaos of family, Babyteeth joyously explores how far we will go for love.

MARCH 2018

POOR BOY
Wildheart Films Pty Ltd
Genre
Paranormal mystery drama
Producers Al Clark, Andrena Finlay
Director Guy Pearce
Writer Matt Cameron
Australian Distributor Becker Film Group
International Sales Cinema Management Group (CMG), Guardian Entertainment International (GEI)
Synopsis A little boy announces to his family on his seventh birthday that he is a stranger named Danny; a grown man who died seven years earlier, moments before the boy was born.
Production funding for this feature film was revoked in May 2018.

JANUARY 2018

RELIC
Carver Films Pty Ltd
Genre 
Psychological horror
Producers Sarah Shaw, Anna McLeish
Director Natalie Erika-James
Writers Natalie Erika-James, Christian White 
Australian Distributor Umbrella Entertainment
International Sales Endeavor Content
Synopsis Three generations of women – daughter, mother and grandmother – are haunted by a manifestation of aged dementia that is taking over their family home.

DECEMBER 2017

RAMS
WBMC
Genre 
Comedy, Drama
Producers Janelle Landers, Aidan O’Bryan
Director Jeremy Sims
Writer Jules Duncan
Australian Distributor Roadshow Films
International Sales Westend Films 
Synopsis When a proud sheep town’s flocks are threatened by a rare disease, two feuding brothers struggle to preserve their family’s legacy by outsmarting a government plan that jeopardises the whole community.

MISS FISHER AND THE CRYPT OF TEARS
Every Cloud Productions Pty Ltd
Genre 
Drama, Mystery, Crime, Action Adventure
Producer Fiona Eagger 
Executive Producers Fiona Eagger, Deb Cox
Director Tony Tilse
Writer Deb Cox
Australian Distributor Roadshow Films 
International Sales Keshet Broadcasting International
Synopsis Set in the late 1920’s, 'Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears’ honors the heightened exoticisms of the murder mystery genre as the Honourable Miss Phryne Fisher, lady detective, escapes the small screen and takes off on a global adventure - via romantic wayside stops in the Far East, glamorous sojourns in the mansions of London, and a battle to survive the rolling sands of the Arabian Desert long enough to find the missing treasure, solve numerous murders and break all aviation records as she wings her way home again!

2067
Arcadia, Kojo Entertainment
Genre 
Sci-Fi, Mystery, Thriller
Producers Lisa Shaunessy, Kate Croser
Executive Producers Michael Rymer, Alexandra Burke
Director Seth Larney
Writers Seth Larney with additional writing by Dave Paterson
Australian Distributor Umbrella Entertainment
International Sales Kew Media
Synopsis One man's journey to the future to save a dying world.

RIDE LIKE A GIRL
The Film Company / Magdalene Media
Genre
Family, Comedy, Drama
Producers Richard Keddie, Rachel Griffiths
Director Rachel Griffiths
Writers Andrew Knight, Elise McCredie
Cast Teresa Palmer, Sam Neill
Australian Distributor Roadshow Films
International Sales Embankment Films / Gersh
Synopsis The inspirational true story of jockey Michelle Payne, who beat catastrophic injury and odds of a 100-1, to become the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup.

PALM BEACH
Palm Beach the Movie Pty Ltd
Genre 
Drama, Comedy
Producers Bryan Brown, Deborah Balderstone
Director Rachel Ward
Writers Joanna Murray Smith, Rachel Ward
Australian Distributor eOne Australia
International Sales Seville
Synopsis When a group of lifelong friends gather in Palm Beach to celebrate a special birthday, bonhomie soon gives way to the messy realities of life.

ANGEL OF MINE
SixtyFourSixty Films Pty Ltd
Genre 
Psychological thriller 
Producers Su Armstrong, Brian Etting, Josh Etting 
Director Kim Farrant 
Writer Luke Davies 
Australian Distributor Becker Film Group
International Sales Fortitude International 
Synopsis Two women, two worlds, one truth.

AUGUST 2017

ANIMALS 
Closer Productions Pty Ltd
Genre 
Comedy, Drama 
Producers Rebecca Summerton, Sarah Brocklehurst, Cormac Fox, Sophie Hyde
Director Sophie Hyde
Writer Emma Jayne Unsworth
Australian Distributor Bonsai Films
International Sales Cornerstone Films 
Synopsis Laura and Tyler are best friends and drinking buddies – but their hedonistic existence falls under the creeping horror of adulthood when Laura gets engaged to Jim, an ambitious pianist who decides, unfathomably, to become a teetotaler.

100% WOLF
Flying Bark Productions Pty Ltd
Genre 
Family, Action-adventure, Comedy
Producers Barbara Stephen, Alexia Gates-Foale 
Executive Producers Robert Slaviero, Francesca Hope
Director Alexs Stadermann
Writer Fin Edquist
Australian Distributor Universal Pictures
International Sales Studio 100
Synopsis Freddy Lupin, heir to a proud family line of werewolves, is in for a shock when on his 13th birthday his first ‘warfing’ goes awry, turning him into a ferocious… poodle. Despite his pink and poufy hairdo, can Freddy prove he’s still 100% wolf?

ACUTE MISFORTUNE
Arenamedia Pty Ltd
Genre
Drama
Producers Virginia Kay, Jamie Houge, Thomas M. Wright
Executive Producers Rob Connolly , Liz Kearney
Director Thomas M. Wright
Writers Thomas M. Wright, Erik Jensen
Australian Distributor CinemaPlus
International Sales Maze Film Sales
Synopsis Endurance is more important than truth. The film adaptation of Erik Jensen’s award-winning biography of Adam Cullen is the story of the biographer and his subject, as it descends into a dependent and abusive relationship. 

BUOYANCY
Causeway Films HQ Pty Ltd
Genre Drama
Producers Samantha Jennings, Rita Walsh, Kristina Ceyton
Director / Writer Rodd Rathjen
Australian Distributor Umbrella Entertainment
International Sales Charades, Echo Studio
Synopsis An innocent Cambodian boy is enslaved on a Thai fishing trawler and soon realises that his only hope of freedom is to become as violent as his captors.

GO KARTS
See Pictures
Genre
Family
Producers Jamie Hilton, Sonia Borella
Executive Producers Joel Pearlman, Seph McKenna, Michael Pontin, Berry Meyerowitz, Jeff Sackman
Director Owen Trevor
Writer Steve Worland
Australian Distributor Roadshow Films
International Sales Aqute Media
Synopsis A thrilling family film about a boy who must overcome tremendous odds and his own recklessness to achieve his dream of winning the Australian Go Kart Championship.

COMPLETION FUNDING

BOOK WEEK
Albert Street Films Pty Ltd

Genre Comedy, Drama
Executive Producers Jonathan Page, Daniel Krige
Producers Joe Weatherstone, Heath Davis
Director / Writer Heath Davis
Australian Distributor Bonsai Films
Synopsis A jaded high school English teacher is forced to re-evaluate his life when his novel is passed over for one of his students.

EMU RUNNER
Imogen Thomas trading as Imogen Thomas Films

Genre Drama, Family
Producers Imogen Thomas, Victor Evatt, Antonia Barnard, John Fink, Gabriel Barber Shipton
Director / Writer Imogen Thomas
Synopsis Emu Runner is about the impact a mother’s death has on an Indigenous family living in an isolated community. The story is seen through the eyes of Gem, a spirited nine-year-old girl, who deals with grief by forging a bond with a wild emu, a mythical bird of her ancestors. It is a bond she will do anything to keep but one that puts her at odds with a young and inexperienced social worker.

STANDING UP FOR SUNNY
Stand Up Films Pty Ltd
Genre Drama, Comedy
Producers Jamie Hilton, Michael Pontin, Drew Bailey
Executive Producers Compton Ross, Sonia Borella, Josh Pomeranz, Warren Day, Matt Hearn, Phil Hunt
Director / Writer Steve Vidler
Australian Distributor Ticket to Ride Distribution Pty Ltd
International Sales Ticket to Ride Distribution Pty Ltd
Synopsis An isolated guy with cerebral palsy is railroaded into helping an unassertive comedienne, and finds love and acceptance through stand-up comedy.

UNDERTOW
Emerald Productions Pty Ltd
Genre
Thriller, Drama
Producer Lyn Norfor
Executive Producer Liz Watts
Director / Writer Miranda Nation
Australian Distributor Mind Blowing World
International Sales Mongrel Media
Synopsis Determined not to give into grief after losing her baby, Claire develops a dangerous obsession with a pregnant young woman.

1%
One Percent Productions Pty Ltd
Genre Drama, Crime
Producer Jamie Hilton, Michael Pontin
Director Stephen McCallum
Writer Matt Nable
Australian Distributor Icon Film Distribution, Ticket to Ride Distribution
Synopsis When the Vice President of an outlaw motorcycle gang has to betray his President to save his brother, it results in civil war.

CHASING COMETS
Even Stevens Pty Ltd, Off The Ground Productions Pty Ltd
Genre Comedy, Drama
Producer Jason Stevens
Director Jason Perini
Writer Jason Stevens
Australian Distributor Resplendent Pictures
International Sales LevelK
Synopsis Chase Daylight’s dream of playing in the NRL, and his love life are both falling by the wayside. In an attempt to turn things around, he takes a leap of faith, but when things get even worse, it may be a decision he lives to regret.

WEST OF SUNSHINE
Exile Productions Pty Ltd
Genre Drama
Producers Alexandra Ouzas, Jason Raftopoulos
Director / Writer Jason Raftopoulos
Australian Distributor Exile Entertainment
Synopsis A father grows increasingly desperate to pay back a debt to a loan shark, while looking after his young son.