What is the Screen Guide?
The Screen Guide is an online database of Australian* and co-production^ titles across film, television, games and video-on-demand (VOD).
Where available, each listing contains information on where to watch, cast, key creative crew, production companies and sales agent information.
Powered by information provided by the content creator (or IMDb), The Screen Guide captures titles that are produced nationally, not just those funded by Screen Australia.
If your Australian* or co-production^ title isn’t listed, please submit your production here. If we are unable to validate the information, it will not be published. A full list of our publishing parameters for a production is provided below.
Access to Titles
Screen Australia does not have a sales library and cannot provide copies of productions. We cannot guarantee that all titles listed are commercially available.
Advice on how to search for a copy of a production can be found via the button below.
Other information
What we publish
The Screen Guide includes Australian drama and documentary projects as follows:
*Australian productions: Projects under Australian creative control (i.e. where the elements are predominantly Australian and the project was originated and developed by Australians). Includes projects with these characteristics which are 100 per cent foreign financed.
^Co-productions: Co-productions where creative control is shared between Australian and international partners, and where there is a mix of Australian and international elements in the creative positions. This includes projects made under the Official Co-production Program, i.e. pursuant to an agreement between the Australian Government and a similar authority or government of another country.
- Feature films since 1970
- Telemovies since 1970
- TV mini-series since 1980
- TV series and serials since 1988
- Documentaries since 1980
- Selected interactive titles since 2009
- Completed short films between 1988 and 2008 and then…
- Completed shorts after 2008 which:
- received government agency funding (federal and/or state)
- screened or won an award at major film festivals and/or award events with an international focus, either domestic or international, as listed below
- won an award at selected domestic film festivals and award events, as listed below
- have been submitted by the filmmakers for inclusion in the database
What we don’t publish
- International films shot or undertaking PDV-only activity in Australia
- Titles in development
- Shorts that are not yet completed
Festivals and awards
Since 1 July 2008, Screen Australia has tracked production accolades across key events.
International: Screenings and awards for features, TV drama, documentaries and shorts at major film festivals and award events with an international focus, domestically or globally.
Domestic: Screenings and awards for features, TV drama, and documentaries but awards only for short films at domestic film festivals and award events. Please see the Festivals and Markets page for more information.
Formats
Documentary: Screen Australia’s definition of documentary is in line with that of the Australian Content Standard, i.e. “a program that is a creative treatment of actuality other than a news or current affairs, sports coverage, magazine, infotainment, or light entertainment program”. See Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) website. Includes one-off titles and series.
Feature: A film made for cinema release which is 60 minutes or longer. Can be a drama or documentary.
TV drama: A ‘drama program’ according to the Australian Content Standard guidelines (see ACMA website). Includes series/serials, mini-series and telemovies (see below), for both adults and children.
Interactive: Includes games, websites, apps and other interactive projects. Incorporated since 2009, with scope generally limited to projects funded by Screen Australia.
Length
Programs made for TV (either drama or documentary) are categorised as follows:
Series: Comprises a potentially unlimited number of episodes, each being a self-contained plot which can be screened in any order.
Serials: Comprises a potentially unlimited number of episodes and contains a number of interweaving and overlapping plots continuing from one episode to the next.
Mini-series: A limited series of drama which is less than 13 hours in total length, and which is either made to be broadcast in several sequential parts featuring a major continuous plot for which there is an expectation of an ending resolving the major plot tensions, or an anthology of drama works for television made to be broadcast under one generic title. Individual episodes must be 55 minutes or longer unless the material is for children in which case it must be 25 minutes or longer.
Telemovies: Drama made for television. Generally, the producer’s intention prior to release is the main indicator. Telemovies can be 52 minutes (commercial TV hour) or longer.
Note: In categorising titles as either mini-series or series, Screen Australia has followed the definitions used for Division 10BA of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936. This occasionally means that a mini-series which might be classified as a series according to industry definitions has been defined as a mini-series in order to retain parity with data from other government agencies.
Year
Refers to the year the title was completed (or was anticipated to complete, in the case of projects listed as being in pre-production, production or post-production).
Genre
Generally nominated by the producer. Up to three genre categories can be selected from a pre-determined list.
Sales Contact
Sales contacts generally handle sales of the title to distributors or other parts of the distribution chain, either locally or internationally. If you’re looking for a title for personal or non-industry use, check out Find a Copy of a Production here.