Screen Australia, the government body that funds the country's screen sector, announced on 13 October a new round of support worth more than A$16.9 million. It covers 75 scripted projects: 17 in production, 53 in development and 5 short films. Feature films make up most of the list, alongside television series and projects made for online platforms.
Among the titles heading into production is "The Best Of", an adaptation of a Graeme Simsion novel that marks actor Toni Collette's first feature as a director. The slate also includes the series "The Dark Lake", led by Phoebe Tonkin, the first feature from comedy group Sooshi Mango, Jeffrey Walker's "Bull" with Richard Roxburgh and Teresa Palmer, and "No Friend But The Mountains", based on Behrouz Boochani's memoir and made with New Zealand partners.
On the development side, the agency is supporting several well-known filmmakers, including Tony Ayres with "1978", about the birth of Sydney's Mardi Gras, Adam Elliot with "Ethel" and Wayne Blair with "Godfrey". Screen Australia says the round deliberately balances newcomers and experienced creators.
For actors, crew and producers, such announcements offer a useful early signal of upcoming shoots in Australia. More recently funded projects are due to be presented on 21 October during the public broadcaster ABC's annual showcase.
