Notícias

Grandma Going Wide

Global streaming firm Netflix has picked up rights to Thai hit film “How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies.” It will air in Southeast Asia starting Sept. 12 and become available in other territories later this year.

Produced by Gdh 559, “How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies” was written by Thodsapon Thiptinnakorn, who apparently drew inspiration from personal experiences, and was directed by Pat Boonnitipat (“Bad Genius”). Since its release in cinemas in April, the film has become the highest-grossing Thai film to date in multiple countries, including Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Vietnam.

Driven by the desire for a multimillion-dollar inheritance, M (Putthipong “Billkin” Assaratanakul) puts aside his dreams as a hopeful game caster to care for his terminally ill grandmother (Usha Seamkhum). But winning Grandma’s favor is no easy feat, as she proves to be demanding and exceedingly difficult to please. To make things more complicated,...

Orphan Black: Echoes is a sequel to the original show, set 37 years later. Echoes introduces new characters and a fresh storyline, making it accessible to new audiences. Some familiar faces return in minor roles, but major characters like Sarah do not appear in season 1.

Orphan Black: Echoes clearly has a connection to the earlier Orphan Black series from 2013, but it deserves clarity about how the two shows are related. In 2013, Orphan Black starring Tatiana Maslany began airing on BBC America. Over the following five seasons, the show established an incredible sci-fi world where cloning technology is capable of creating viable life, but also raises questions about the morality of such activities. This series went on to establish a cult following and, despite ending in 2017, the show's spin-off series is a hotly anticipated addition to the franchise.

While the original series was created by writer Graeme Mason and director John Fawcett,...

Screen Australia report says more was spent on making foreign projects than local productions for third time.

Inward investment films and drama series accounted for a record-breaking A$1.22bn (US$780m) estimated spend in Australia in the 12 months to June 30, 2023, up 35% year on year according to figures from Screen Australia.

For the third time in Australia’s history, more was spent to make foreign content than local. Spend on Australian content was A$1.13bn (US$720m) – a 26% fall from the previous year’s A$1.5m (US$960m).

The latest figures from Screen Australia’s Drama Report 2022/23 confirm that Australia has...

Screen Australia report says more was spent on making foreign projects than local productions for third time.

Inward investment films and drama series accounted for a record-breaking A$1.22bn (US$780m) estimated spend in Australia in the 12 months to June 30, 2023, up 35% year on year according to figures from Screen Australia.

For the third time in Australia’s history, more was spent to make foreign content than local. Spend on Australian content was A$1.13bn (US$720m) – a 26% fall from the previous year’s A$1.5m (US$960m).

The latest figures from Screen Australia’s Drama Report 2022/23 confirm that Australia has...

Production expenditure on scripted screen production in Australia in 2022/23 was the second highest on record at $1.49Bn (A$2.34Bn) across 213 titles, according to Screen Australia’s annual drama report, but spend on Australian theatrical features declined by 54% from last year.

Spend on scripted screen production was down 4% on last year’s record expenditure but was still significantly above the five-year average, the report found. Australian titles made up $718M (A$1.13Bn) of that expenditure with decreases in spending by Australian subscription TV and SVOD services.

However Free-to-Air (Fta) TV and Broadcaster Video-On-Demand (Bvod) providers helped offset those declines with spend on titles such as Total Control Series 3, Rfds Series 2 and While The Men Are Away.

Meanwhile, Australian theatrical features saw total expenditure of $231M (A$363M) in 2022/23, down 54% compared to the previous year and 17% below the five-year average. Australian features produced during this period include Warwick Thornton’s The New Boy,...

Netflix’s Wellmania is leaving the gym for the final time, its star Celeste Barber has said — and she isn’t happy about it.

Barber posted an update on Instagram revealing that she has been informed the show will not be returning for a second season. The first debuted in late March.

“Netflix said it’s something about numbers. Sure. I thought it smashed it but I don’t understand how it works,” she said.

“Thank you for the love and support around the show. It was so fun, we had such an excellent time and the way it was received was so overwhelming. I’m bummed that I can no longer explore that excellent character of Liv Healy, and I know a lot of you saw yourselves in that character and wanted to see more, but this industry is kinda bullshit.”

Earlier in the video, Barber acknowledged that “in...

The executive will relocate from Canada to Australia to take up the role in 2024.

Television executive Deirdre Brennan has been appointed chief executive of national funding body Screen Australia and will take up the role on January 8, 2024.

Screen reported last month that Brennan was the preferred candidate to take the top job at the Federal Government agency last month, replacing Graeme Mason who is set to step down in November after a decade in the role.

Brennan, who is Australian, will relocate from Canada where she is chief operating officer of content and brands company WildBrain.

Prior to joining WildBrain...

Upcoming titles handled by Embankment, Protagonist, Goodfellas and Studiocanal to receive a share of production funding.

Screen Australia is to allocate more than Aud$10m ($6.4m) of production funding to a raft of upcoming film and TV projects.

The national screen body will support six features including Sophie Hyde’s An Ideal Woman, starring Emilia Clarke; Dario Russo’s The Fox, starring Jai Courtney and from the producers of horror hit Talk to Me; and Charles Williams’ Inside, starring Guy Pearce. Further films to receive a share of the funding include David Vincent Smith drama He Ain’t Heavy, John Sheedy...

Australia-born Deirdre Brennan is understood to be the choice to replace Graeme Mason.

Screen understands that children’s television executive Deirdre Brennan, currently based in Canada, is the preferred candidate to replace Graeme Mason as chief executive of Screen Australia.

It is understood the only barrier to Brennan’s appointment is sign-off by the Cabinet, which approves candidates for the top job at any significant Federal Government agency.

Brennan, who is Australian, has worked at Canadian content and brands company WildBrain since January 2020, the last two years as chief operating officer. WildBrain produces, distributes and licenses children’s entertainment and family content,...

“In all my career, I’ve never felt a room like you,” said Warwick Thornton, the First Nations Australian director, after the screening of his film “The New Boy,” a story of spirituality and survival set in 1940s, that was the opening night title of the Sydney Film Festival. “The energy you give back to these children…,” he said before tailing off.

It was a churning, heartfelt moment that contrasted with Thornton’s bouncy earlier appearance on stage, when he joshed about having told the eight untrained school-age kids in his cast never to look directly at the camera while on set. And how he had to reverse that advice for when they, along with producer Kath Shelper, dominated the red carpet at Sydney’s grand State Theatre. Smile and wave for the paparazzi.

The film had premiered last month in competition at Cannes and was overlooked for major awards.

A new study published Friday by Screen Australia shows that the country’s on-screen television diversity has increased significantly in the past six years, but there remains more to be done.

“Seeing Ourselves 2: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Australian TV Drama” examined the diversity of the main characters in 361 scripted Australian TV and online dramas broadcast between 2016 and 2021. It compared that data with the Australian population and a previous report “Seeing Ourselves” published in 2016.

The new report shows that there is higher representation for First Nations people, disabled people (6.6% from 3.6%), Lgbtqi+ people (7.4% from 4.5%), and non-European people (16% from 6.9%).

“However, a number of Australia’s communities remain under-represented on-screen compared to population benchmarks and in particular disability representation remains critically low,” the report said.

The report looked at First Nations people, cultural background of non-First Nations people, disability, gender identity and sexual orientation, age and occupational status, and diversity in children’s drama.

Australian TV drama has improved levels of diversity, especially representation of the country’s First Nations population, but several communities remain under-represented on local screens, according to a study issued today by government agency Screen Australia.

The report shows that representation of First Nations people has increased from 4.8% to 7.2% since 2016, compared to the population benchmark of 3.8%. Australian scripted series including Mystery Road and Total Control, along with comedy sketch show Black Comedy, were noted for contributing to the positive result.

“This result shows good progress and it’s not by accident – it represents years of advocacy and consistent hard work to ensure our practitioners feel supported and are afforded opportunities in an industry that hasn’t always been accessible,” said Screen Australia’s Head of First Nations, Angela Bates.

The study, ‘Seeing Ourselves 2: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Australian TV Drama’, looked at the diversity of main characters in...

Baz Luhrmann says it would be “an amazing historical moment” if Elvis cinematographer Mandy Walker were to triumph at Sunday’s Academy Awards. To quote Lizzo, “It’s been too long,” the filmmaker tells me last night at the Australian Oscar nominees soirée held in the Chateau Marmont’s penthouse suite.

The Elvis director reasons that a woman hasn’t won an Oscar for best cinematographer thus far because “the camera unit is just the last bastion of blokeyness and probably comes down to who do you want to have a beer with.”

Related Story The 2023 Oscars Parties & Events Photo Gallery: Red Carpet Rollout, Governors Ball, Vanity Fair & More Related Story Oscar Ad Inventory Sells Out On ABC, At Slightly Lower Rates Than 2022 Related Story Peter Bart: Mel Brooks' Outrageous 'History' Lessons Help Distract From Oscar Week

That’s grossly unfair, he says. ”It can be a bit laddish and a bit cowboy.

Bloody Disgusting has learned this week that production has wrapped in Sydney, Australia on Kiah Roache-Turner’s Sting, inspired by one of humanity’s greatest fears: Spiders.

The film stars Ryan Corr, Alyla Browne, Penelope Mitchell (Hellboy), Robyn Nevin (Top of the Lake), Noni Hazlehurst (The End) and Jermaine Fowler (Retreat).

One cold, stormy night in New York City, a mysterious object falls from the sky and smashes through the window of a rundown apartment building. It is an egg, and from this egg emerges a strange little spider…

The creature is discovered by Charlotte, a rebellious 12-year-old girl obsessed with comic books. Despite her stepfather Ethan’s best efforts to connect with her through their comic book co-creation Fang Girl, Charlotte feels isolated. Her mother and Ethan are distracted by their new baby and are struggling to cope, leaving Charlotte to bond with the spider.

Keeping it as a secret pet,...

The move is part of a five-year plan to revive the country’s wider cultural sector.

Australia is to introduce local content quotas for international streaming platforms such as Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video as part of plans to reboot the country’s cultural landscape.

No figures on quotas or other requirements have yet been released but consultation with industry is to take place over the next six months to shape legislation, which will be introduced in the third quarter of this year, to take effect no later than July 1, 2024.

The plans were announced today by the Australian government as...

Record expenditure reported for the year to end of June 2022.

Australia’s production boom grew to a record 1.47bn (A2.29bn) spent on drama features and series in the year to June 2022.

According to the annual ‘Drama Report’, published by Screen Australia, a record 977m (A1.51bn) was spent on Australian titles and 503m (A777) on international productions during the 12-month period from 2021-2022.

This comprised 24 Australian theatrical features; 62 Australian TV and VOD drama titles; 11 Australian children’s titles; and 65 international projects.

Screen Australia chief executive Graeme Mason told Screen he was pleased two-thirds of expenditure went on Australian titles.

Production expenditure on Australian scripted content reached an all-time high of A2.29Bn (1.47Bn) in the 2021-2022 period to June, according to Screen Australia’s annual drama report, with a record A1.51Bn (977M) spent on Australian titles and A777M (503M) on foreign productions.

Overall, A2.29Bn (1.47Bn) was spent across 162 productions that started production or post-production in Australia during the period, compared to A1.94Bn (1.25Bn) spent across 163 productions in 2020/21.

The report said the increase was driven by a record spend on Australian theatrical features – A786M (508M) up from A495M (320M) last year – as well as a record spend on Australian subscription TV and SVOD titles, for which production volume has tripled compared to the previous year.

However, spend on foreign productions shooting in Australia dropped by 44 from its record high in the previous year to A442M (286M), although the report noted this figure was still 19 above the five-year average.

Australia’s screen production industry enjoyed all-time record levels of spending in the 2021-2022 period to June. There was increasing spend on locally-produced scripted content as international streamers invested in Australian drama, but a decrease in the value of inbound foreign film and TV productions.

The annual “Drama Report,” published Thursday by Screen Australia, showed a record A1.51 billion spent on Australian titles and a A777 million on foreign productions. That added up to A2.29 billion, compared with 1.94 billion in 2020-21.

The increase was driven by a record spend on Australian theatrical features (A786 million up from A495 million previously), albeit fewer of them.

Spending on Australian subscription TV and SVOD content tripled compared with 2020-21, in terms of number of titles and hours.

Spending on free-to-air (Fta) TV and broadcaster -led VOD and children’s drama also increased from last year, but it has not returned to previous highs in either category,...

“Streamers are shifting to be more accommodating,” said a former Netflix, Disney+ exec.

“Streamers are shifting to be more accommodating,” said Matt Brodlie, the former Netflix and Disney+ executive, now co-president of Los Angeles-based Upgrade Productions, of how the US platforms are increasingly allowing producers to retain more rights on their projects.

“Now that there is so much competition, and many of the government bodies are pushing back and saying ’you cannot own this thing that somebody else created’, logically,” said Brodlie. “A lot of the streamers are allowing people to keep rights and allowing windows to happen.”

Brodlie was...

The panel will take place on Friday (May 20).

Mia Bays, director of the British Film Institute (BFI) Film Fund, will today be leading a discussion on how producers and funders can adapt to a streamer-led marketplace, as part of the UK Pavilion industry programme at Cannes.

The UK Pavilion, previously known as the UK Film Centre, runs from May 19 to May 24, and is based at the Cannes Marché International Village.

Bays’ panel is titled ‘Insights into changing markets’ (11:00-12:00) and will comprise of René Bourdages, vice president, cultural portfolio management, Telefilm Canada; Matt Brodlie, co-president, Upgrade Productions; Makhosazana Khanyile,...

Modern Films’ Eve Gabereau, Emu Films’ Mike Elliott and Element Pictures’ Ed Guiney are also taking part.

Mia Bays, Matt Brodlie, Graeme Mason, Eve Gabereau and Ed Guiney are among the industry speakers taking part in the UK Pavilion industry programme at Cannes, previously known as the UK Film Centre, which will run from May 19 to May 24.

The series of industry events will be open to festival and market delegates as well as press attending the festival. It includes a series of Talent Talks with filmmakers with films making their world premiere in the festival.

The industry talks include an...

This Snowpiercer review contains spoilers.

Snowpiercer Season 3 Episode 10

Three different philosophies are all battling for control on Snowpiercer. Wilford and his hardcore supporters (and people too afraid to cross him) are in the middle, ready to take advantage of any openings. Melanie and her supporters are preparing to keep the train moving along the tracks in the hopes that the future will be brighter (and less of a risky trip). Finally, there’s Layton and his New Eden truthers, who are willing to risk things now in the hopes of more immediate returns on their gamble. It’s headed for war, with a lot of innocent people, like Roche’s brakemen and the Second Class passengers who make things work, trapped in the middle.

It seems as though there are a lot of people caught in the middle. Layton sold everyone a bill of goods after a fashion; he said...

Screen Nsw executive takes up influential role in March.

Grainne Brunsdon has been appointed head of content at national agency Screen Australia, the country’s most influential role for drama and documentary funding.

Brunsdon, currently head of state film and television agency Screen Nsw, will take up the new role from March 21 and replaces Sally Caplan, who left in January after eight years in the position.

Screen Australia’s contribution to drama production in the financial year 2020/21 was more than $30m (Au$42m).

“I’m very excited to join the Screen Australia team and work on a national agenda for the screen sector,...

Two “massive moveables” – that is, Covid-19 and the delay in legislative changes to the offsets – mean Screen Australia has been scenario planning.

CEO Graeme Mason sat down with Screen Producers Australia CEO Matthew Deaner for a broad-ranging chat on Facebook Live this week, where the topic of the reform package loomed large.

As it stands, the Treasury Laws Amendment (2021 Measures No. 5) Bill 2021 – which would, inter alia, lift the Producer Offset for non-feature length content from 20 to 30 per cent – has yet to pass the Senate.

This is of concern to both Spa and Screen Australia. As the legislation is supposed to apply retroactively to July 1, many TV projects have already gone into production on the assumption of a 30 per cent offset.

If the Bill does not pass the Senate before the end of the sitting year – which ends next week – it will be knocked back to 2022. If an election is then called,...

Screen Australia has promoted Angela Bates to head of First Nations following the departure of Penny Smallacombe in May.

Bates steps into the role after almost three years as development and investment manager for the First Nations department, during which time she supported titles such as Looky Looky Here Comes Cooky, the second season of Total Control, the third season of Little J & Big Cuz, as well as Indigenous initiative Cook 2020: Our Right of Reply, and the pilot of the First Nations Creator Program.

She has more than two decades of experience in the media sector as a TV producer, writer, journalist, and documentary filmmaker, with her career including multiple roles at Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (Caama radio), Sydney’s Koori Radio, Sbs’s Living Black program, and Nitv.

While at Nitv, she was the inaugural executive producer for Nitv National News, where she set up the first...

Screen Australia and Australians in Film (AiF) have announced the participants for the Talent Gateway and the Global Producers Exchange, both designed to connect Australian creatives with key US decision-makers.

The delegates chosen for the Talent Gateway program are Vanessa Alexander, Jon Bell, and Samuel Van Grinsven, as well as teams Alice Foulcher and Gregory Erdstein, and Naomi Higgins and Humyara Mahbub.

Each participant or team will receive a grant of up to $20,000 to enable them to take part in the initiative, which runs from this month until June 2022. Funding is also available to develop, refine and market the IP on their slate that receives positive interest, in order to quickly engage international partners.

A total of 12 delegates from six production companies will take part in Global Producers Exchange, a scripted development lab that features a series of roundtables and masterclasses with key US-based decision-makers and mentors.

The recipients comprise...

Fifteen of social media’s top First Nations stars will receive up to $10,000 in funding each, in addition to training, thanks to a Screen Australia and Instagram initiative.

Launched earlier this year, the First Nations Creator Program is an initiative aimed at accelerating up-and-coming local talent and amplifying diverse voices across the social media landscape.

The 15 selected recipients of the inaugural First Nations Creator Program are:

Andrea Fernandez (@prettyumvegan)Meleika Gesa (@endlessyarning)Kaycee Haydon (@officialmsauzzi)Alicia Johnson (@8983aj)Emily Johnson (@darthem123)Trisha Lindgren (@traelblazer)Nathan Lyons (@kookingwithakoori)Meissa Mason (@meissamason)Tait McGregor (@taitmcgregor)Naarah (@n.a.a.r.a.h)Nich Richie (@nichtopher)Merinda Slater (@journeyofawinyarr)Melissa Smith (@melle.ngunnawalartist)Kantesha Takai (@kantesha_takai)Sari-Ella Thaiday (@sarithaiday)

The program will include training sessions and workshops commencing from September 23, covering product, creativity, safety and well-being, along with mentored guidance on digital production and social media strategy. Creators will also receive production funding of $10,000 each,...

Animal Logic group head of legal and business affairs Emma Drummond and Kojo Studios managing director Dale Roberts have been announced as new members of the Ausfilm board.

It comes following the departure of deputy chair Zareh Nalbandian, CEO of Animal Logic, after nine years of service, and Tony Clark, Rising Sun Pictures managing director, who was on the board for 12 years.

Drummond has experience across a variety of different sectors in Australia and the UK, including international film and TV financing, animation and visual effects, intellectual property, media and technology, banking and finance, and commercial law.

She said she was honoured to have the opportunity to use her knowledge and experience in supporting the work of Ausfilm and its members.

“Ausfilm’s work is culturally and economically important to the ongoing sustainability of Australia’s creative industries in a competitive global marketplace,” she said.

Roberts has been a director...

Nash Edgerton’s Shark and Madeleine Gottlieb’s You and Me, Before and After are heading to the Toronto International Film Festival in September, where they will screen as part of TIFF Short Cuts.

Shark forms Edgerton’s sequel to previous shorts Bear and Spider, continuing the adventures of prankster Jack. As well as directing, Edgerton wrote the film with David Michôd, and stars alongside Rose Byrne. Michele Bennett produces, with cinematographer Aaron McLisky and editor David Whittaker.

TIFF will form the film’s world premiere, while Sydney Film Festival also announced this week that it will compete for the Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films in November.

Edgerton said: “We are very excited to share Jack’s latest dating misadventures in Shark, our sequel to Spider and Bear, and even more excited to premiere the film in Toronto.”

Nash Edgerton and Rose Byrne in ‘Shark’.

Yael Stone and Emily Barclay...

Shantae Barnes-Cowan leads the cast of Jub Clerc’s debut feature Sweet As, about to wrap a five week shoot in Port Hedland, Western Australia.

The young actor, who has had roles in Total Control, Operation Buffalo and the upcoming Wyrmwood: Apocalypse, plays 16-year-old Indigenous girl, Murra.

After a volatile fight with her mother, Murra is abandoned, but with intervention from her uncle, she ventures on a journey of self-discovery.

Starring alongside the 2019 Casting Guild of Australia Rising Star are Tasma Walton, Mark Coles Smith and Ngaire Pigram.

A Nyul Nyul and Yawuru writer/director, Clerc penned the script with long-time collaborator Steve Rodgers, the dramaturge on her first play, ‘The Fever and the Fret’.

The film is partly based on her own experience growing up in the Pilbara and The Kimberley. It stems from a long-standing ambition between her and close friend, Arenamedia producer Liz Kearney, to create a feature together.

The Federal Government has announced $8.7 million in funding for 158 independent cinemas under the Supporting Cinemas’ Retention Endurance and Enhancement of Neighbourhoods (Screen) Fund, but remains coy on whether assistance will be provided to major exhibitors.

Applications opened in April for the Screen Australia-facilitated fund, which is designed to support independent cinema operators with one-off business continuity grants of up to $85,000 if they have experienced significant declines in revenue due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

While many cinemas have been welcoming back audiences at pre-pandemic levels for blockbusters such as Black Widow, F9 or Godzilla vs. Kong, those in Greater Sydney have been forced to close during the traditionally strong school holiday period as the city battles an outbreak of the Delta strain.

Of the operators that will share in the first round of Screen funding, 52 are from Nsw, 38 are from Victoria, 29 are from Queensland, 19 are from Wa, 14 are from South Australia,...

Hayley Adams and Ljudan Michaelis-Thorpe are the winners of Screen Producers Australia’s (Spa) Ones to Watch program for 2020.

Adams will receive $15,000 from Sbs to develop her unscripted project, I Could Make That, into a 1 x 30-minute program for Sbs Viceland and Sbs On Demand, while Michaelis-Thorpe of Zero Divide Productions will be given $10,000 to undertake a placement with Taxi Film Production in Brisbane.

The pair were among 12 producers that honed their skills through a series of webinars with industry experts across the past six months, while also undertaking one-on-one mentoring from among the Spa membership.

In February, they put these skills to the test during a curated itinerary at Screen Forever, before preparing their applications for the Sbs First Look Grant and Screen Australia-supported screen Internship.

Adams came into the Ones to Watch program having already co-produced and co-directed Love Songs, the world’s first narrative series for TikTok,...

Screen Australia and Nitv have unveiled the six projects that will share in more than $600,000 of production funding under the No Ordinary Black short film initiative.

Aimed at bringing First Nations stories to the screen, No Ordinary Black is run in partnership Screen Nsw, Screen Territory, Screen Queensland and Screenwest.

The program brought together eight teams for a virtual development workshop in July last year, from which six successful projects were selected to go into production for Nitv.

Screen Australia’s CEO Graeme Mason said the agency was proud to support the creators in taking the next step in their careers.

“Each of the six teams has created the kind of bold and ambitious stories that are exactly what we are looking for, with captivating scripts that explore a range of themes, including family, identity, childhood, belonging, and adventure,” he said.

Nitv head of commissioning and programming Kyas Hepworth said...

Screen Australia has begun consultation for a follow-up to the landmark 2016 report ‘Seeing Ourselves: Reflections on Diversity in TV Drama’, and has appointed Jackie Leewai as its first inclusion strategy and engagement manager.

Set to be published next year, the report will examine the representation of people and communities who have historically been under-represented in Australian screen content.

The analysis of main characters in Australian scripted serial drama and narrative comedy featured in the last report will be expanded to include Australian broadcaster or agency-funded streaming and online content that has been released from 2016 to 2020. The agency will also conduct surveys and interviews with actors, key creatives, agents, and broadcasters.

The report will incorporate an overview of similar international reports to compare the Australian screen industry with overseas markets.

Screen Australia CEO Graeme Mason said the data would be a “key tool” for the sector in its efforts to foster greater inclusivity.

Impact Australia is inviting applications for the second iteration of its screenwriter accelerator program, which will take place in-person in Melbourne after being held virtually last year.

Delivered in conjunction with Gentle Giant Media Group, Impact Australia 2 will pair local creators with leading screenwriters, or ‘shapers’, who over eight weeks will help them craft their project and prepare them for pitch day in front of buyers.

This year’s iteration will be held on the Victorian College of the Arts’ (Vca) Southbank campus at the University of Melbourne.

Impact CEO Tyler Mitchell, who founded the concept with Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, said the inaugural Impact Australia had exceeded their expectations in terms of the number and quality of applications.

“It confirmed what we have long suspected and are excited to continue fostering – that Australia is full of talented screenwriters with stories that resonate with audiences everywhere,” he said.

“The...

Screen Australia has announced $5.6 million of production funding for three feature films and returning seasons of Stan’s Bump and 10’s The Secret She Keeps.

The films include two Arenamedia projects: an new animation from the Oscar-winning Adam Elliot and a second feature from writer/director Alena Lodkina (Strange Colours), titled Petrol. The other film is Paul Goldman’s Western Australian feature film Kid Snow, produced by Unicorn Films.

Screen Australia CEO Graeme Mason said: “We have been blown away by the volume of applications for production funding and are heartened at the breadth of distinct Australian stories that continue to come through.

“Adam Elliot is set to delight audiences around the world with a remarkable new drama in his signature claymation style; and we’re thrilled to support writer/director Alena Lodkina whose 2017 feature Strange Colours premiered at the Venice Film Festival, as she expands on her unique voice with striking follow up Petrol.

Screen Australia and Australians in Film (AiF) have launched two joint initiatives for creatives to expand their skills so they may have a greater chance of success in the global market.

The Talent Gateway program and the Global Producers Exchange both focus on the skills, knowledge, access, and relationships necessary to reach overseas audiences, with the former aimed at accomplished screenwriters and directors, and the latter geared towards scripted producers.

Up to six delegates will be selected to participate in the Talent Gateway program, which will include roundtables, masterclasses, introductions to key US-based screen decision-makers, and individualised mentorships.

Running from September 2021 to June 2022, each delegate will receive a grant of up to $20,000 to enable them to take part. Funding will also be used to develop, refine and market the IP on their slate that receives any positive interest, to quickly engage international partners for their careers and projects.

Similarly, up...

George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road prequel Furiosa has been added to Australia’s list of high-profile productions, with filming on the origin story to commence in Nsw in June.

Set to be shot across multiple locations in Western Sydney and regional Nsw, the film is expected to be the biggest ever made in Australia, creating 850 jobs and injecting at least $350 million into the local economy.

Star Chris Hemsworth, Miller, and producer Doug Mitchell joined Nsw Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Federal Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts Paul Fletcher, Nsw Arts Minister Don Harwin, and Nsw Treasurer Dominic Perrottet in announcing the location for the project, which is being funded via Nsw Government’s $175 million Made in Nsw fund and Pdv Rebate, as well as the Federal Government’s 40 per cent Producer Offset.

Furiosa will be produced by Kennedy Miller Mitchell Films, and financed by Warner Bros./Village Roadshow for worldwide distribution.

The Federal Government has released the guidelines for the Supporting Cinemas’ Retention Endurance and Enhancement of Neighbourhoods (Screen) Fund as it opens for applications via Screen Australia.

Announced last month, the $20 million fund will provide support to independent cinema operators who have experienced significant declines in revenue due to Covid-19 in the form of one-off grants.

The amount of each grant is dependent on reported box office revenue for a location during the pre-covid period of 1 March 2019 to 29 February 2020, with $35,000 available for locations reporting below $1 million; $60,000 for locations reporting between $1 million and $3 million; and $85,000 for locations reporting over $3 million.

Claimed annual box office will only be accepted with supporting evidence from an industry-accepted third-party box office reporting service (Numero or Comscore).

The guidelines also state that if a cinema business was interrupted during the period by a natural disaster, such as bushfires, the claimed box office revenue can be calculated...

Screen Australia has announced $2 million of funding via its Enterprise program, including four Business & Ideas projects and 11 Enterprise People talent opportunities.

Recipients include Doc Society, which is launching Global Story and Impact Labs that will enable Australian documentary makers to elevate the social impact of their work.

Funding will also be given to A2K Media for an online disability equity and inclusion training program called Disability Justice Lens.

Screen Australia’s CEO Graeme Mason said the past year had inspired “incredible” innovation and adaptability across the screen sector.

“These [are] bold proposals that are set to improve the industry, whether it’s White Spark Pictures developing innovative virtual reality technology, A2K Media improving participation for people with disability, or Typecast Entertainment expanding their ability to support storytelling from First Nations people and people of colour,” he said.

“We’re also excited to support Doc Society’s new labs which will...

Screen Australia CEO Graeme Mason has acknowledged that the government’s proposed media reforms may result in fewer theatrical features but said the organisation remained committed to supporting projects for which cinemas were the “perfect home”.

Mason appeared at a Senate Estimates hearing on Tuesday evening, where the box office success of Australian films such as The Dry and Penguin Bloom was to springboard into how proposals, such as the lowering of the Producer Offset for feature films to 30 per cent, would impact the industry.

The session comes a week after a delegation of actors, crew, writers, and producers came to Canberra to challenge the reduction of the offset, among other reforms relating to the sector.

After assuring the committee that he was “aware of all the concerns that may be around” regarding the changes, Mason was asked by Senator Nita Green whether the proposals could result in fewer Australian feature films,...

The Australian International Screen Forum, to be held later this month, has unveiled its full program, including talks with writer, director and producer Richard Linklater; Thunder Road CEO Basil Iwanyk and writer-director Roseanne Liang.

Blossom Films executive Per Saari and Elizabeth Haggard, Participant Media VP will also appear in conversation.

For US registrants, the event will also open with a screening of Robert Connolly’s The Dry, an industry preview ahead of its Stateside release in May via IFC Films. A Q&a with the film’s star, Eric Bana, will be held after the session for all registrants worldwide.

Typically held in New York in partnership with Screen Australia, the Australian International Screen Forum aims to connect the Aussie and US industries.

The 2021 event will take place entirely online, consisting of screenings, keynotes, interviews, panels, and workshops.

The panel sessions promise a range of topics including: female-led production companies...

Leah Purcell’s The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson and Gracie Otto’s documentary Under the Volcano will lead the Australian contingent at next month’s SXSW Film Festival.

Purcell’s feature adaption of her award-winning stageplay will have its world premiere in the Narrative Spotlight section, while Otto’s story of George Martin’s Air Studios Montserrat will debut as part of the 24 Beats Per Second section.

Based on the Henry Lawson short story, The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson follows a woman and her stubborn determination to protect her family from the harshness of life in 1893, Snowy Mountains.

Purcell directed and stars in the film, having written the screenplay from her play of the same name.

She is joined in the cast by Rob Collins, Sam Reid, Jessica de Gouw, Malachi Dower-Roberts, Tony Cogin, and Harry Greenwood.

The film is produced by Bain Stewart...

Screen Producers Australia (Spa) has announced the program for next month’s Screen Forever conference, which will be held entirely online.

Comprising 40 sessions and 120 speakers across three days, the event will feature three ‘tracks’ designed to help delegates customise their experience.

Spa CEO Matthew Deaner, who announced the digital-only format last week, says the schedule should provide ample opportunity for industry to reconnect and fuel business momentum.

“After such an unprecedented year I am proud to launch the program for our conference’s 35th iteration, bringing together creative workers from all stages of the production life cycle to further the reach of Australian stories and dissect the issues we collectively face in a post-pandemic era.”

Of the three tracks that make up the conference, ‘Business’ will include representatives from the ABC, Sbs, Seven, 10, Stan, Netflix, Amazon, and Discovery assembling for a Meet the Buyers session.

There will also be insights...

Expenditure on screen production in Australia plunged by 18% in the financial year to June 2020, reflecting a near total shutdown of large-scale drama filming from March, due to the impact of the coronavirus and work from home regulations. But, until the virus struck in the fourth (April to June) quarter much of the industry had been on course for a record year.

“If you think that we lost more than a quarter of our year, three and a half months, but ended down only 18%, that’s a good result. It is only half the downturn you might have thought,” Screen Australia CEO, Graeme Mason told Variety.

The July 2019-June 20202 period saw total production spending of A$990 million ($693 million) coming from production of local and foreign feature, television and online drama titles, as well as post, digital and visual effects, according to Screen Australia’s annual Drama Report. The report counts spending...

Despite the pandemic, there was still almost $1 billion spent on drama production in Australia in the last financial year, indicating the sector had been on track for a potential recordbreaker before it was interrupted.

That’s according Screen Australia’s annual Drama Report, released today, which details expenditure on all local and foreign drama production in 2019-20, across film, TV, and online, as well in post-production, digital and visual effects (Pdv).

The topline figure of $991 million in total drama expenditure is just 18 per cent down on 2018-19. Notably, that number does include projects that began principal photography but entered into hiatus mid-March.

Not included are the 26 drama titles meant to shoot in 2019-20 that were delayed or postponed due to the pandemic, with budgets that exceeded $325 million.

Indeed, if those those had gone ahead, total expenditure would likely have neared or surpassed 2016-17’s record $1.3 billion.

The impact of Covid...

Last year, filmmaker Ben Steel used his documentary The Show Must Go On, produced by Film Art Media, to launch a bigger conversation with the entertainment industry about mental health.

The centrepiece of that film’s impact strategy, led by impact producer Diana Fisk, was the national Wellness Roadshow, a series of workshops and targeted discussions about mental wellbeing for arts and entertainment workers.

However through the process, Steel and his colleagues identified that the screen industry lags behind other sectors of entertainment in terms of support.

As such, this month Steel will facilitate a further series of webinars, Screen Well, targeted at screen practitioners.

These free events have been designed in tandem with mental health professionals, as well as various guilds, to identify the unique issues faced by people working in different screen cohorts.

Ben Steel.

Steel said: “The music and live performance industries are very proactive in the wellbeing space,...

Posh frocks, smoldering sexuality and a trail of intriguing but ultimately frustrating clues made for a great mystery back in 1975, when Peter Weir’s “Picnic at Hanging Rock” first appeared on the big screen. The tale of schoolgirl disappearances, deception and voyeurism remains a beacon of Australian cinema and launched Weir’s directing career.

But these days, those narrative qualities are being explored in greater depth on the small screen by top screenwriting and directing talent. “Picnic at Hanging Rock” has itself returned as a new TV miniseries piloted by FremantleMedia and picked up by Amazon for the U.S. and the BBC for Britain. Pay-channel Foxtel has it in Australia – where the novel of the same title is a classic of Australian literature – and sees the show as a subscriptions magnet.

“Picnic,” which opens the Berlinale’s TV strand Monday, is the highest-profile Australian project in Berlin this year.

Graeme Mason.

Screen Australia CEO Graeme Mason has challenged Screen Producers Australia’s claims that the Federal Government’s media reforms will slash TV drama and children’s production by up to 50 per cent and cost thousands of jobs.

Spa CEO Matt Deaner had warned the reducing the Producer Offset for feature films to 30 per cent could well mean the end of the line for many features and he blasted the effective abolition of children’s content quotas, the watering down of drama and documentary requirements and the halving of requirements for subscription TV.

Asked about Spa’s position during a Senate Estimates hearing by Labor Senator Anne Urquhart last week, Mason said: “In my personal view I would not suggest that is an accurate assumption of what is going to happen.

“Some broadcasters may have reduced some of their requirements for local content but so many new content providers...

Graeme Mason.

Screen Australia CEO Graeme Mason was “slightly bemused” by some of the industry’s reaction to the Federal Government’s plan to harmonise the Producer Offset for both film and TV at 30 per cent from July next year.

While the extra 10 per cent for the TV offset has been largely welcomed, Screen Producers Australia (Spa) has said any reduction to the film offset – currently at 40 per cent – could “mean the end of the line for so many great Australian feature films”.

Indeed, various producers have described the offset decision as the “death knell” of Australian cinema, and predict a crippling impact on theatrical releases.

Mason understands feature filmmakers concerns, but has said it has felt “a little bit over the top to think it’s the end of the world”.

As he sees sees it, even with the changes, an Australian producer could potentially finance more than 50 per...