The Australian Open tennis tournament, Australia’s LGBTQI+ history and the humble platypus are set to be explored in the latest Australian documentaries sharing $4 million of production funding from Screen Australia.
The agency has announced funding for seven projects through the Commissioned Program, five through the Producer Program and one funded through the First Nations Department.
Screen Australia’s head of documentary, Alex West said, “We are living through a period of immense change to the planet and society. So these documentaries offer timely reflections on Australian culture and identity, exploring the importance of topics such as activism, arts, health and the environment.
“Documentary provides a powerful avenue to spark or shift national conversations, and we can’t wait to see these fantastic projects brought to life on screen.”
The project funded through the First Nations Department is Still We Rise, a one-hour archival documentary for the ABC that will capture the year of 1972, when activists erected an Aboriginal Tent Embassy on the lawns opposite Parliament House.
Screen Australia’s head of First Nations, Angela Bates said, “We are pleased to support Still We Rise which will provide an Indigenous lens to the events surrounding the Aboriginal Tent Embassy to align with its 50th anniversary, with incredible archival footage from the ABC.
“This project will be vital viewing, not only as a celebration of First Nations history and activism, but also as an invaluable resource to educate future generations.”
The Documentary Producer program is designed to give producers the foundational funding required to leverage their projects creatively and commercially, while the Documentary Commissioned program is designed to support the production of a diverse range of quality projects for television broadcast, SVOD or similar.
Funded programs through the Producer Program include Australia’s Open, a feature documentary which will chart the highs and lows of our nation alongside our most celebrated individual tennis tournament, The Endangered Generation? A feature documentary narrated by acclaimed actress Laura Dern, which challenges the myth that the world is fundamentally driven by selfishness and competition and instead explores how kindness and cooperation may be just as crucial to prospering in the natural world, and Las Balsas: An Ocean Odyssey: A feature documentary about the world’s longest recorded raft journey, the 1973 Las Balsas Expedition which saw 12 men travel 9,000 miles at sea on three rafts.
To see the full list of Screen Australia funded projects, head here.
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Top image: Rob Collins, The First Inventors