Drama search: Stan and Film Victoria launch development fund

• New two-year drama development fund seeks bold stories and fresh perspectives for streaming platform

The search for bold, disruptive high-end drama developed by Victorian writers and producers has commenced, thanks to new funding from Australian streaming platform, Stan, and Film Victoria.

Announced this week at Screen Forever in Melbourne, the Stan and Film Victoria Development Fund is a two-year program developed to discover new perspectives and fresh, original stories, leveraging local and global audience demand for premium drama.

The initiative, which will fund the development of up to four high-end projects per year for Stan’s commissioning consideration, is not restricted to a single genre, and is accessible to up-and-coming creative talent, as well as established players in the industry.

Projects funded via this initiative will add to Stan’s library of original productions if commissioned.

The Stan Originals roster includes two gripping seasons of the award-winning Wolf Creek, the multi-Logie winning series Romper Stomper, Stan’s first Original series No Activity, which has since become a hit US series starring Will Ferrell and Bob Odenkirk, and the upcoming No Activity Christmas Special, reuniting the Australian cast.

Stan’s slate of innovative drama also includes the Film Victoria-supported Bloom, premiering New Year’s Day and starring Jacki Weaver, Bryan Brown, Phoebe Tonkin and Ryan Corr.

Mike Sneesby, Stan’s CEO, said: “Victoria’s world-class creatives, locations and facilities have already become an intrinsic part of our slate of Stan Original productions through Romper Stomper and Bloom. This new partnership with Film Victoria and the Victorian production sector is an important step in further developing the local production industry. The new Stan and Film Victoria Development Fund embodies our commitment to the continued development and production of high-end drama in Australia for a global audience.”

Caroline Pitcher, Film Victoria CEO, said: “Film Victoria is thrilled to partner with Stan on this exciting new initiative. We’re searching for disruptive, original story concepts that feature diverse and authentic characters set in imaginative locations. We want global audiences hooked on Victorian screen stories. In a short space of time, Stan has become renowned for cutting edge drama, and we’re proud to support this via our important new development initiative.”

Applications for the Stan and Film Victoria Development Fund will be open from December 14, 2018 to January 29, 2019. Projects selected for commissioning consideration will be notified in March 2019.

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