Screen NSW and ABC TV Arts have announced a new three-year joint initiative to fund one new feature length arts documentary each year.
The documentary will have its world premiere each year at the Sydney Film Festival prior to screening on ABC TV.
The Screen NSW – ABC TV Arts Documentary Feature Fund is open to proposals for feature length documentaries. Applications are sought for projects that will suit primetime broadcast and deal in Arts in the broadest sense, appealing to a wide audience.
Screen NSW will contribute $100,000 and the ABC Licence is $150,000. Producers will need to raise the rest of the finance via other sources such as distributors, international broadcasters, other state or federal agencies, and any applicable offsets
Courtney Gibson, CEO of Screen NSW, said: “The documentary feature genre is enjoying a fantastic resurgence, both here in Australia and around the world. Screen NSW is pleased to be partnering with ABC TV Arts to seek out and support NSW-based practitioners with feature length documentary projects, and where better to have their world premiere than at the Sydney Film Festival!
ABC director of television Richard Finlayson said: “The Arts have always had a home at the ABC and, under the leadership of our head of arts Mandy Chang, our commitment to quality arts programming continues to grow. This is an important new initiative which will give the selected filmmakers the time and freedom to delve deeply into their subject.”
Screen NSW and ABC TV Arts are calling for applications from today. Applications for this year close on 10 July.