Documentaries on iconic band Crowded House and the Federal Government Robodebt scandal are among projects to receive Screen Australia funding.
Screen Australia Head of Documentary Richard Huddleston said eight documentaries would share in $2.3 million of direct production funding.
Mr Huddleston said the projects reflected the tenacity of local documentary makers to uncover stories in Australia and around the globe, from Western Sydney to Ecuador.
“The documentaries deep-dive into a wide array of topics, from the defining issues of our time to celebrating cultural icons and shining a light on marginalised or misunderstood communities.”
He said among the projects were Robodebt (working title), a three-part series for SBS that combines documentary storytelling with drama to reveal how ordinary Australians fought back against the notorious Robodebt scandal and Crowded House, which unravels the psychological complexities the iconic band faced in their extraordinary journey.
“These stories, spanning numerous genres and disciplines, are a reflection of the ambition, sophistication and creativity of the current Australian documentary sector.
“These projects will grow Australia’s reputation for innovative, premium storytelling and point to an exciting future of global partnerships.”
The other projects supported are:
- RISE: With exclusive access into Western Sydney’s underground LGBTQIA+ ballroom scene, the documentary RISE follows participants as they prepare to compete at the iconic West Ball. In a world seeking to erase them, RISE will portray which of these queer rebels will finally have their moment on the cutthroat stage and transform their life.
- Death of a Shaman: In the depths of the Ecuadorian Amazon, a renowned Shuar shaman selects his reluctant grandson as his apprentice in an attempt to preserve their tribe’s ancestral wisdom for another generation. Meanwhile, the shaman’s son leads an Indigenous uprising that seeks to overthrow the Ecuadorian president. What transpires next will foreshadow either the preservation or destruction of a people.
- Silenced: A feature film from Stranger Than Fiction that follows internationally renowned human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson as she goes inside courtrooms and behind the headlines, to reveal the tricks and tropes used to silence women all over the world.
- Troublemaker: This feature film follows massacre survivor Wendy Scurr and South Australian writer/director Jared Nicholson (Starting from Scratch), as they slip down the rabbit hole of paranoia in a desperate search for solace and truth.
- Digby & Camille: This feature film is an eight-year love story about Sydney artist and the documentary’s co-director Digby Webster and his girlfriend, trainee chef Camille Collins, who both live with Down Syndrome. Looking to take the next step in their relationship, the couple fervently wish to live together and marry. But complicating their dream of wedded bliss are the very real concerns and questions from those who love and support them most, their parents.
- End Game: This three-part series for the ABC follows Tony Armstrong on a global mission to find solutions to combat the rising tide of racism in Australian sports to create real change for future generations — unpicking his own experiences on a personal journey of discovery, surprise, passion and understanding.
