Rock legend Jimmy Barnes and colourful artist Ken Done are among a list of Aussies set to be further immortalised as subjects of upcoming documentaries.
Screen Australia has announced 30 documentaries that will share $2.5 million of production and development funding to shape the next chapter of Australian factual storytelling.
Head of Documentary Richard Huddleston said a diverse range of projects would deliver a new wave of documentary makers and offered intimate portraits of iconic Australians including Barnes and Done, aa well as filmmaker George Miller and Aboriginal Rights activist Henrietta Marrie.
Mr Huddleston said among the projects there were also social impact documentaries, such as Liyan: Guided by Horses (working title) and It Starts With Us, both of which shone a light on transformative programs for young Australians.
“From regional Australia to global war zones, these rich, intimate and unflinching stories open windows into new worlds, explore our rich cultural landscape and help us understand shared challenges – moving us in ways that only documentary can,” he said.
“The calibre of talented emerging creatives we’ve been able to support has been impressive, as is the way many of them are joining forces with more experienced practitioners to achieve their aims.”
Mr Huddleston said the sector was ever evolving.
“This kind of collaborative community, coupled with innovative approaches to distinct Australian storytelling, is why our documentaries resonate with audiences here and around the world.”
He said Screen Australia launched updated Documentary Funding Programs in July, tailored to meet industry needs, support practitioners and foster ground-breaking content, with some of the supported projects including:
- Axis of Impersonators: A feature documentary telling the true story of how a Kim Jong-Un impersonator teams up with a Putin impersonator to rescue a Zelensky impersonator from Kyiv after the invasion of Ukraine.
- Bukal Bukal: A feature documentary that centres on Yidinji activist Henrietta Marrie who reformed the Australian Government and UN to benefit billions of Indigenous people and is now fighting the British Museum to reclaim her family’s stolen artefacts.
- It Starts With Us: A 30-minute documentary that follows a group of teenagers in a ground-breaking high-school program for kids at risk of family violence. With mentors such as Rosie Batty, the program uses art to unpack social pressures that lead to violence.
- Mad Max and the Genius of George Miller: A feature film that tells the improbable story of how a 1970s Australian film grew into the country’s biggest ever cultural export. It captures how George Miller’s singular cinematic vision influenced global cinema and set him on an unlikely journey to the pinnacle of Hollywood success.
- Liyan: Guided by Horses (working title): Set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Kimberley, this feature documentary is a heartwarming and timely story of reconnection. At the heart of it is a group of young people, nurtured within a one-of-a-kind sanctuary using horses as powerful guides, pioneered by Aboriginal researcher Professor Juli Coffin.
- A Year at Yumburra: A feature based on Dark Emu author Bruce Pascoe’s book – Black Duck: A Year at Yumburra, it chronicles the seasons of Yumburra farm in Gippsland where Bruce and his partner run Black Duck Foods.
- The Northern Run: A feature documentary about six young Australian bull riders as they travel to North West Queensland to compete for a spot in the largest and richest rodeo in the southern hemisphere.
- Working Class Man: A feature documentary that tells the wild journey of one of Australia’s true rock’n’roll legends Jimmy Barnes. A follow-up to Working Class Boy, it is an honest reflection on success, fame, addiction and family told through Jimmy’s eyes with his trademark honesty and insight.
- Ken Done: A feature documentary centred on the renowned artist’s life, career and transformation from an award-winning adman to an artist who helped shape the world’s view of Australia.
- Replica: An observational feature documentary exploring the growing trend of Chinese women turning to AI chatbots for romance and companionship.
