Almost $20 million has been invested in local content production, supporting more than 110 projects.
Screen Australia Director of Narrative Content Louise Gough said $7.6 million would be shared across more than 100 local scripted projects, supporting Australian narrative content and creator pathways.
Ms Gough said, in addition, the association would be supporting 11 major television series, with production to be announced in coming months, to the tune of $12 million in direct funding.
She said the $7.6 million allocation, across feature film, television and online, represented a substantial amount to the overall direct production and development funding provided in the 24/25 financial year so far.
“The mix of projects showcases a wide range of themes and formats, speaking to the evolving scripted landscape and highlighting the importance of reaching Australian audiences where they are watching.”
She said among the projects comedy series for TikTok called CEEBS, about two friends on a mission to save their local youth centre from imminent closure.
“Screen Australia is uniquely positioned to support a thriving pipeline of Australian stories that connect with audiences across multiple platforms and genres.
“This funding reflects our commitment to both emerging and established creatives, reinforcing the strength and diversity of our industry.”
Ms Gough said demand on Screen Australia funding remained high.
“In an ever-changing landscape, one thing remains constant – Australian screen storytelling is a vital cultural force that continues to resonate with audiences here at home and across the world.”
She said some of the other supported projects included:
- It’s All Going Very Well No Problems At All: The drama follows a young artist teetering on the edge of a quiet collapse, who finds solace and understanding through a profound connection with Harold, an elderly resident at the care home where she works.
- Jidoo & Ibis: Inspired by the real-life shenanigans between the creator’s father and the hungry bin chickens who flock to his garden, Jidoo & Ibis is a 40-part animated series in development for young pre-schoolers about unexpected problems and unexpected friendships – told through the relationship between grumpy Grandpa Jidoo and an all too familiar larrikin, Ibis.
- DIVA: Inspired by a true story, DIVA is an eight-part series that follows 21-year-old Elly as he attempts to balance his strict, religious Samoan life and his secret queer identity as a professional wrestler in drag.
- Dreamboat: A feature comedy in development celebrating the enduring power of BFFs, second chances, and embracing life’s next chapter.
- All The Boys Are Here: A queer romance feature film about a New York novelist who, while attending a family funeral in Vienna, discovers a German relative’s illicit queer love affair with a Jewish man during WW2 – sending him on a journey through the past that changes his future.
- A Model Family: A 10-part comedy where five ultra-lifelike AIs have escaped from a secret research facility in the Australian countryside and must pass for a human ‘nuclear’ family to survive.
- Fear is the Rider: This horror-thriller sees a lone woman searching for her missing mother being pursued into the Australian Outback by a terrifying family of cannibalistic serial killers, with only an ex-con and a young girl willing to help her.
- After All: A six-part comedic adult YouTube animation set against a post-apocalyptic wasteland. After living in a bunker for most of their lives, mutant filmmakers Flynn and Marshall venture out to make “the best movie ever made”, but quickly realise that stardom is not as important as friendship.
- Bluebottle: A thriller-comedy feature film set during the final night of ‘Schoolies’ in an isolated coastal town, where three local dropouts battle three handsome older men for the affection of three private school girls – tackling social issues of class, consent and identity.
