News

With the future of Australian TV drama under the microscope, there was always going to be added interest in the ABC’s 2022 slate.

The public broadcaster will deliver in the genre in its 90th year, officially announcing at today’s upfronts new series Significant Others and Savage River.

They join titles Mystery Road: Origin, Troppo, and Barons in a drama line-up that is noticeably larger than what has so far been announced by the commercial free-to-air platforms.

ABC director of entertainment and specialist Michael Carrington told If the broadcaster was pleased to be able to meet demand in the space.

“It’s something our audiences want and I’m thrilled we’re able to provide it,” he said.

“Drama is a really expensive genre. It takes a lot of effort, resources, craft skills, etc. to build a drama series, as well as a lot of time.

“Obviously we are investing...

Sbs has announced a new head of scripted following an extensive search, with creative producer Julie Eckersley set to take the reins.

The broadcaster has also promoted Donna Chang to commissioning editor for scripted.

Eckersley has previously worked as a producer and in development across a range of genres, including drama, comedy, animation, documentary and children’s content.

Her experience includes nine years at Matchbox Pictures where she worked on projects such as The Family Law, Glitch, and Maximum Choppage.

She’s also held roles across different elements of production throughout her career, developing and producing projects with Australian networks, as well as internationally with Netflix and NBCU International.

The role had previously been held by Sue Masters for five years, before she departed in late 2019.

Former Foxtel head of drama Penny Win has been Sbs’s acting head of scripted for the past six months. Prior to that, Amanda Duthie...

After nine years in-house at Matchbox, producer Julie Eckersley reflects on her recent return to solo producing.

At the end of 2019, I had a great plan in place for 2020. It seems so naïve now, doesn’t it?

For me, it was the beginning of a new era. After nine years in-house at Matchbox Pictures I was headed back into the wild west of freelancing. With the industry changing and Matchbox no longer needing as many full-time producers, I ventured off with a package under my belt and a sparkling new five-year career plan on my wall. And that went quite well… for the first two months. And then, well… we all know what happened next. March 2020 brought Covid-19, delivering massive change for all of us personally and professionally. How will we ever forget?

Clearly, I am not the only one for whom 2020 took an unexpected path. But 12 months on from re-entering the freelance world,...

Dan and Luke Riches of Ardiol Media.

Screen Australia has announced $1 million worth of funding via its Enterprise program, including four Enterprise People talent opportunities and 11 Enterprise Business & Ideas projects.

One of the major recipients of Business & Ideas funding, which allows entities to develop businesses proposals, hire placements or access business-building services, is For Film Sakes’ recently announced initiative Attagirl, a narrative feature film lab.

The incubator program will enable majority women, female identifying and non-binary creative teams to learn from industry experts, with a focus on getting their feature slate market ready.

Information + Cultural Exchange (I.C.E) and Diversity Arts Australia have received support towards developing Diversity on Screen, an expansion of the Screen Cultures Program, to improve access to opportunities for underrepresented filmmakers.

Also to receive funding is the Documentary Australia Foundation (Daf), to enhance its digital platform to better connect filmmakers and supporters online; and Frame,...

Alastair McKinnon.

A generational change is sweeping through Matchbox Pictures as the NBCUniversal-owned production company develops a raft of projects with emerging writers and producers.

“Talent development has always been a priority for Matchbox,” says Alastair McKinnon, who started as MD last December after three years with the ABC, most recently as head of content investment and planning,

McKinnon signed on just as the company founded by Penny Chapman, Tony Ayres, Helen Bowden, Michael McMahon and Helen Panckhurst was celebrating its 10th anniversary. “That was the perfect time to reflect and think about what Matchbox has done incredibly successfully over that time as the leading drama production company in Australia,” he tells If in his first interview since taking charge.

“But the industry has transformed in that 10 years and is unrecognisable if you think about the sorts of shows, how they are financed and the distribution models of drama.

'Glitch'.

Production has kicked off in Melbourne on the second season of Matchbox Pictures'.Glitch, with directors Emma Freeman and Tony Krawitz at the helm. The shoot will continue on location around the city and in regional Victoria until the end of March.

The first season of the zombie drama, created by Louise Fox (Broadchurch, Dead Europe) and Tony Ayres (The Slap, Cut Snake, Nowhere Boys), followed seven people who had inexplicably returned from the dead.

The second season sees .the Risen. unravel the mystery of how and why they are back while contending with a lethal threat..

In October it was announced that Netflix was coming on board as a production partner for the second season, along with Matchbox and the ABC.

.We can.t wait for our audience to see where the story goes. We want to deliver on the promise of answers and keep the thrills and spills coming,...

The Family Law.

Sbs has announced today that a second season of The Family Law is in production. Filming will begin in Queensland later this year, and the series will air in 2017. Written and created by Benjamin Law, and based on his memoir of the same name, The Family Law is a coming-of-age story told through the eyes of teenager Benjamin as he navigates growing up amidst the chaos of his hilarious, heart-warming and dysfunctional family. In season two, Benjamin and the Laws are excited to explore fresh careers, fresh ambitions, even fresh romances. Series creator Law said that one of the most satisfying things about season one was seeing how many audience members — Asian and non-Asian Australian alike — felt their own families were finally reflected back at them. .We.re excited to be putting a 90 per cent Asian-Australian cast on TV again, and picking right up from where we left the Laws.

Director, Robert Connolly, will executive produce, Hive Fund winner, Guilty.

Guilty, Remembering Agatha and Bunghole have won funding in the third and final round of the Adelaide Film Festival Hive Fund initiative.

Australian artists Matthew Sleeth, Emma Magenta and Bruce Gladwin are set to collaborate with screen creatives Maggie Miles, Robert Connolly, Andrew Bovell, Julie Eckersley and Ester Harding on three new projects as part of the initiative.

Hive is an Adelaide Film Festival initiative in collaboration with the Australia Council for the Arts, Screen Australia and ABC Arts.

It is a disruptive initiative designed to bring together Australian artists and filmmakers to cross-pollinate their creative ideas, develop screen-based projects and support bright talent to take the next step.

The three newly commissioned projects will have their world premieres at the next edition of the biennial Adelaide Film Festival in 2017 and will all air on ABC TV.

The first project,...

Director, Robert Connolly, will executive produce, Hive Fund winner, Guilty.

.

Guilty, Remembering Agatha and Bunghole have won funding in the third and final round of the Adelaide Film Festival Hive Fund initiative.

Australian artists Matthew Sleeth, Emma Magenta and Bruce Gladwin are set to collaborate with screen creatives Maggie Miles, Robert Connolly, Andrew Bovell, Julie Eckersley and Ester Harding on three new projects as part of the initiative.

Hive is an Adelaide Film Festival initiative in collaboration with the Australia Council for the Arts, Screen Australia and ABC Arts.

It is a disruptive initiative designed to bring together Australian artists and filmmakers to cross-pollinate their creative ideas, develop screen-based projects and support bright talent to take the next step.

The three newly commissioned projects will have their world premieres at the next edition of the biennial Adelaide Film Festival in 2017 and will all air on ABC TV.

The first project,...

Kung fu, karaoke and comedy are just some of the ingredients that make up Maximum Choppage, a new 6 x 30 min comedy series from Matchbox Pictures. Starring Lawrence Leung, Jason Chong and Stephanie Son, Maximum Choppage sees Simon Chan (Leung) return to his hometown of Cabramatta after studying at a legendary martial arts school in Beijing. At least, that.s what his mother thinks, and has been telling everybody who will listen. In reality Simon has been studying Marshall.s Art School, in Melbourne . which becomes a bit of a problem when he finds out the entire town expects him to fight the gangs that have been ruling the Cabramatta streets. Producer Sophie Miller tells If that it was a mixture of kung fu, comedy and the Cabramatta setting that drew her to project originally. .I was working in development at Matchbox at the time and was in the initial pitch meeting,...

Screen Australia announced today it will invest nearly $10.7 million in 11 television and film projects which will trigger production worth almost $59 million.

In one of the most hotly contested funding rounds, six features succeeded. They include Wayne Blair.s romantic comedy Ali.s Wedding; Joe Cinque.s Consolation, a thriller about a troubled law student who tries to kill her boyfriend, from director Sotiris Dounoukos, whose A Single Body won best short at the Toronto International Film Festival, and Cameron and Colin Cairnes. horror movie Scare Campaign.

The other three are Taboo, the narrative feature debut of documentary filmmakers Bentley Dean and Martin Butler; Rachel Perkins. murder mystery Jasper Jones, based on the novel and play by Craig Silvey, adapted by Shaun Grant;. and Greg Mclean.s true-life thriller Jungle.

The TV projects are Shine Australia.s Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door for the Seven Network; a Jack...

Sbs has commissioned a 6-part series based on Benjamin Law's novel about growing up as a Chinese Australian in a small town on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

Sbs MD Michael Ebeid announced the project, Family Law, at today.s Screen Forever conference while assuring producers he did not expect the looming government budget cuts would force the broadcaster to reduce spending on content. Ebeid said Screen Australia agreed to fund the series at Sunday.s board meeting and that 90% of the cast would be Asian. Matchbox Pictures. Tony Ayres and Debbie Lee will serve as executive producers and Sophie Miller and Julie Eckersley will produce the 6 x 30 series based on Law.s novel The Family Law;. casting is about to start. According to media reports, the ABC and Sbs both facing funding cuts of $200 million- $300 million. Ebeid knows exactly how much the Sbs will lose but can.t pre-empt the announcement by Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

Reps from YouTube, the ABC, the Seven Network, Matchbox Pictures, Princess Pictures and FremantleMedia Australia will address the opportunities for financing and producing online content at a conference in Melbourne next month. Now in its fourth year, the Generation Next: Online Video conference will be staged in tandem with the inaugural Australian Online Video Awards (OVAs) on October 14-15 at the Docklands Studios.

The conference is run by the Open Channel, the not-for-profit, membership based organisation which assists the professional development of emerging and early career filmmakers. The conference producer, Redman Entertainment.s David Redman said, .With the YouTube generation increasingly consuming online content and advertisers starting to following them, never before has there been more opportunity for creators to develop an audience online and build a career.

"This conference will bring together experts from both traditional and online media with creators who are already working between the two to...

Eight screen productions have been selected to take part in a multi-platform and transmedia clinic in November, organised by Screen Australia.

The Digital Ignition Multi-platform clinic is a week long workshop designed to “support the development of production ready multi-platform strategies.”

The clinic will be run by Gary Hayes, co-founder of StoryLabs who also wrote Screen Australia’s How to write a Transmedia Production Bible.

The announcement follows the first round of All Media program recipients.

Mike Cowap, Investment Manager, Screen Australia said: “The Digital Ignition Multi-platform Clinic falls within the suite of support offered through our All Media Program, which seeks to ignite and strengthen digital understanding, expertise and activity within the Australian screen content sector. We’re thrilled to be working with Gary Hayes and his StoryLabs network to make this as rich and practical a workshop as possible.”

Of the eight, two feature films, one TV show,...