ABC to make more history

The ABC has announced a further partnership with Film Australia to produce its History Initiative documentary series.

It will deliver a further 10 hours of stories, building on the success of previous documentaries including Constructing Australia.

Kim Dalton, Director of ABC TV announced the new commitment in Perth at the Australian International Documentary Conference, and it will take effect from July 1, 2008.

“The first major series from the Making History partnership was Constructing Australia, which screened last year on ABC TV, achieving an average audience of over 1.5 million viewers, and we’re immensely proud of it. The series included the programs – The Bridge; Pipe Dreams and A Wire Through The Heart.” said Dalton.

But in other ABC News the Federal Opposition today warned the government’s plan to have the ABC match commercial drama quotas would necessitate the axing of other services.

“Without additional funding of at least $70 million a year, the ABC will be forced to make cuts in other areas to meet Labor’s local drama quotas,” Opposition communications spokesman Bruce Billson said.

But the Rudd government has previously indicated it will wait for the Federal Budget before making any announcement on ABC funding.

Press Release:

Film Australia and ABC TV last night announced plans to continue their ‘History Initiative’ partnership to produce another 10 hours of programming that aims to significantly contribute to Australians’ understanding of themselves and their history.

Kim Dalton, Director of ABC TV announced the new commitment in Perth at the Australian International Documentary Conference, and it will take effect from July 1, 2008.

“The first major series from the “Making History” partnership was Constructing Australia, which screened last year on ABC TV, achieving an average audience of over 1.5 million viewers, and we’re immensely proud of it. The series included the programs – The Bridge; Pipe Dreams and A Wire Through The Heart.” said Dalton.

Daryl Karp, Film Australia’s Chief Executive said “Financing big-budget Australian history documentaries can be difficult, which is why this initiative is so valuable. The continuation of ‘Making History’, beyond the original Australian Government commitment of $7.5 million over three years, will allow filmmakers to contribute to a growing body of landmark documentaries that explore who we were and what we have become”.

Still to be screened on ABC TV from the first initiative are:

* The Prime Minister Is Missing – Reconstructed from eyewitness accounts and declassified government documents, this dramatised documentary re-examines Prime Minister Holt’s bizarre disappearance.

* Mawson: Life And Death In Antarctica – Scientist and adventurer Tim Jarvis travels to Antarctica to retrace Mawson’s footsteps to find out how one of the greatest stories of lone survival in polar exploration was possible.

* Menzies And The Fate Of Australia -Through Menzies diaries, letters and broadcasts, plus the expert analysis of leading scholars, this film shows how modern Australia was forged in the fires of the London blitz in 1941.

* Rogue Nation – Popular historian, Michael Cathcart goes behind the scenes of the famous Rum Rebellion to show the ‘no holds-barred’ personalities who created Australia’s first revolt, and how passionate arguments over whether convicts should have rights, shaped the country we have today.

* Monash And The ANZAC Legend – By focusing on the time when General Sir John Monash was most under pressure (1917-18), this film will reveal how Australians made their mark on the Western Front, where the ‘noise’around the ANZACs began, and why we’re still listening to it today.

Source: AAP / Yahoo