New ABC, SBS docos funded by Screen Australia

New documentaries around Kalgoorlie, Bacchus Marsh Lion Safari and the breakout 1983 telemovie The Day After (pictured) are amongst $2.1 million in funding from Screen Australia.

Carbon: An Unauthorised Biography will screen on ABC, while Strong Female Lead and What Does Australia Really Think? are for SBS. The Science of Success is an Australia-Canada Official Co-Production with Intuitive Pictures, led by producer Ina Fichman.

Screen Australia’s Head of Documentary Bernadine Lim said, “This is an exciting lineup of projects telling uniquely Australian stories across science, social issues, modern legends and even big cats, through different formats and media. It’s fantastic to support three co-productions which open up the teams to international opportunities in financing as well as audience reach.”

“The past few months have presented several challenges for the sector but it’s been great to see that many documentary projects have been able to continue production in some form, and we’re impressed with the adaptability and resilience teams have shown.”

TV and related projects:

The Science Of Success
1 x 55 mins
Smith&Nasht
Writer/Director Annamaria Talas
Producer Simon Nasht
Broadcaster CuriosityStream
Synopsis Why do some people make it while others fall short? What’s the secret of success? There are piles of self-help books offering answers, advising us to: push yourself and trust that hard work will pay off. But they are wrong. We reveal the real science behind success.

What Does Australia Really Think?
3 x 56 mins
Joined Up Films Pty Ltd
Producer Darren Hutchinson
Executive Producers Jacqueline Willinge, Dan Brown
Broadcaster SBS
Synopsis In this new documentary series, we’re going to investigate 3 of the most important issues affecting the social fabric of our nation and find out if we can still claim to be the land of the fair go, or if we’re fast becoming the land of the free-for-all.

Television Event
1 x 90 mins
Common Room Productions
Producer Jeff Daniels
Director Jeff Daniels
Synopsis Television Event is an archive-based feature documentary about The Day After (1983), the made-for-TV movie that set out to win the ratings war and ultimately helped end the Cold War.

A Big Life
1 x 15 mins
Poison Apple Productions
Writer/Director Anna Brownfield
Producer Anna Brownfield
Synopsis A Big Life is told through the tales of Bobbie Nugent it is a story of butches and femmes, gangsters, sex workers, travelling side shows and early Australian transgender history.

A Plague On Our Houses
2 x 50 mins
Emerald Films Pty Ltd
Writers Sally Browning, Rachel Sullivan
Director Sally Browning
Producers Sally Browning, Rachel Sullivan
Executive Producer Colette Beaudry
Synopsis Deadly virus spill-over events like COVID-19 are a vivid example of sustained human impact on our eco system through animal habitat destruction and environmental damage. Plague examines how we can predict future events and change our behaviour to take steps now to stop spill-over at its root cause before the next pandemic occurs.

Bob’s Manual For Living And Dying
1 x 120 mins
3:57 Films Pty Ltd in association with Flood Projects
Writer/Director Amiel Courtin-Wilson
Producers Amiel Courtin-Wilson, Alice Jamieson-Dowd
Co-Producer Chris Luscri
Executive Producer Michael McMahon, Sophie Hyde
Synopsis Bob has seven days left to live… he wants to tell you something.

Carbon – An Unauthorised Biography
1 x 90 mins
Genepool Productions Pty Ltd
Directors Daniella Ortega, Niobe Thompson
Writer Daniella Ortega
Producers Sonya Pemberton, Lucy Maclaren, Niobe Thompson
Executive Producer Sonya Pemberton
Synopsis This is the ultimate biography of Carbon, the most talked about but least understood element on earth.

Facing Monsters
1 x 90 mins
Beyond West & Veerhuis Pictures
Director Geoffrey Smith
Producer Chris Veerhuis
Line Producer Susanne Morrison
Executive Producer Frank Chidiac
Synopsis Facing Monsters is a candid insight into a man caught between the love he has for his family, and a childhood dream that could ultimately destroy him.

General Hercules
1 x 90 mins
Toy Shop Entertainment
Writer/Director Brodie Poole
Producer Ruby Schmidt
Executive Producer Matthew Bate
Synopsis General Hercules is an observational documentary film exploring the relationship between a local government and its residents in the wake of economic and political changes in the remote gold mining town of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.

Strange Beasts
1 x 9 mins
Oh Yeah Wow Pty Ltd
Director Darcy Prendergast
Producers Darcy Prendergast, Rachel Gilkison
Executive Producer Cameron Ford
Synopsis During its decade of operation, the Bacchus Marsh Lion Safari was one of Victoria’s most popular tourist attractions… now one its greatest mysteries.

Strong Female Lead
1 x 55 mins
Northern Pictures
Writer/Director Tosca Looby
Executive Producer Karina Holden
Synopsis A documentary exploring Australia’s struggle with the notion of women and power when a strong female takes the lead.

Shane
1 x 90 mins
Essential Media & Television Pty Ltd
Directors Jon Carey, Adam Darke
Producers Sam Griffin, Brendan Dahill, Dave Rowley, Andrew Berg
Executive Producers Paul Wiegard, John Sachs, Charles Low, Brian Berg, Michael , Athene Taee
Co-Producers Rebecca Bennett, Jon Carey, Adam Darke
Synopsis A character study on Shane Warne, one of the greatest cricket players the world has ever known, as he travels the world revealing all aspects of his extraordinary life and career.