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South Australian Film Corporation invests in Emile Sherman’s Tracks

The producers of two of Australia’s top two films of last year have received funding for a new joint production.

Emile Sherman and Iain Canning, producers of The King’s Speech, and Julie Ryan, producer of Red Dog, have received funding from the South Australian Film Corporation for new film Tracks.

Directed by John Curran, the film is the true story of Robyn Davidson’s journey through the Australian desert.

The SAFC’s investment, which also includes three other projects, totalled $0.61m.

It comes after the March news of two major South Australian productions, Wolf Creek and Resistance, forced on hiatus due to financial difficulties.

At the time, Richard Harris, Adelaide Studios CEO told Encore the studios were in negotiations with the Tracks producers, as the film ‘ticked a lot of boxes’ for the state.

With the two big projects going on hiatus, finance was allocated to two feature films, The Babadook and The Fall, both thrillers.

The new investment round saw The Babadook receive $0.78m in cash-flow loan as part of the state agency’s Revolving Film Fund.

The film, written and directed by Jennifer Kent and produced by Kristena Ceyton and Kristian Molier casts Essie Davis as a single mother who is plagued by the violent death of her husband, and battles with her son’s fear of a monster lurking in the house, but soon discovers there’s something very sinister all around her.

Locally the film has distribution through Umbrella Entertainment and international sales through eOne Entertainment.

The other projects SAFC has invested in include a three-part factual series, a TV documentary and a transmedia project.

Comedian and sidekick to Adam Hills on his talk show, Hannah Gadsby will get a three part TV series called Hannah Gadsby’s Oz for the ABC’s Artscape series. The comedian and art scholar will will attempt to discover Australia’s cultural identity. The series will be directed by Shut Up Little Man’s Mathew Bate and produced by Rebecca Summerton of Closer Productions.

Disassembly Line is a half hour documentary written and directed by Madeleine Parry and follows her as she works at the local abattoir and interviews the men who kill what we eat. Produced by Daniel Joyce of Projector Films, it was co-commissioned by ABCTV and Screen Australia.

Also receiving investment is a transmedia project as part of a coproduction between the ABC and its contemporary in Canada, the CBC.  Called Time Tremors, it is a children’s fantasy produced by the local People’s Republic of Animation and Canada’s Xenophile Media.

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