News

News Corp’s WHIMN network and Screen Australia launch second Doco180 series

Screen Australia and News Digital Networks Australia’s whimn.com.au have announced the second series of Doco180 documentaries which aims to force viewers to ‘do a 180’ on topics important to Australian women.

The series of 180-second documentaries was launched in 2017 as one of Screen Australia’s partnerships with publishers including Google, the SBS and Mamamia.

Hawanatu Bangura and Erin McBean, two of the successful film makers for Doco180’s second series

“This is our first foray into what we really want to continue with this brand which is creating really unique, fresh, raw, honest content that tells women’s stories and I think these docos are going to do that,” WHIMN’s executive editor Melissa Overman told Mumbrella about the first series last year.

“It also gives these emerging filmmakers a platform, which is also something we want to be known for, giving female talent a platform to share their expertise.”

Melissa Shedden, editor of whimn.com.au, said of the latest series: “We were hugely impressed by the insightful and compelling pitches from this year’s Doco180 entrants, which made it hard to select the final recipients.

“We’re very proud to be able to offer these talented female storytellers the chance to share these important issues with the whimn.com.au audience. Based on the success of Doco180 in 2017 achieving over 1.8m views across the series we’re keen to see what 2018 has in store.”

The Doco 180 season two documentary makers are:

  • Blue Lucine and Mariel Thomas’ (NSW) project Asking For It aims to investigate the fear, shame and intimidation that prevents most sexual assault victims from ever taking legal action.
  • Can you be a solo mum and still have it all? Director Erin McBean and writer Holly Zwalf (NSW) will create Mother/Lover looking at what exactly it means, these days, to truly ‘have it all’?
  • In A Hairy Problem director Rebecca Thomson (TAS) will address women’s body hair and how it is still a topic of much public discussion, judgment and shaming. The documentary intends to question if it should be anyone else’s business whether a woman chooses to mow or grow.
  • As a female business owner and filmmaker, Laura Clelland (QLD) believes the fight for gender parity has seen the rise of a ‘girls’ club’ where women support other women. In Together She Succeeds, Laura’s putting her beliefs to the test to discover if there is a darker reality to acknowledge.
  • Filmmaker and social worker Hawanatu Bangura (NSW) will direct Inner Demons, unpacking whether being a curvy woman is a blessing or curse. Hawanatu’s film will follow her subject Rosaline, depicting her tug-of-war story and how she banished her demons to become a celebrated mixed race plus size model.

Each team will receive $6,000 to fund their project.

The Doco180  projects will be hosted on whimn.com.au and its social channels exclusively for 12 months from October 2018.

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