Seven docos share $1.4 million
Seven documentaries, including one story about real-life superheroes, have been given a total of $1.4 million in funding.
The documentaries are part of Screen Australia’s Signature Documentary Program and cover a range of topics including marriage, immigration and terrorism.
Speaking at the Think Big Documentary Masterclass at the Sydney Film Festival, Liz Stevens, Screen Australia’s documentary manager said: “These filmmakers have devoted a lot of time and creative energy to their projects before applying for funding and their stories are well developed and as strong as the characters they reveal. Screen Australia is pleased to be able to offer support through the prestigious Signature Documentary Program, which for the first time includes two web-based projects.”
The documentaries sharing the $1.4 million are:
BACK TO GROUND ZERO
90 mins
JOTZ Productions
Producer/Director Tom Zubrycki
Synopsis A story about a Sudanese refugee living in Sydney who returns home to build a school in his village, which has been devastated by 29 years of civil war. A group of Australian friends resolve to assist him in this quest.
THE FRACKMAN
90 mins
Freshwater Productions Pty Ltd
Producers Trish Lake, Simon Nasht, Richard Todd
Writers John Collee, Sarah Rossetti
Director Richard Todd
Sales Cargo Entertainment
Distributor Hopscotch
Digital Marketing GetUp!
Synopsis The adventures of anti-coal seam gas campaigner The Frackman and his filmmaker mate.
LOVE MARRIAGE IN KABUL
85 mins
Bower Bird Films Pty Ltd
Producer Pat Fiske
Co-producers Sanaz Fatouhi, Amin Palangi
Director Amin Palangi
Synopsis Love Marriage in Kabul follows the extraordinary quest of an Afghan-Australian woman, Mahboba Rawi, as she passionately negotiates and challenges old traditions to make a love marriage happen in Kabul.
MOTHER WITH A GUN
75 mins
Rebel Films Pty Ltd
Executive Producer Jeni McMahon
Co-producer/Writer/Director Jeff Daniels
Sales The Film Sales Company
Synopsis The matriarch of a bloody terrorist organisation chooses to hang up her gun and walk away.
ORDINARY WONDERLANDS
85 mins
House of Gary Pty Ltd
Producer Karina Astrup
Writer/Director Penny Vozniak
Synopsis Filmed over eight years, Ordinary Wonderlands is the stranger-than-fiction story of the world’s first real-life superheroes.
SIGNATURE DOCUMENTARY PROGRAM: INTERACTIVE
BIG STORIES, SMALL TOWNS: ASIA PACIFIC
Big Stories Co
Transmedia Producer Anna Grieve, Martin Potter
Online Producer Nick Crowther
Creative Director Martin Potter
Synopsis Big Stories, Small Towns: Asia Pacific is a multi-platform documentary project working with filmmakers and communities across the region to produce inspiring local stories that are central to their lives and relevant to the world.
KIM JONG-IL INTERACTIVE CINEMA EXPERIENCE (KJILCE)
Chocolate Liberation Front
Producers Dan Fill, Frank Verheggen
Writer Anna Broinowski
Synopsis An interactive journey through the world of North Korean cinema, enabling users to share and learn about the film methodology of Kim Jong–Il and make their own films.
