Screen Australia’s Indigenous Affairs office this week announced the latest funding, including Warwick Thornton’s Sweet Country sequel Wolfram, which takes place three years after its predecessor, a groundbreaking western released in 2018. Announced procurement plan.
Official synopsis for Wolfram: In 1930s Australia, a group of Aboriginal children escape their cruel white masters and travel to the sweet country of Central Australia to reunite with their estranged mother Pansy.
“Wolfram continues the story of Philomack, who is now 17 years old and still lives under the watchful eye of his short-tempered master, Mick Kennedy. After meeting Max and Kidd, Philomack discovers that he and his brother In the process, they are rescued by Jimi and Wang Wei, a pioneer family of Chinese-Australian miners. He will help reunite the children with their estranged mother, Pansy.
Warwick Thornton’s “Wolfram” begins production
“This is my family’s story,” director Warwick Thornton said in the announcement. My great-grandmother and her daughters worked for the Whitefellas at Hatches Creek Mine. Now the truth is revealed and it’s called Wolfram. ”
Wolfram is written by Steven McGregor and David Tranter, whose credits include “Sweet Country.” Produced by David Georgie, Greer Simpkin and Cecilia Ritchie (Limbo) alongside Tranter, the film is funded by Screen NSW and the Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund. Wolfram is distributed by Dark Matter Distribution, with international sales managed by Memento.
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NITV Documentary “Dreaming Big” “One Mind, One Heart”
Screen Australia also has two documentaries for NITV spanning sport and politics, a six-part series about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sporting hopefuls, directed by Andrew Dillon and Abraham Byrne Jameson. “Dreaming Big” was also released. and the feature-length documentary “One Mind, One Heart” from writer/director Larissa Behrendt (“After Apology,” “Maralinga Charrucha”).
Dreaming Big: This six-part series from NITV delves into the lives of Australia’s talented Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people who are on their way to becoming the next generation of sports stars. Each episode focuses on two young elite athletes and showcases their relentless pursuit to reach the pinnacle of their chosen field, navigating family and cultural obligations while remaining focused on their goals. The series is directed by Andrew Dillon (Le Champion) and Abraham Byrne Jameson (One by One), with writer and producer Richard Jameson (Straight to the Plate) Season 2) and producer Veronica Fury (And We Danced) will also be involved. Funded in partnership with Screen Queensland.
One Heart, One Heart: In this feature-length documentary from NITV, a historic political Yirurkara bark petition is discovered and brought back to the Yorgnu nation, igniting the spirit of decades of activism for change. Masu. Repatriation provides an opportunity to track long-term political movements through petitions, songs, dances, and campaigning to keep cultures strong and have a voice for the country. One Mind, One Heart is the work of writer/director Larissa Behrendt (The First Inventors) and producer Michaela Perscu (Larapinta). The production is funded in partnership with Screen NSW with support from the Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund, Spectrum Entertainment, Documentary Australia and philanthropy through the Shark Island Institute.
Funding other screen projects
Screen Australia announced that a total of 19 new projects will receive more than $3 million in funding, including 16 that have received development funding.
Angela Bates, Head of First Nations at Screen Australia, said: “Our First Nations creatives are at the forefront of Australian storytelling, with many great projects being celebrated on the world stage. Further development is in progress.” Our need for capital has never been higher and this is a positive sign for the industry.
“Over FY23/24, the Department has invested more than $7.1 million in funding, including 105 opportunities across development, production, initiatives, accessories and market support, to support the incredible talent and rich stories within Indigenous communities. We are inspired by the depth of powerful cinematic stories written by Indigenous Australians through films like Wolfram and documentaries Dreaming Big and One Mind, One Heart. ”
As noted in the release, it’s been another strong year for Indigenous stories and creatives, with feature films such as Thornton’s New Boy and John Bell’s Mougai reaching international acclaim. The third season of ABC’s Total Control became the most-watched Indigenous series. On 23/24.
Also announced were three television dramas, 11 feature films and two documentaries that will share more than $540,000 in development funding. Projects include the feature film Native Gods from 2024 Enterprise Business winner Djali House; “Long Story Shorts,” a comedy series from writer and director Tanith Glynne-Maroney (“The Windcatcher”). The documentary Fire Country is an innovative exploration of Indigenous fire knowledge and wisdom. The feature film RED is about eight Indigenous Western Australian women who share the ugly secret of being surrounded by missing people.
Details of projects funded by the Department of Indigenous Peoples for production and development throughout the 2023/24 financial year can be found on the Screen Australia website.
