Screen Australia has announced 23 feature films and six television productions that will share more than $810,000 in story development funding. This list includes 19 projects supported through the Generate Fund and 10 projects supported through the Premium Fund.
Among the projects funded is Willy, the latest animated series from Ludo Studio, the production company behind the global phenomenon Bluey. The family-friendly feature film The Last Tiger depicts the incredible friendship between a 12-year-old girl, Pippa, and an injured possum puppy. The horror/comedy feature Black Claws, written by Maria Ruiz and directed by Shari Sebbens, who starred in John Bell’s psychological horror Moogai, recently had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
Bobby Lomia, Head of Development at Screen Australia, said: “All of these projects are driven by teams deeply involved in the content they are creating, exploring new avenues for creative expression while championing new voices that tell unique stories. Screen Australia will be following their respective developments closely.”
Willy (10 x 24′) by Ludo Studio, Mad Ones and Sad Man Studio is a coming-of-age anime series. The year is 2003, and 15-year-old Willy is on the cusp of his sexual awakening. I wish he hadn’t been holed up in the rural sugar cane farming town of Toy. Willy’s only saving grace is his colorful imagination and his fantastical friends. These include Beverly, a rescue cat with a razor-like tongue, and a derogatory portrait of the Virgin Mary sold in an op shop. But soon, the arrival of a charming new neighbor, Jack, seriously disrupts Willy’s carefully constructed inner world and threatens to change the lives of the Towy locals forever.
The series is created by writer and visual artist Samuel Leighton Doll (How to Become a Big Strongman) and his husband, Sad Man Studio’s Bradley Tennant (Prop Master, AD, High Ground on The Bureau of Magical Things) has been. SPA Award and AACTA winner Leanne Heyen (Voice Activated, Latecomers) is producer, Chloe Hume is development producer, and executive producers are Daley Pearson and Charlie Aspinwall.
A complete list of television series and feature films approved for development funding can be found at screenaustralia.gov.
