Through its Short to Feature Fast Track program, Screen NSW awarded four filmmaking teams $75,000 each to support the development of short or proof-of-concept films and their first low-budget feature.
This will be the second group of new filmmakers to receive funding under the program, which aims to accelerate projects towards financing and production. Each team will work with experienced executive producers (Cass Scherper, Marian McGowan, Christina Seiton, and Christian Molière) who will provide mentorship and networking opportunities.
The application was assessed by Screen NSW Screen investment manager and Maslow Entertainment founder Marc Wooldridge.
Mr. Maslow is looking to distribute his local horror film, “Moogai,” and the funding was secured after writer/director John Bell produced a proof-of-concept short film. The short film category has also helped other filmmakers launch their feature film careers, including Miller Foulkes, Warwick Thornton, and David Michaud.
“This is a very exciting and valuable initiative for aspiring feature filmmakers in New South Wales and, like last year, the quality of submissions was very high and very competitive,” Mr Wooldridge said. said in a statement. “I can’t wait to see where their project goes from here. I wish them the best of luck.”
Screen NSW director Cath Hepworth said the program would elevate new voices and give them the opportunity to develop films, while building a network with experienced industry professionals and market partners.
Fast track recipients from short stories to features
Short film: Echoes in Time
Plot: A couple investigates a strange phenomenon in their home where past and present intersect.
Feature film: The Junction
Synopsis: After a brutal battle with cancer, a couple moves to the countryside in search of a fresh start, but they find that their new home becomes the center of a mysterious phenomenon, causing a collision between past and present.
Genre: Drama, Science Fiction, Romance
Team Members: Gemma Lee (Director), Charlie Clausen (Writer/Producer)
Executive producer: Kath Scherper
Short film: Worm
Synopsis: After his father commits suicide, a depressed young man fears he will follow in his father’s footsteps unless he develops a radical new treatment using telepathic earthworms.
Feature film: Respondents
Synopsis: A surreal mystery thriller, The Answerers follows the descent into madness of three rudderless misfits who are haunted by a mysterious phone call that is said to change the lives of those who answer it. I am.
Genre: Surreal, Mystery, Thriller, Comedy
Team members: Will Goodfellow (screenplay), Tom Noakes (director), Lucy Guffey (producer), Adrian Pinto (producer)
Executive producer: Marian McGowan
Short film: Incorrupible
Synopsis: Valentine and Ophelia, sexually frustrated teenage sisters, live in a secluded orchard and spend their days co-writing raunchy romance novels, where two handsome young Mormon missionaries knocked on their door.
Feature film: The Wanting
Synopsis: Single mother Nisa takes her two daughters, teenager Cathy and six-year-old Reign, to a dilapidated rental house in Australia’s remote Snowy Mountains to care for her sick mother, Farrah. I’m moving. When they meet handsome new neighbor Chris, all four generations of women fall in love with him in their own way, uncovering a dangerous family secret that could upend their fragile peace and have dire consequences. It will give you an opportunity to become
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Team members: Vanessa Gaethje (writer/director), Saina Strachan (producer), Liam Hayen (producer)
Executive producer: Christina Seiton
Short film: Audition
Synopsis: During an intense audition, a determined actress loses her grip on reality as repressed trauma and disturbing visions creep into the audition process, blurring the lines between acting and psychological unraveling. I notice.
Feature film: Method to Madness
Plot: Anna wins the acting role of a lifetime, but her director’s intentions may not be entirely artistic.
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Team members: Rachel Wiggins (writer/director), Sandy Stevens (producer), Enzo Tedeschi (short story producer)
Executive producer: Christian Molière
