By Travis Johnson
20 new Australian film and television projects are set to see the light of day thanks to production investment from Screen NSW.
Among the beneficiaries are seven new locally produced TV dramas, funded via the new 20 million dollar Made in NSW Fund.
“With the Made in NSW fund we set out to attract high-end, distinctive local TV production to NSW, as well as to support the attraction of significant footloose production. Just six months in, the Fund is having a big impact. It has revitalized local television drama production and has brought big international productions here such as Jackie Chan’s Bleeding Steel and Animal Logic’s Peter Rabbit movie,” said Screen NSW CEO, Courtney Gibson.
The upswing in TV production is notable, reflecting global trends that see greater and greater investment in small screen rather than big screen entertainment. Given that the production offset for television production remains 20%, compared to 40% for film, it’s interesting to speculate what the production slate might look like with a more level playing field.
The seven series include Monkey, a family series based on the Chinese literary classic, Journey to the West; returned servicemen drama Fighting Season; Friday on my Mind, the story of The Easybeats; hitman drama Mr In Between, from director, Nash Edgerton; medical drama Pulse; and another season of Love Child.
Other television series funded outside of the Made in NSW initiative include sitcom The Letdown, children’s animation The Wild Adventures of Blinky Bill, and the fourth season of Janet King.
Documentary Teach a Man to Fish, online comedy Mustafa Needs a Wife, youth multi-platform series Deadlock, and feature film, The Merger, also received funding.
