ABC to return to film funding

Australian public broadcaster ABC is to boost its investment in feature films by funding up to six projects per year.

This return to film funding follows the success of local love story Samson and Delilah at the Bigpond Adelaide Film Festival and comes as part of the broadcaster’s overall drama strategy.

Director of television Kim Dalton said it would invest in five or six projects per year as well as a similar number of TV movies and four event mini-series. The broadcaster will put up license fees of up to A$500,000 (US$3250,000) per film.   

Australian authorities are expected to increase funding for ABC in May’s federal budget, which will allow it to increase its annual drama output for 20 hours to 100 hours.

Australian producers are expected to receive a further boost this week as the new chief executive of Screen Australia is set to announce the detailed criteria for the Enterprise Program, a complex scheme that will fund three independent production companies by up to A$500,000 each to expand their businesses. Ruth Harley, who used to run the New Zealand Film Commission, is expected to announce details in the coming weeks.