Screen Australia


Australia and NZ take a seat at the drama table

Producers in Australia and New Zealand are creating a new wave of international-friendly scripted series for their distribution partners to take to market, but the popularity and lower cost of formats and reality shows poses a threat to the sector, report Dan Barrett and Stewart Clarke. Expectation. Its shadow carries considerable weight across Australia and […]

Screen Australia appoints former Universal, C4 exec as CEO

TV funding body Screen Australia has appointed a former Universal Studios and Channel 4 executive to become its new CEO. Graeme Mason will replace incumbent chief exec Ruth Harley in November. He joins from the New Zealand Film Commission, where he has been CEO since 2009. His previous roles include president, worldwide acquisitions for Universal […]

BBC buys Oz mystery drama

UK pubcaster the BBC has acquired Australian crime drama The Doctor Blake Mysteries for its daytime programming line-up. The 10-part series first broadcast on the ABC, produced by December Media Production in association with ABC TV, Screen Australia and Film Victoria. ITV Studios Global Entertainment distributes the programme. It is set in 1959 and follows […]

Netflix inks exclusive kids deal with ZDF

Netflix has picked up exclusive rights to kids series Mako Mermaids from ZDF Enterprises, the commercial arm of the German public broadcaster. The live-action series is a follow-up to ZDFE-distributed hit kids series H20 – Just Add Water, which has also proved popular on Netflix in North America, Latin America and Europe. Both shows are […]

Cineflix Rights makes first drama move

Cineflix Rights is moving into drama and has made it first acquisition, upcoming Australian crime mystery Secrets & Lies. The six-part series is being made by Australian indie Hoodlum and has just entered production. It tells the story of Ben, an innocent man who becomes the prime suspect in the murder of a four-year-old boy. […]

ABC explores Australia’s WWI

Australian broadcaster has hopped on the factual drama bandwagon with a fictionalised four-part series about Australia’s involvement in World War I. Funding body Screen Australia has invested in 4x57mins The War that Changed Us through its National Documentary Program. The drama will be produced by Andrew Ogilvie, directed by Don Featherstone and written by Featherstone […]

Screen Australia backs raft of TV drama

Screen Australia is investing A$11.4 million in a raft of new TV series and features. The Australian film and TV agency said the investment will trigger A$64 million of TV and film production. The TV series include Shine Australia’s INXS two-parter Never Tear us Apart for Network Seven and a six part thriller for public […]

Fred Media looking to expand international sales team

Nascent international distributor Fred Media is to expand its sales team around the world after receiving funding from Screen Australia. This comes as the Australian funding body has earmarked A$2.7 million worth of new funding to local producers and distributors through its Enterprise investment scheme. Fred Media is the international distributor arm of producer WTFN […]

Asian Animation Summit launches in December

The first Asian Animation Summit is set to launch in December and will present 36 animated television series from producers across the region. Producers from Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and Korea will present their series in the hope of finding international coproducers and financiers. The event will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on December 10 […]