Seven Victorian film and television projects have received Government funding, generating more than 300 job opportunities in the State's creative industries and adding $18 million to Victoria’s economy.
Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley announced the seven projects that will share $1.18 million in funding from Film Victoria’s Assigned Production Investment program.
The projects are a blend of fiction features, documentaries and TV series and include a second season of KooKoo Harajuku, the series inspired by Gwen Stefani.
Documentaries include the Great Australian Education Experiment, a four-part series dedicated to the contribution of our teachers and the importance of their skills.
Among the Victorian feature films is Shakespearian love story Taboo, set amongst the Yakel people of Vanuatu, at war with their neighbours.
Film Victoria CEO Jenni Tosi said, "This funding reinforces our continued commitment to the generation of new ideas allowing Victorian talent to continue to produce high quality, dynamic and engaging content. “It’s a great finish to what has been a great year for the Victorian film Industry.”
Feature Films
Scare Campaign
Type/Format: Fiction feature, Cinema, 87 mins
Production Company: Cyan Films
Producer: Julie Ryan
Director: Cameron & Colin Cairnes
Writer: Cameron & Colin Cairnes
One liner: Prank TV show, Scare Campaign, is facing dwindling audiences due to a new hard edged web series, so the team ups the ante in a bid to win back audiences… but will they go too far, and are they about to prank the wrong guy?
Ali’s Wedding
Type/Format: Fiction feature, Cinema, 100 mins
Production Company: Matchbox Pictures
Producer: Sheila Jayadev
Director: Wayne Blair
Writer: Osamah Osamah Sami
One liner: After a reckless lie sets off a catastrophic chain of events, Ali, the son of a Muslim cleric, finds himself caught between his sense of duty to his family and following his heart.
Taboo
Type/Format: Fiction feature, Cinema, 95mins
Production Company: Contact Films
Producer: Bentley Dean, Martin Butler
Co-producer: Carolyn Johnson
Director: Bentley Dean, Martin Butler
Writer: Bentley Dean
One liner: A groundbreaking glimpse into life, love, war and peace in one of the last tribal societies on earth.
Documentaries
Earth Story
Type/Format: Large format film (documentary), Cinema, 45 mins
Production Company: December Media
Producer: Stephen Amezdroz
Director: Russell Scott
Writer: Anthony Watt
Executive Producer: Tony Wright
One liner: Earth Story takes us on a visual journey to see our world during its birth, its infancy, and its adolescence using the power of 3D IMAX.
The Great Australian Education Experiment
Type/Format: Documentary series, Television free to air, 4 x 57mins
Production Company: Cordell Jigsaw Zapruder
Producer: Michael Cordell
Director: Naomi Elkin-Jones and Amos Roberts
Writer: Michael Cordell
One liner: The Great Australian Education Experiment – Taking the class to task, examining the status quo of the Australian education system.
Fiction Television
KooKoo Harajuku Season 2
Type/Format: Fiction series (animated), Television free-to-air, 26 x 24mins
Production Company: Moody Street Kids
Producer: Shelley Dresden
Director: Gillian Carr
Writer: Brendan Luno and Ray Boseley
One liner: KooKoo Harajuku is a crazy-talented musical group who can never seem to start a concert due to invading space aliens, bad hair care product, angry sea creatures and other interruptions great and small.
Fiction Television/Feature Film
The Divorce
Type/Format: Produced in two formats: as television free to air series (4 x 26mins) and as a 90minute feature film
Production Company: Princess Pictures
Producer: Andrea Denholm
Director: Simon Phillips
Writer: Joanna Murray-Smith
One liner: An original comedic opera crafted for a contemporary on-screen experience, exploring the universal themes of love, passion, mortality, honour, regret, optimism, greed and longing.