Screen Australia supports 30 new doc projects in $1.63m funding round

Working Class Man follows the wild rock journey of Jimmy Barnes

The Australian documentary sector has received an A$2.5million (US$1.63m) boost via the Screen Australia production and development fund, supporting 30 new documentaries.

The slate is punctuated by cultural profiles including projects exploring the lives of musician Jimmy Barnes, filmmaker George Miller, indigenous academic Henrietta Marrie AM and artist Ken Done.

Social impact documentary projects also feature in the round including Liyan: Guided by Horses (working title) set in the Kimberly desert, the doc follows a group of teens and young adults working through issues at a horse sanctuary founded by Aboriginal researcher Professor Juli Coffin.

It Starts With Us, from emerging director Amelia Tovey, follows a ground-breaking high-school program for kids at risk of family violence and financed with support from WeirAnderson Foundation, Shark Island Foundation, Nelson Meers Foundation and Respect Victoria.

Screen Australia’s head of documentary Richard Huddleston said: “The calibre of talented emerging creatives we’ve been able to support has been impressive, as is the way many of them are joining forces with more experienced practitioners to achieve their aims.”

This funding round represents the first under the new guidelines for documentary funding released on July 1.

“Our sector is ever evolving and this kind of collaborative community, coupled with innovative approaches to distinct Australian storytelling, is why our documentaries resonate with audiences here and around the world,” Huddlestone said.

In other slate highlights, director and writer Rhoda Roberts has been supported for her exploration of the life of activist Henrietta Marrie AM in Bukal Bukal, covering her reform of the Australian Government and UN to benefit billions of Indigenous people and is now fighting the British Museum to reclaim her family’s stolen artefacts.

In a co-production between Serendipity Productions and Yuzu Productions, Mad Max and the Genius of George Miller, tells the story of Australia’s biggest cultural export, produced by Margie Bryant and directed by Chris Eley.

Production company CJZ has been supported for its Network Seven commissioned Working Class Man, traversing the wild rock journey of Jimmy Barnes, directed by Andrew Farrell and produced by Anthony Griffis with EP Matt Campbell .

Across the 2024/25 financial year, Screen Australia funded A$11 million across 104 documentary projects for production and development.