Screen Canberra launches new Screen and Gaming fund

Screen Canberra, the Australian capital’s funding and development agency, has opened a new screen and gaming fund in partnership with the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government.

Holly Trueman

The new fund has been devised to stimulate further local screen productions and develop the burgeoning gaming sector.

Screen Canberra CEO Holly Trueman said the new fund reflected the changing landscape of the industry with provisions for direct-to-audience (digital), gaming and film/tv production.

“We are focusing our resources on production, creating jobs and delivering results. By extending financial backing to digital games, we are creating a holistic ecosystem that supports creators across every screen,” Trueman said.

The fund includes three dedicated programmes to support different types of projects: TV and film production, games production and development and direct to audience production.

The new TV and Film Production program is offering production grants for feature films, scripted and unscripted television, and single documentaries of up to AU$300,000 (US$198k) per project. The fund is also offering equity investment for projects seeking more than $300K which are negotiated with Screen Canberra.

Under the Direct to Audience Production Program which opens in early January, eligible local creators can apply for grants of up to $40,000. This is open to content creators who independently produce and release their work directly to online audiences including YouTube, TikTok, Instagram or Facebook. The content must be exclusively digital and not be commissioned by a broadcaster or streaming platform.

While the Games Production and Development fund is offering grants across phase one development of up to $30k for concept development, prototyping, vertical slice creation, narrative design and commercial planning and up to $100k per project for phase two production which covers full-scale game production, asset creation, coding, level design and quality assurance.

“By investing in our screen and games sectors, we’re supporting jobs and growing Canberra’s creative economy. Canberra’s screen industry has shown steady growth, particularly in documentary production, television series, and feature films. They capture national and international audiences, generate local economic activity, provide employment opportunities, and build Canberra’s reputation as a creative destination,” said ACT minister for business, arts and creative industries, Michael Pettersson.