Streamer Stan partners ACTF to order family film from Unless Pictures, Every Cloud

Drew Grove and Meg O’Connell

Australian streamer Stan has confirmed its first major production and co-commission with family and children’s entertainment specialist the Australian Children’s Television Foundation (ACTF).

Set in regional Australia and filmed in Victoria, Wind Catcher explores the stories of a group of young friends caught in a natural disaster. The film was created by Unless Pictures and Every Cloud Productions and is produced by Meg O’Connell and Drew Grove.

The project, described as a heart-warming feature film for the whole family, is the first partnership between ACTF and an Australian streamer.

The production will be the first of several that have been developed from an initiative announced in 2021 between Nine Entertainment-owned Stan and the ACTF. Under the agreement, the pair are seeking G- or PG-rated projects targeting either children aged 6-12 and their families or tweens and teens up to 15 years old, with budgets of between US$3m and US$3.3m.

Successful applicants will enter into an investment and distribution deal with ACTF and a separate commissioning and licensing agreement with Stan.

Wind Catcher also benefits from production investment from Screen Australia and was developed with the support of Screen Queensland. ACTF will handle worldwide distribution.

Cailah Scobie, Stan’s chief content officer, said: “Stan’s partnership with the Australian Children’s Television Foundation reinforces Stan as a streaming destination for young audiences and families.”

ACTF CEO Jenny Buckland said: “Working with Stan to bring homegrown children’s films to the audience is a dream come true for the ACTF and this project and the team behind are incredibly special.”