Great to chat with SA Weekend about my vision for growing South Australia’s incredible arts, culture and creative sectors.

We should be so proud of our artists and creatives- they’re vital to the success of our state being able to attract people to SA.

That’s why we have nearly doubled the @adlfringe ‘s funding with an additional $8 million over four years and continue to invest millions in festivals, events and live music performances as we work toward curating a full calendar of arts events in SA.

Make It Australian win: Labor making streamers invest more in funding shakeup

The Make It Australian campaign for more local TV and movie production was launched in 2017. Now with a new government in power, there is action on some of its aims.

News Corp national weekend political editor James Campbell reported on Sunday:

On Monday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Arts Minister Tony Burke will launch the National Cultural Policy, intended to steer arts and culture sector policy for the next five years.

At its centre is a plan to force streaming platforms, such as Disney, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Paramount and Apple TV, to make programs in Australia, a move it estimates could generate as many as 10,000 jobs.

The Federal Government [will] force streaming giants to spend 20 per cent of their revenue on making local content.

Streamers’ revenues in Australia are estimated to have topped $2.4 billion in 2021.

A requirement the industry spend 20 per cent of that revenue on local content would create Aussie productions worth about $480 million.

While some streamers more than others have been significantly increasing funding of Australian productions, the new legislation will set minimum funding targets for them to reach every year.

The Australian screen sector has long called for more incentives to increase the amount of local production. The Make It Australia campaign saw the various screen industry organisations come together to make more noise.

It was noise that the Labor party, then in opposition, listened to. So much so that the then opposition spokesman on the arts, Tony Burke, spoke at the 2022 relaunch of Make It Australian.

Now in government, Labor is moving on past promises to review a system where the FTA broadcasters have had quotas for six decades, but the expanding streaming platforms have none.

Screen Australia has announced 11 projects that will share in $2.2 million of online production funding. This includes documentary series Facing the Numbers exploring testimonies of First Nations people, rom-com series Love Me Lex and comedy Plausible Deniability, a series written and produced by It’s Fine, I’m Fine co-producer, Iain Crittenden.

Screen Australia’s Head of Online Lee Naimo said, “It’s fantastic to see that the volume and standard of applications to the Online Production fund hasn’t slowed down, with online creators yet again proving that they can tell clever and complex stories for a variety of platforms.”

“From impactful documentaries to rom-coms, the range of genres covered in these projects shows that Australian creators are constantly exploring new and exciting ways of engaging their audiences. It’s great to see so many newer voices and talents represented in these teams, demonstrating the opportunities for emerging Australian talent that Screen Australia is providing,” said Naimo.

Over the past four years, Screen Australia has supplied more than $22 million of funding to online creators for projects across a variety of platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.

The funded projects are:

Facing the Numbers: A 9 x 5-min documentary series using emotive cinematic visuals to explore deeply personal testimonies of First Nations peoples’ encounters with violent systems of oppression. Gurindji, Pertame Arrernte and Worimi writer/director/producer Kieran Satour is the Co-Founder of the 100% First Nations-owned production company behind Facing the Numbers, GARUWA. He is joined by writer/director and Arrernte and Kalkadoon man Tyson Perkins (Mystery Road: Origin, Finding Jedda). Kaytetye woman Rona Glynn-McDonald (Audrey Napanangka) and GARUWA’s Andrea Distefano are executive producing, with Ramona Telecican producing (At the Formal, Welcome Home Allen). Facing the Numbers is funded in association with Bright Moon Trust, with support from the Shark Island Institute and the Reichstein Foundation. Common Ground, a First Nations not-for-profit, will be distributing the series and delivering an impact campaign.
Love Me Lex: A 7 x 9-min romantic comedy for Lesflicks which explores what it’s like being a lesbian on the ‘other side’ of 45 looking for love through the eyes of Lex Adamson. Just as she meets the perfect woman in ‘off-limits’ Kat, her ex Miranda arrives back in town determined to win her back – forcing her to decide whether to stay with the woman who broke her heart or to be with the woman she loves. This series is written and directed by Sanja Katich, writer of award-winning short film When Harri Met Salma which features in Lesflicks’ top 5 most-watched short films. Stephanie Davis from Somedae Pictures is attached as producer and Claire Leach (Family Rules) as executive producer.
Plausible Deniability: A 7 x 10-min comedy for Facebook which follows 11-year-old social warriors Abeba, Harriet and Tron who are making a homelessness documentary at school. When a who’s who of ‘thought leaders’ come to their school to participate in the doco, hidden agendas are exposed and hollow platitudes are batted aside as the three kids tackle our national disgrace head-on. The series is from writer/producer Iain Crittenden (It’s Fine, I’m Fine, Holy Crap), with Victoria Thaine (Sonia & Cherry) directing. Amal Awad, Claire Christian, Samuel Gebreselassie and Meg Mundell are also attached as writers, with AWG award-winner and author Benjamin Law (New Gold Mountain, The Family Law) and Catherine Hill (Some Happy Day) executive producing. Gabriel Aleksandrs, Ayub Abdi-Barre, Maurya Bourandanis, Stephanie Dower and Rachel Kurzyp are also attached as story consultants.
Behind the Seams: A dramedy for Facebook that centres around India Scott who, after the death of her father, finds a photograph of a mother and child and discovers that she has an extraordinary talent for reading the past in pre-loved items. As India tugs at the threads of the past – uncovering more mysteries begging to be solved – she finds her present life unravelling, until she’s forced to reshape her life, business, and relationships for the better. Joining director Tiffany Lyndall-Knight is writer Ruth Estelle. Attached as producer is As Mad as a Cut Snake creator Victoria Morgan, with Richard Jasek (Neighbours, McLeod’s Daughters) onboard as executive producer. This six-part series will be released on Facebook to fans of slow fashion.
Compulsory Entertainment: This 9 x 4-min dark comedy for YouTube is a sketch series which takes a look at the inherent strangeness underpinning show business, corporate arrangements, interactions with technology, and the unique apathy that Australians use to deal with it. In the director’s chairs are renowned comedian Eric Hutton (At Home Alone Together, Nippers of Dead Bird Bay) and AACTA award-winning makeup artist, Mariel McClorey (Mad Max: Fury Road, Thor: Love and Thunder). Hutton will also be joined by writers Sam Campbell (Red Christmas, Nippers of Dead Bird Bay) and Laura Hughes (Open Slather), with Bryan Moses (Double the Fist) as producer.
Miss Ink The Documentary Series: This 6 x 15-min docuseries celebrates tattooed women from across the country as they participate in Miss Ink Australia; the only beauty pageant in the world where age, size, shape, sexuality, scars, culture, colour, creed and cellulite don’t matter. Along the way, audiences will learn that it is so much more than a beauty pageant; it’s a platform for women to express themselves – busting stereotypes and redefining beauty. Attached as director is Jo-Anne Brechin (Paper Champions), who will also be producing alongside Shari Hutchison (Family Rules), Shannon Wilson-McClinton (6 Festivals), Tessa Mansfield-Hung (Paper Champions), Katherine Shearer (Sweet Tooth), Mariah Gates (The Holistic Approach) and Veronica Wain (18q: A different kind of normal). Janelle Landers (Girl Like You), Taryn Brumfitt (Embrace), Ari Harrison (Hating Peter Tatchell), Jeff Harrison (2067), Bonnie Cee (Casino Beach) and Hannah Barnes are executive producing. Miss Ink will be released by VA Media Network on the Pride Central YouTube channel.
Rules to being a F*ckgurl: This 6 x 11-min comedy revolves around hopeless romantic Nilu and her ‘F*ckgurl’ mentor, Zarina as they navigate whether they should stick to their rules or break them over love, lust and just plain foolery. After a soul-crushing break-up with her boyfriend and business partner, Nilu has vowed to learn how to enjoy casual sex while Zarina is determined to stay on the single path and not succumb to that nasty little thing called love. From writer/director Nelya Valamanesh and producer Samantha Sharplin (Nostos), Rules to being a F*ckgurl will release on YouTube.
Shippers: An 8 x 10-min rom-com about two enthusiastic fangirls who become the face of an opinion piece hating on ‘shippers’ – the term given to people who support romance in fanfiction. As they battle the onslaught of comments and bullying that comes with doing reaction videos online, the pair must find a way to fight back against the romance hating trolls. The creative team features writer/director/producer Joanna Beveridge (No Ordinary Love), director/producer Erica Long (AACTA-nominated A Lion Returns), writer/producer/director Vimbai Nenzou, writer/director Nicole Delprado (Magnetic), writer/director Rachael Belle Myers, director Fern Mei Sim and writer Niamh Donohoe. Shippers will release on YouTube and is supported by Arts & Cultural Exchange (ACE).
UnCANCELLED: Following on from the success of Cancelled and ReCancelled – which have collectively garnered over 10 million views online – UnCANCELLED is a 105-min drama and rom-com feature film that continues the story of parents Luke and Maria who had to cancel their wedding in Spain two days before the strict COVID-19 lockdown. Three years on, Luke and Maria’s wedding has continually stalled but Luke is running out of excuses and Maria is running out of patience. Written and produced by Luke Eve (High Life, I Met a Girl) and Maria Albiñana, Eve is also onboard to direct the third instalment of the popular Facebook series. Emilio Oviedo (Non-living) is also attached as producer. UnCANCELLED is financed in association with Soundfirm.
Videoland: A 6 x 10-min romantic comedy set in 1998, Videoland follows 17-year-old Hayley who works at a video store and has just come out – sort of. Needing help to figure out what being a lesbian entails, Hayley uses movies as her personal lesbian How-To guides on her journey to find a way to be herself, embrace her sexuality and impress the girl of her dreams. This series for YouTube is from writer/director Jessica Smith and producer Scarlett Koehne, whose credits include The Test and Loving Captivity respectively.
Wispy: A 22 x 2-minute rom-com for fantasy lovers, which tells the story of Wispy, a hopeless witch whose ultimate goal is to master magic. This becomes a lot harder when distractingly gorgeous fellow witch Joseph appears in her life, causing her heart to pound but her magic to flounder – begging the question whether Wispy can balance becoming the best witch ever with falling in love, or if she will have to choose between the two. Wispy is created by, written by and starring Emily Kruse. Molly Daniels is directing and producing, whose credits include the AACTA-nominated online comedy Celebration Nation and Tomorrow When the War Began – The Series. Patrick Jhanur, Ming-Zhu Hii and Adam Saunders also star. This project will release on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.