Screen Australia has announced $7.5 million in production funding for two feature film projects, four television series and one web series. The slate includes a new comedy feature film starring Jacki Weaver and Jack Thompson called The Chain Breakers, a crime drama series for Network 10 adapted from Michael Robotham’s acclaimed novel The Secrets She Keeps, and an online series from comedy group Aunty Donna based on their award-winning live show Glennridge Secondary College.
“2018 was a remarkable year for Australian television with series including Mystery Road and Mr Inbetween proving popular with audiences here and overseas. In an increasingly busy marketplace it’s great to see that three of the four funded television projects are new concepts, and the majority of them have female central characters.” said Sally Caplan, Head of Content at Screen Australia “Australian films took over $55m at the box office last year, and we already have a very strong pipeline of titles scheduled for production or release in 2019. The Chain Breakers is a notable addition to the slate, led by a cast of Australian screen luminaries, and I’m confident the themes of mateship and the challenges of growing old will resonate with audiences. Whilst political thriller Lone Wolf will captivate viewers with its strong script and innovative storytelling techniques.”

“We’re delighted to be supporting a new web series from comedy group Aunty Donna whose absurdist sketch videos first captured our attention through the ABC Fresh Blood and Google Skip Ahead Initiatives. Aunty Donna’s commitment to developing their own audience and making their own success is impressive and I look forward to seeing this team take their unique brand of comedy to new heights.” Caplan commented.