20 July 2010

PRODUCTION FUNDING ALLOCATIONS FOR 2010/11

Screen Australia has in principle allocated a budget of $60 million for production investment in features, TV drama and documentaries in 2010/11. To assist in assessing the slate of projects to be financed for the year, this amount has been notionally distributed as follows:

• Features (including low-budget features): $22–$26 million
• TV drama (adult, children’s, low-budget drama): $18–$20 million
• Documentaries (including development): $16.5 million
  
  

DOCUMENTARY FUNDING

At $16.5 million, the amount allocated to documentary funding is similar to last year, and other than noted below, there will be no changes to Screen Australia’s documentary programs in 2010/11. The outcomes of the Review of Television Production Funding announced on 18 June will inform funding structures for next financial year (2011/12).

Domestic and International Documentary

For the July 2010 funding round, the demands on the Domestic documentary program were high, with the two public broadcasters and subscription television using close to their full allocation for the financial year.

As a result, Screen Australia has decided to pool its funds across both the Domestic and International documentary programs and increase the allocation available to a total of $7.5 million.

For the 2010/11 financial year there will be two more funding rounds, with around $1.8 million allocated to each:

• November 2010 (deadline 10 September) and
• April 2011 (deadline 18 March 2011).

Screen Australia invites applications to both the Domestic and International programs for these rounds. While preference will be given to International documentaries, Screen Australia will assess all projects on their merits, taking into account:

• strength of the proposal
• production readiness, with all elements of production and finance plan in place
• diversity of practitioners and broadcasters;

as well as the criteria previously noted in the guidelines:

• strength of marketplace (ie major territory; percentage level of advance)
• percentage and quantum of non-Screen Australia finance
• balance between one-off programs and series
• diversity of slate.

For full details, see program guidelines.

Documentary Development

In the context of the current demand for production finance, the funds available for documentary development have been reduced to a total of $500,000 for the financial year. The maximum contribution available for any one project will be $20,000 (other than in exceptional circumstances), and although proposals with network matching funds are still encouraged, approval will not be automatic.

There will be three more decision meetings for development funding during the year:

• 6 October 2010 (deadline 10 September 2010)
• 2 February 2011 (deadline 17 December 2010)
• 18 May 2011 (deadline 22 April 2011).

Time-critical applications will be assessed outside the development batch only in genuine and exceptional circumstances. At a minimum, producers need to demonstrate strong broadcast or marketplace interest. Producers should consult with an Investment/Development Manager to assess whether their project is suitable before applying for time-critical funds.

For full details, see program guidelines.

Other documentary programs

There are no changes to other documentary production funding programs for 2010/11 and funding levels remain at 2009/10 levels, ie

National Documentary Program and Making History Initiative: $7.5 million (apply at any time)
Special Documentary Program: $800,000 (one round, with a closing date of 5 October 2010)
triple j tv docs5: $200,000 (applications closed 4 April 2010).

For further information on Screen Australia’s documentary funding programs see www.screenaustralia.gov.au/documentary

EXPLORING CO-PRODUCTION OPPORTUNITIES WITH FRANCE

Frédéric Bereyziat, Director of European and International Affairs at the Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC), will visit Sydney in early August to gain a better overview of the Australian industry and find out how we can encourage and develop further co-production opportunities between France and Australia.

Screen Australia will hold an information session about the current co-production arrangements in place between France and Australia on Tuesday 10 August.

Find out more.

PROGRAM DEADLINES

Development
26 July - Enterprise
30 July – New York Producer Internships
2 August - Springboard
10 September – Documentary Development

Production Investment
30 July - Low-budget TV Drama
10 September – Domestic and International Documentaries
5 October – Special Documentary Fund
15 October – Adult TV Drama and Children’s TV Drama

Indigenous
31 August - Documentary Development
31 August - Drama Development

See all deadlines.

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