News

Exclusive: Lydia West, Abbie Cornish and Brooke Satchwell are among high-profile acting talent leading Stan’s tenth anniversary slate, we can reveal.

The Australian streamer is today unveiling its latest TV series, films and acquisitions at a splashy showcase event held at Linseed House at the Grounds of Alexandria in Sydney. In total, it unveiled 14 originals — three scripted series, six features and five docs — along with a host of acquisitions.

On the originals front, Stan’s Chief Content Officer Cailah Scobie and Head of Originals Amanda Duthie are announcing the likes of He Had It Coming, Love Divided By Eleven and Whale Shark Jack, and a horror-comedy series, Gnomes.

He Had it Coming stars Lydia West (It’s a Sin), Natasha Liu Bordizzo (Ahsoka: Star Wars) and Liv Hewson (Yellowjackets). It follows Elise (West), an awkward English scholarship student who forms an unlikely alliance with fashion influencer Barbara (Liu Bordizzo) after...

An adaptation of the classic novel, Lord of the Flies, has officially begun filming. The BBC production recently revealed the cast for the upcoming series, as well as the first set photo of the iconic island the youngsters find themselves trapped on.

Per Deadline, filming on Jack Thorne's Lord of the Flies series is currently underway in Malaysia. The upcoming series is an adaptation of the iconic William Golding novel of the same name, which centers around a group of young boys who are stranded on a remote island and their struggles to create a sustainable society for themselves. The BBC reportedly cast many unknown actors to play the many memorable characters from the novel, some without any prior acting experience. The series stars David McKenna as Piggy, Winston Sawyers as Ralph, Lox Pratt as Jack, Isaac Talbut as Simon, Thomas Connor as Roger, Cornelius Brandreth as Maurice, Tom Page-Turner as Bill,...

The BBC and Stan have unveiled a cast of up-and-comers for Jack Thorne’s Lord of the Flies adaptation, with Hans Zimmer set to do the score.

The networks said they cast following an open call with many actors who don’t have previous experience. David McKenna will play Piggy alongside Winston Sawyers as Ralph, Lox Pratt as Jack, Isaac Talbut as Simon, and Thomas Connor as Roger. Noah and Cassius Flemyng have been cast as the twins Sam and Eric, with Cornelius Brandreth as Maurice, and Tom Page-Turner as Bill, alongside an ensemble of more than 20 other boys playing the desert island camp’s “big ‘uns” and “little ‘uns”.

Zimmer, who has also scored upcoming BBC drama Virdee, will do the music with Kara Talve (Tattooist of Auschwitz, Prehistoric Planet) for Bleeding Fingers Music.

Lord of the Flies is an iconic 1950s story from William Golding of a group...

Sundance Now and AMC+ have released the first photos of Travis Fimmel (Vikings) and Jana McKinnon (Bad Behaviour) in the upcoming season of the Sundance Now Original Series Black Snow, currently filming in Queensland, Australia.

The new season of the six-part mystery-drama produced by Goalpost Pictures and set in the Glasshouse Mountains sees Travis Fimmel reprise his role as Detective Cormack.

Fimmel is joined by new cast members, including McKinnon, Megan Smart (Class of ’07), Alana Mansour (Erotic Stories), Dan Spielman, Victoria Haralabidou (Tourist), and Kat Stewart (Offspring).

In this second season, Detective Cormack tackles two separate cases of missing persons. One is professional, as he investigates the disappearance of Zoe Jacobs (McKinnon) from her 21st birthday party in 2003. The other is personal, as Cormack searches desperately for his own younger brother, who went missing when they were children.

“I think Australian film and television has never been stronger. Now, with...

AMC Networks announced today that the four-part Australian rural noir crime drama Scrublands will premiere on Thursday, May 2, on Sundance Now and AMC+, with additional episodes dropping weekly on both platforms.

Based on Chris Hammer’s award-winning and bestselling crime novel by the same name, the captivating series follows a country town grappling with the aftermath of a horrible crime, still trying to come to terms with it a year on.

In an isolated and struggling country town, a charismatic and dedicated priest, Father Byron Swift, calmly opens fire on his congregation, killing five parishioners. One year later, investigative journalist Martin Scarsden arrives in Riversend to write what should be a simple feature story on the anniversary of the tragedy.

But when Martin’s instincts kick in, and he digs beneath the surface, the previously accepted narrative begins to fall apart, and he finds himself in a life-and-death race to uncover the truth.

Exclusive: Jana McKinnon (Bad Behaviour) is among new cast joining Travis Fimmel on the second season of Australian mystery-drama series Black Snow.

Production is underway in Queensland, Australia, on the Stan and Sundance Now original series, with first-look images of Fimmel (Vikings) and McKinnon above. Joining them are Megan Smart (Class of ’07), Alana Mansour (Erotic Stories), Dan Spielman (Bad Behaviour, The Newsreader), Victoria Haralabidou (The Tourist) and Kat Stewart (Offspring).

In season two, Detective Cormack (Fimmel) tackles two separate missing persons cases. One is professional, as he investigates the disappearance of Zoe Jacobs (McKinnon), who disappeared from her own 21st birthday party in 2003. The other is personal, as Cormack searches desperately for his own younger brother, who went missing when they were children.

Director Sian Davies (The Gloaming), executive producer Rosemary Blight (The Invisible Man), and series creator Lucas Taylor (Harrow) return for season two, with Helena Brooks (Population 11) joining as a director.

Exclusive: The CW, Roku and Australia’s Stan are working up Good Cop/Bad Cop, a comedic crime procedural with Jeff Wachtel’s Future Shack Entertainment and Jungle Entertainment.

Good Cop/Bad Cop stars Gossip Girls alumna Leighton Meester in her return to the CW, Clancy Brown (Dexter: New Blood) and Australian actor Luke Cook (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina). The series comes from writer John Quaintance (Will & Grace) and marks the latest international co-production for Stan, The CW and Roku, all of which have identified the model as core to their strategies.

Cook and Meester play a brother-sister detective team in a small Pacific Northwest police force who must contend with colourful residents, a serious lack of resources, their very complicated dynamic with each other and their police chief, Big Hank (Clancy Brown), who happens to be their father.

Production on the original series begins soon in Queensland, Australia, with Jungle Entertainment...

Exclusive: Superstore star Ben Feldman will lead Australian comedy crime caper Population 11.

Lionsgate, streamer Stan and Phil Lloyd and Trent O’Donnell from No Activity producer Jungle Entertainment have teamed for the 12-part series ahead of a March 14 launch in Australia.

The series, which Jungle produces Entertainment in association with Factor 30 Films, has been quietly shooting in Western Australia’s Kimberley Region. We’ve now got full cast details, a trailer (see below) and first-look images.

Based on true events, the series is based around a man, Hugo, who goes missing from a tiny outback town of only 12 residents. His son, Andy Pruden (Feldman), a suburban Ohio bank teller, has journeyed across the world to visit and is alarmed when he discovers he is missing. Andy teams with another outsider Cassie (Perry Mooney) on a quest to find his father, and the pair find themselves in increasing danger as they...

Exclusive: Here’s your first look at Stan’s upcoming mega-church drama Prosper.

The Lionsgate family drama stars Richard Roxburgh (Rake, Elvis, Stan Original Series Bali 2002) as Cal Quinn, the founder and global pastor of one of the fastest growing megachurches in the world, and Rebecca Gibney, as his wife Abi Quinn.

Stan says the show, which we first revealed in March, takes a “provocative peek behind the curtain of power and privilege.”

The ensemble cast includes Ewen Leslie (Stan Original Series Bali 2002, The Stranger), Ming-Zhu Hii (La Brea, Peter Rabbit), Jacob Collins-Levy (Stan Original Film True History of the Kelly Gang, The Witcher: Blood Origin), Hayley McCarthy, Jordi Webber (Nomad, Deadlands, Power Ranger) Jacek Koman (Moulin Rouge!, Children of Men, Rake), Andrea Solonge (Class of ’07, Privileged), Brigid Zengeni (Stan Original Series Totally Completely Fine, The Secret She Keeps), Alex Fitzalan (The Wilds, Slender Man) and Alexander D’Souza.

Amid breaking news coverage of the attacks on Israel, Fremantle has decided against bringing the Australian satirical comedy C*A*U*G*H*T, which stars and is executive produced by Sean Penn, to MIPCOM for promotion and international sales amid the expanding conflict with the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.

“In light of the current situation unfolding in Israel, we have taken the decision not to showcase C*A*U*G*H*T at MIPCOM this year. At this time, our hearts and thoughts are with our colleagues and our partners in Israel, and all those affected,” a Fremantle spokesperson said on Tuesday.

The Stan original comedy follows four Australian soldiers who are sent on a secret mission to a war-torn country. Mistaken for Americans, they are captured by freedom fighters and appear in a hostage video that goes viral.

When the soldiers reach celebrity status, they decide being caught might just be the best...

C*A*U*G*H*T, the Sean Penn-starring war satire series, is opting out of next week’s Mipcom Cannes following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Middle East.

“In light of the current situation unfolding in Israel, we have taken the decision not to showcase C*A*U*G*H*T at Mipcom this year,” said a spokesman from the show’s distributor, Fremantle. “At this time, our hearts and thoughts are with our colleagues and our partners in Israel, and all those affected.”

Meanwhile, UK streamer Itvx is delaying its launch of the show, having been due to launch on Thursday (October 12), as we reported last week.

Penn, creator Kick Gurry and Matthew Fox were due to attend the international TV confab next week to promote the show in a Media Mastermind Keynote on October 18 at 12pm local time in France, alongside distributor Fremantle.

Sean Penn, whose Volodymyr Zelenskyy documentary “Superpower” recently launched on Paramount+, will be on the iconic stage of Cannes’s Grand Auditorium later this month — but it won’t be for a movie.

The Oscar winner is set to attend Mipcom, the international TV conference, alongside Matthew Fox (“Lost”) and Kick Gurry (“Edge of Tomorrow”) to discuss their wartime satire series “C*A*U*G*H*T” as part of a Media Mastermind Keynote on Oct. 18. Penn, who stars and serves as executive producer on the show, will participate in a panel discussion with Fox and Curry. The session will see them discuss ways in which the series explores themes of identity, fame and social media absurdities.

Landing a Hollywood star like Penn is a massive coup for Mipcom, which has sought to raise its profile within a competitive landscape for industry events.

A Stan original, “C*A*U*G...

Sean Penn, Matthew Fox, and Kick Gurry are heading to Mipcom Cannes to talk about their satirical comedy series C*A*U*G*H*T.

In a major coup for the TV market, they’ll discuss the Australian show in an exclusive Media Mastermind Keynote on Wednesday, October 18 at 12pm local time in France, alongside distributor Fremantle.

Two-time Academy Award winner actor Penn, who serves as an executive producer (and acts as himself in the series), will feature in the panel in at the Palais des Festivales’ Grand Auditorium, alongside Fox (Lost), and Curry (Edge of Tomorrow), moderated by TV and film critic Rhianna Dhillon.

The session will feature footage and an ‘In Conversation with’ segment featuring Penn, Fox and Gurry, bringing insights about approach taken for the series, which explores themes of identity, fame, and the absurdity of the viral age and looks to comedically deconstructs the intellectual ideas humanity faces.

Susan Sarandon, playing the U.S. Secretary of State Alaska Adams, gets the better of Bryan Brown, as the Australian prime minister, in a fast-paced verbal duel that represents the first footage from the Sean Penn-produced satirical comedy series “C*A*U*G*H*T.”

An elite team of Aussie soldiers is sent to an island nation to retrieve a secret file that has gone astray. Mistaken for Americans, they are captured by freedom fighters and produce a hostage video that goes viral. When the soldiers achieve celebrity status on social media, they realize that being caught might just be the best thing that could’ve happened to them.

“C*A*U*G*H*T” explores themes of identity, fame, and the absurdity of the viral age. “Why can’t we comedically deconstruct the intellectual ideas that humanity is facing right now?” says Kick Gurry who directs, produces and stars in the six-part series.

There’s nothing quite like having an Oscar-winning actor in your corner, or perhaps a star of one of the biggest TV Series of all time. In the case of Kick Gurry, creator, producer and actor in the forthcoming Stan Original Series “Caught,” the backing of Sean Penn and Matthew Fox has undoubtedly been a boon.

After Gurry shared an early teaser of the show crafted with friends in Australia, Penn’s reaction was music to his ears. As Gurry shared with Variety, “He said everyone’s afraid of stories right now and we have to be pushing forward with courage in storytelling.”

Indeed, the courage to tell bold, new stories has resulted in an audacious six-episode satirical comedy series slated to premiere later in 2023. The series boasts a formidable cast that Gurry describes as a “murderer’s row of talent.” Among them, Sean Penn, who also serves as an executive producer,...

Exclusive: Luke Arnold, Bella Heathcote and Jay Ryan are set to lead Scrublands, a TV adaptation of Chris Hammer’s novel for Australian streamer Stan.

We’ve learned production in underway in Victoria, Australia on the crime series, which is a co-commission of the Nine Network and its streamer Stan. Easy Tiger, which optioned rights to the story back in 2018, is producing in association with VicScreen.

Scrublands is set in isolated country town Riversend brought to its knees by endless drought, where a charismatic and dedicated young priest (Jay Ryan) calmly opens fire on his congregation, killing five parishioners. A year later, investigative journalist Martin Scarsden (Luke Arnold) arrives to write what should be a simple feature story on the anniversary of the tragedy but when his instincts kick in and he digs beneath the surface, the previously accepted narrative begins to fall apart and he finds himself in a...

ITV in the U.K. has acquired “Bali 2002,” a new four-part drama exploring the everyday heroes directly impacted by the terrorist bombings on the Indonesian island’s tourist hotspots 20 years ago. Represented by Banijay Rights, the drama stars Rachel Griffiths (“Total Control”), Richard Roxburgh (“Rake”) and Claudia Jesse (“Bridgerton”). It will air on the new streaming service Itvx next year.

“Bali 2002” was co-produced by Banijay labels, Endemol Shine Australia and Screentime, and marked the first original drama co-commissioned by the Australian streamer Stan and commercial TV group 9Network. The series premiered last month on Stan.

“Bali 2002” recounts the tragic events of October 12, 2002, when the island was shattered by a terrorist attack on two of Kuta Beach’s busiest nightclubs. Local Balinese, as well as Australian and British tourists, scrambled to rescue the injured, while the Australian and Indonesian authorities mobilized to evacuate survivors, identify victims and investigate what really took place.

Exclusive: Two-time Oscar winner and Gaslit star Sean Penn and Lost‘s Matthew Fox are set as leads of an Australian satirical comedy series for streaming service Stan. The pair will star in C*A*U*G*H*T, a six-part series from Kick Gurry (Edge of Tomorrow) that takes aim at fame and stardom.

Joining them are series creator Gurry, Bella Heathcote (Bloom), Bryan Brown (Bloom), Erik Thomson (Black Snow), Ben O’Toole (Hacksaw Ridge), Lincoln Younes (After the Verdict), Alexander England (Black Snow), Mel Jarnson (Mortal Kombat), Fayssal Bazzi (Stateless), Dorian Nkono (The Twelve) and Rebecca Breeds (Clarice).

Stan plans to launch the series, which is in production, in 2023. It is producing in association with Fremantle, which also has international distribution rights and has struck an exclusive UK deal with ITV’s upcoming streaming service, Itvx.

Satirical comedy C*A*U*G*H*T follows four Australian soldiers sent...

Australian streaming service Stan and production and content studio Lionsgate have commissioned a new original drama series “Prosper.”

“Prosper” will be produced by Lingo Pictures and benefits from major production investment from Screen Australia, with additional assistance from the New South Wales government via Screen Nsw and the Made in Nsw Fund.

The series is part of the ongoing television development partnership for Stan Originals to deliver worldwide content for Lionsgate.

It will be set in the inner sanctum of a family bound together by unfathomable wealth and unchecked power as they build an evangelical megachurch hell-bent on global domination, Stan said.

Matt Cameron (“Jack Irish”), Liz Doran (“Please Like Me”), Louise Fox (“Broadchurch”) and Belinda Chayko (“Stateless”) are writers on the project. Jason Stephens (“Lambs of God”) and Helen Bowden (“The Secret She Keeps”) are producers for Lingo Pictures, alongside Andrew Walker (“Rosehaven”). Cailah Scobie and Amanda Duthie will executive produce for Stan.

“Sex Education” producer Eleven has cast “Ten Pound Poms,” a drama series from “Brassic” creator Danny Brocklehurst for BBC and Australian streamer Stan.

Michelle Keegan (“Brassic”), Faye Marsay (“Game of Thrones”) and Warren Brown (“The Responder”) lead the cast alongside Australian actors Rob Collins (“Mystery Road”), Leon Ford (“Elvis”), Declan Coyle (“Long Black”), David Field (“Shantaram”), Stephen Curry (“Hounds of Love”), Hattie Hook (“Savage River”), Finn Treacy (“The Portable Door”) and Emma Hamilton (“The Tudors”).

The six-part series follows a group of Brits as they leave dreary post-war Britain in 1956 to embark on a life-altering adventure on the other side of the world, in sun-soaked Australia. But life down under isn’t exactly the idyllic dream the new arrivals have been promised.

Brocklehurst said: “ ‘Ten Pounds Poms’ demands an ensemble cast that we are always rooting for, actors we love and want to succeed. I am thrilled to have found those actors.

Sex Education producer Eleven is behind a British/Australian drama series about a group of expats in the 1950s for the BBC and Aussie SVoD Stan.

The Stranger and Brassic writer Danny Brocklehurst is penning Ten Pound Poms, a rare co-production between the British and Australian networks.

The six-parter, which films shortly in Australia, follows a group of Brits as they leave dreary post-war Britain in 1956 to embark on a life-altering adventure on the other side of the world. At the heart of the drama is the Roberts family, who try to look for ways to make the best of their situation but the poor living conditions at the migrant hostel and local attitudes towards immigrants test them in ways they couldn’t have imagined. And they aren’t the only people at the hostel avoiding the truth.

Sex Education indie Eleven is producing, having been behind the Netflix global...

Screenworks has revealed the final round of speakers and sessions for the upcoming Regional to Global Screen Forum, with Stan head of scripted Amanda Duthie, Netflix creative executive Susie Jones, and Hoodlum Entertainment chief content officer Tracey Vieira among the new additions to the line-up

The post Amanda Duthie, Tracey Vieira added to Regional to Global line-up appeared first on If Magazine.

Australian streaming service Stan has struck a television development alliance with Hollywood mini-studio Lionsgate. The deal is in addition to the content supply agreement that the pair hatched last year.

Stan and Lionsgate announced the megachurch family drama series “Prosper,” drama series “The Geography of Friendship” and outback comedy crime series “Population: 11” as the first three titles to flow from their development deal.

Separately, Stan announced an expansion of its originals-production activity with other partners and suppliers in Australia. The company says that the new slates put it “on track to deliver 30% of its premium first-run slate from original productions.”

The local slate includes: drama series “Black Snow,” a cold case mystery series set in Far North Queensland; “Last Light,” starring Matthew Fox and Joanne Froggatt; and “The Jump,” a series about the power of friendship and the ways our sadness can unite us.

Also announced is the absurdist comedy feature film “Nude Tuesday,...

Exclusive: Australia’s Stan and 9Network have commenced production on Bali 2002, based on the terrorist attacks on the nation’s tourist hotspots 20 years ago, with distributor Banijay Rights launching at yesterday’s London Screenings showcase.

The show is the first to be co-commissioned between Stan and 9Network and features the likes of Rachel Griffiths (Total Control), Richard Roxburgh (Rake) and Claudia Jessie (Bridgerton). Banijay labels Endemol Shine Australia and Screentime are producing.

Based on the 2002 terrorist attacks on Bali’s tourist hotspots, the four-parter explores how everyday heroes from Bali, Australia and beyond defied the odds to bring order from chaos and hope from despair.

Airing later this year, distributor Banijay Rights launched sales yesterday at its London Screenings showcase alongside a wealth of dramas and entertainment tentpoles.

Stan Chief Content Officer Callah Scobie said: “Bali 2002 promises to be a powerful, inspiring and sensitively told drama series that pays respect to everyday heroes from Australia,...

Stan Original The Tourist, starring Jamie Dornan, Danielle Macdonald, Shalom Brune-Franklin and Damon Herriman, will premiere January 2.

The six-part mystery-thriller is created and written by Harry and Jack Williams of Two Brothers Pictures, producers of Fleabag whose credits also include Baptiste, The Missing and Lair.

Dornan stars as a British man (‘The Man’) who finds himself in the glowing red heart of the Australian outback, pursued by a vast tank truck trying to drive him off the road. An epic cat and mouse chase unfolds and The Man later wakes in hospital, hurt, but somehow alive – except he has no idea who he is. With merciless figures from his past pursuing him, The Man’s search for answers propels him through the vast and unforgiving outback.

Also starring are Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (Trapped, The Missing) and Alex Dimitriades (The End, The Cry) and Damon Herriman (Mindhunter, Justified).

The Williams brothers executive produce with Christopher Aird,...

Screenworks, the national not-for-profit organisation that provides industry and talent development programs and networking for people living in regional Australia, has attracted some of the industry’s biggest names for its annual fundraiser.

Top Row: Amanda Duthie, Cate Shortland, Tony Ayres, Paul Weigard, Sophia Zachariou, Sally Caplan Middle Row: Que Minh Luu, Nathan Mayfiel, Sally Riley, Daina Reid, Joanna Werner, Alastair McKinnon Bottom Row: Nash Edgerton, Jodi Matterson, Kylie Washington, Vanessa Alexander, Lana Greenhalgh

Each year, Screenworks runs a series of raffles to raise funds that directly support its programs and initiatives that are delivered across the country. After successfully raffling a selection of 1-on-1 consultations with industry executives last year, the organisation is doing it again this year to support the career pathways of emerging practitioners across Australia.

Screenworks has secured a range of prominent professionals working in the Australian screen industry, including Clickbait and Fires co-creator Tony Ayres,...

Screen Producers Australia (Spa) has announced the members of the two advisory boards for Screen Forever.

The program advisory board will help set the strategic direction for the November event and aid in the creation of the program, while the market advisory board will help maximise the financing, distribution, and co-production opportunities at the Spa Connect market.

Spa CEO Matt Deaner said the makeup of the boards reflected Screen Forever’s standing as an event for the “entire screen sector”.

“By utilising two boards which are truly representative of the full production life cycle – from investors, to producers, distributors, broadcasters, streamers, and emerging platforms – we are able to build a robust program with real business outcomes for our delegates,” he said.

The boards will hold their first meeting this week and will continue to provide guidance in the lead-up to Screen Forever, which will be held from November 17–19 on the Gold Coast.

Sbs has announced a new head of scripted following an extensive search, with creative producer Julie Eckersley set to take the reins.

The broadcaster has also promoted Donna Chang to commissioning editor for scripted.

Eckersley has previously worked as a producer and in development across a range of genres, including drama, comedy, animation, documentary and children’s content.

Her experience includes nine years at Matchbox Pictures where she worked on projects such as The Family Law, Glitch, and Maximum Choppage.

She’s also held roles across different elements of production throughout her career, developing and producing projects with Australian networks, as well as internationally with Netflix and NBCU International.

The role had previously been held by Sue Masters for five years, before she departed in late 2019.

Former Foxtel head of drama Penny Win has been Sbs’s acting head of scripted for the past six months. Prior to that, Amanda Duthie...

Stan has appointed former Sbs channel manager Ben Nguyen as director of programming.

Nguyen announced he was leaving Sbs in April after nearly 13 years, saying on social media it was with “sadness and excitement” that his tenure was coming to an end.

Prior to becoming channel manager in 2014, he held roles as a senior programmer for Sbs 2 and the broadcaster’s documentary and factual division, where he began as a program assessor.

Nguyen has also previously spent more than a year with the Australian Film Commision.

Speaking to If, he said he was looking forward to bringing some of the “Sbs challenger spirit” to his new position.

“Stan is entering a new phase as the streaming market matures after launching as a plucky startup, and I really identify with the approach they’ve taken to selecting content,” he said.

The Nine-owned streamer said last year that it plans to invest...

In today’s Global Bulletin, Warner Bros. announces several local versions of Nippon TV’s “Mute It!”, “Ugly Betty” gets a Ukrainian makeover, Twickenham Film Studios plans a facelift of its own, Australia’s Stan hires Amanda Duthie and beIN Sports gets Ligue 2 soccer in France.

Format

Warner Bros. International Television Production has struck a deal with Japan’s Nippon TV to produce multiple local versions of Nippon TV’s studio-based comedy show “Mute it!”. The show involves 12 players, including one celebrity, attempting to pass through themed rooms and crazy obstacles without making a sound above 50 decibels.

Wbitvp has acquired the rights to produce local versions in all territories where it has a production company, including the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany and the Nordics. Sales in the rest of the world, including Asia and LatAm, continue to be handled by Nippon TV. Warner’s first local version...

Amanda Duthie will depart Sbs this week, where she has been acting as head of scripted since late 2019.

If understands Duthie will join Stan, though the streamer is yet to publicly confirm the role.

Duthie joins the Nine-owned platform as it ramps up its local commissions, having recently announced an ambitious plan to invest in more than 30 productions per year within five years.

On Stan’s upcoming slate is a second season of Roadshow Rough Diamond’s hit series Bump; Anthony Hayes’ feature film Gold, starring Zac Efron; Every Cloud Productions series Eden, and BBC co-production The Tourist, about to shoot in South Australia with stars Jamie Dornan, Danielle Macdonald, Shalom Brune-Franklin and Hugo Weaving.

While at Sbs, Duthie helped to steer its largest ever drama slate, including Goalpost Pictures’ New Gold Mountain and Aquarius Films’ The Unusual Suspects.

A spokesperson for the broadcaster told If: “Amanda has made...

BAFTA Execs To Speak At British Urban Film Festival

Exclusive: The British Urban Film Festival (Buff) has set BAFTA Chair Krishnendu Majumdar and BAFTA Film Committee Chair Marc Samuelson for a 90-minute ‘in conversation’ session at this year’s festival, which is taking place later than usual and online as a result of the coronavirus lockdown. The pre-recorded Q&a, titled The Changing Faces of BAFTA, will be moderated by Emmanuel Anyiam-Osigwe and streamed via the festival’s website next month. Viewers will be able to submit questions in advance of the Zoom session via the Buff Facebook page. Actor and producer Femi Oyeniran will once again helm the annual Buff awards ceremony. Winners last year included Noel Clarke, Terry Pheto and Aki Omoshaybi. The festival’s full program is due to be announced in coming weeks.

Sbs Begins “Most Ambitious Drama Yet”

Oz broadcaster Sbs has begun its “most...

Emerging stars Mabel Li and Tegan Stimson will lead the cast of Sbs’s short-form drama The Tailings, which started shooting on the West Coast of Tasmania this week.

Joining them are Kris McQuade, Victoria Haralabidou, Nic English, Shaun Martindale, Harry Prior, Tai Nguyen, Michael Earnshaw, Jane Hamilton Foster and Sarah Cooper.

Set in the West Coast Wilderness, the 6 x 10-minute mystery drama follows teenager Jas (Stimson), as she investigates the cause of her father’s death.

His funeral coincides with the arrival of a newly-graduated schoolteacher, Ruby (Li) who must also deal with her own unresolved issues. As the mystery unfolds, secrets are exposed and the two are challenged to confront the strange and paradoxical layers of grief.

A Good Lark production, in association with 2Jons and Roar Film, The Tailings is written by Tasmanian Caitlin Richardson, directed by Stevie Cruz-Martin and produced by Liz Doran with Richard Kelly and Steve Thomas.

Donna Chang.

Donna Chang is set to join Sbs as a development executive, working across the broadcaster’s scripted slate.

Starting next week and reporting into the acting head of scripted Amanda Duthie, Chang will take a leading role in developing the Sbs’s pipeline of commissions across long-form drama, short-form and feature initiatives.

Donna joins from Lingo Pictures, where she has worked since 2018 as head of development. Prior to that, she was a development executive at Screen Australia, and spent several years working in the as a production executive for Ridley Scott’s Scott Free.

Duthie said: “It is exciting as we exit the Covid cloud to be gearing up with commissioned content across the slate and welcoming the exceptional talents of Donna Chang to the Sbs team. With big plans for Sbs across features, short form and prime time series, Donna brings experience and sensitivity in developing outstanding fiction,...

Female-led caper mini-series “The Unusual Suspects” has begin filming in Sydney this week. The four-part series, which also highlights Australia’s ethnic diversity, is being produced for publicly-funded broadcaster Sbs.

Set in the upmarket eastern suburbs of Sydney, the story features the theft of a multi-million-dollar necklace and the women from different walks of life who come together to ensure that justice is served.

The cast is headlined by Miranda Otto as well as Filipina-American actress Aina Dumlao, and Michelle Vergara Moore.

The series is written by Jessica Redenbach, Roger Monk and Vonne Patiag, with Margarett Cortez as script consultant. It is directed by Emmy Award-winning Natalie Bailey and Melvin Montalban.

“Suspects” is produced by award-winning filmmaking duo Angie Fielder and Polly Staniford. Vonne Patiag (“Halal Gurls”) is associate producer, while executive production credit goes to Sbs’s acting head of scripted, Amanda Duthie.

It has major production investment from...

Mat Kesting.

In planning this year’s Adelaide Film Festival, creative director and CEO Mat Kesting and his team put together not just one event, but five.

Covid-related contingency plans – each with its own financial framework – included an entirely virtual festival, a hybrid event, a festival in mini-theatres to keep numbers down and minimise infection risk, and even a festival at the drive-in.

Yet Kesting is both relieved and thrilled they’re able to go ahead with “plan A” – that is, a physical festival in cinemas.

Of course, this will look still different than previous iterations, with chequerboard seating and social distancing in place. Venue partners have been flexible enough to loop in multiple screens and other cinemas in order to maximise audience attendance for sessions. Gala events will also see people “partying like it’s 2020”.

But despite this, a physical event means that people can come together, which for...

‘High Ground’.

Adelaide Film Festival announced its first five titles today, as it pushes forward with a physical event in October as originally planned.

Among the early local fare is Stephen Johnson’s 1930s drama High Ground, which premiered earlier this year in Berlin, and documentaries Firestarter – The Story of Bangarra, from Nel Minchin and Wayne Blair, and Phil Liggett: The Voice of Cycling, from Nickolas Bird and Eleanor Sharpe.

The biennial festival has also snared the Australian premiere of Thomas Vinterberg’s comedy Another Round, direct from Toronto. Starring Mads Mikkelsen, the film was selected to screen in Cannes and follows four friends, all high school teachers, who test a theory that they will improve their lives by maintaining a constant level of alcohol in their blood.

Also on the line-up is Benjamin Lee’s The Painter and the Thief, this year’s winner of the Sundance Film Festival...

The ‘Whale Shark Jack’ team.

Screenwest has selected three projects for development through the first stage of its West Coast Visions initiative: Miranda and Khrob Edmonds’ Whale Shark Jack, Zoe Pepper’s Fads & Miracles and David Vincent Smith’s Burden.

Each project will receive $20,000, supporting a six month development period. One of the projects will then be selected to receive $750,000 in West Coast Visions production funding.

West Coast Visions is a long-running program designed to support first-time feature directors and the production of low budget features in Western Australia.

This is the first year that it has been broken down into two stages; Screenwest adjusted the program to include a development stage in order to support multiple projects, fast track emerging talent and ensure the final project is production ready.

‘Burden’.

Screenwest CEO Willie Rowe said: “The re-design of the program this year was done in response to industry need...

Marshall Heald.

Despite Covid-19, Sbs director of TV and online content Marshall Heald says the broadcaster is still commissioning and developing local content, and pursuing initiatives with Screen Queensland, Film Victoria and Screen Australia.

Q: You have said 30-40 of your shows, mostly factual, have been disrupted in various ways by the production shutdown but your schedule is intact?

A: Like many other broadcasters, our commissioned slate of content has been significantly impacted by Covid-19 in some way, with the limited exceptions of shows that were in post-production and some children’s animation for Nitv that was able to continue. It’s been a case-by-case basis, depending on the individual production and what stage it was at.

Whilst these delays have caused disruption to our primetime schedule we’ve also been able to maintain a consistent schedule – from a genre, mix and time-slot perspective – by bringing some titles forward, mainly acquisitions,...

Beth Neate and Mark Thorley.

Former Mill Film Adelaide MD Mark Thorley has joined the South Australian Film Corporation as chief operating officer.

Most recently Mill Film’s global COO, Thorley will start with Safc May 11.

A VFX industry specialist with credits that include Kong: Skull Island, Star Wars: Rogue One, Jurassic World, and Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thorley has held leadership roles at Lucasfilm, Singapore, where he oversaw studio operations and production strategies, and Animal Logic in both Los Angeles and Sydney, where he was head of production. He has also held senior positions at Screen Queensland and Omnicom.

Safc has also formally appointed Beth Neate head of production and development. Neate had been acting in the role for five months following the departure of Amanda Duthie.

Neate has a producing background, and first joined the Safc in 2007, returning in 2017 as a production and development executive working across feature film,...

Screenwest’s re-imagined 2020 West Coast Visions program will fast track more new talent in a two-stage model.

In addition, Sbs acting head of scripted Amanda Duthie and strategic consultant James Hewison from Kinetic will serve as external industry assessors.

Applications are open now and close on Monday May 11 at 5:00pm Awst.

Stage one: Three shortlisted applicants will receive targeted and intensive six-month development and $20,000 in grant development funding.

Stage two: After development, one successful project will be selected to receive production funding of $750,000.

Screenwest talent development manager Eva Di Blasio said: “The new format for the West Coast Visions will enable two additional teams to develop their feature films into market-ready productions.

“The inclusion of Amanda Duthie and James Hewison on the selection panel is a fantastic endorsement of the program and will ensure that three amazing projects go into development and an exceptional, production ready feature is selected as the final recipient.

Georgina Jenkins.

Georgina Jenkins’ feature concept Blackbird has won the Aacta Pitch: Regional Landscapes competition.

Blackbird tells the story of a feisty but forgetful Greek woman who, when forced into aged care, must manipulate her carer into taking her on a road trip to retrieve her lifesavings before the family home is sold.

The Aacta pitch comp, put on in partnership with Screenworks, called for ideas inspired by Australia’s regional landscapes.

Blackbird was one of five finalists, with Jenkins’ prize including script development from Emma Jensen, industry connection opportunities through the Australian Writers’ Guild Pathway Program, and ongoing feedback from the judging panel, who included producers Michele Bennett and Deb Cox, Sbs acting head of scripted Amanda Duthie and Umbrella Entertainment MD Jeff Harrison. The writer will also receive Screenworks annual membership, Awg membership and tickets to the Aacta Awards.

“We operate in a highly competitive industry largely driven by relationships,...

Aacta, in partnership with Screenworks, has announced the five finalists for its feature film pitching competition, which called for ideas inspired by Australia’s regional landscapes.

They are:

The Artisan, Amanda Bridgeman, Western Australia

An eternally hopeful baker befriends a pessimistic graffiti artist, and together they fight to revive their dying town through art in order to win back the regional fair. Big Things, Anna Lindner, regional South Australia

When wide-eyed roller girl Stevie has a chance encounter with her long absent father, her dream comes true as they reconnect on a road trip across Australia to see the country’s ‘big things’. However, she soon suspects her father’s real motives for the journey are far bigger than any pineapple or prawn. Blackbird, Georgina Jenkins, Australian Capital Territory

Forced into aged care, a feisty but forgetful Greek woman must manipulate her carer into taking her on a road trip...

Top: Amanda Duthie, Cieron Cody, Susie Jones. Bottom: Andy Ryan, Lana Greenhalgh, Stephen Oliver.

Screenworks has secured a range of commissioners and broadcaster execs for its annual Business of Producing seminar in Ballina next month.

Amanda Duthie, Susie Jones, Andy Ryan, Stephen Oliver, Lana Greenhalgh, and Cieron Cody will each deliver a ‘Meet the Broadcaster’ session at the seminar where they will talk about what they are currently commissioning. They will also participate in panel discussions and be available for limited, pre-booked one-on-one meetings with attendees.

“We are delighted to bring together key representatives from Australian broadcasters and SVODs to connect with attendees at our 2020 Business of Producing seminar,” said Screenworks CEO, Ken Crouch.

“We are creating opportunities for attendees who would otherwise not have the chance to hear from and network with these industry professionals where they can garner valuable advice which could advance their careers.”

The previously announced...

Aacta will hold a live pitching competition at Screenworks’ 2020 Business of Producing seminar in March, with the call out for feature film ideas inspired by Australia’s regional landscapes.

Put on with the support of the Australian Writers’ Guild (Awg), the brief is for story concept in which a regional setting lends itself as a central character.

Up to five finalists will be selected for the comp, with the winner to receive industry connection opportunities through the Awg’s Pathway program; script development from Emma Jensen; feedback and ongoing guidance from the judging panel; a three-day pass to all sessions at the Screenworks’ seminar; Aacta, Screenworks, and Awg annual memberships and two tickets to the 2020 Aacta Awards.

The judging panel will consist of:

Producer Michele Bennett Every Cloud Productions creative director and co-founder Deb Cox Sbs acting head of scripted and former Adelaide Film Festival CEO/creative director Amanda Duthie...

Sue Masters.

After five years as Sbs’s head of scripted, Sue Masters is set to depart the broadcaster to pursue independent drama development.

Having led the drama commissioning team, Masters leaves a legacy that includes the International Emmy Award-winning Safe Harbour, Sbs’s most successful drama ever, The Hunting, Robbie Hood, Sunshine, The Principal, The Family Law, Deep Water, Dead Lucky, On The Ropes, and the upcoming Hungry Ghosts.

Until recruitment for the position commences in 2020, Amanda Duthie has joined Sbs as acting head of drama. Most recently Duthie was the head of production and development and studios at the South Australian Film Corporation, and prior to that was the creative director/CEO of the Adelaide Film Festival and head of arts & entertainment at ABC.

Masters will continue to work across some Sbs initiatives, including The R.I.D.E Feature Film Fund, a feature film project and partnership with Screen Queensland,...

The Asia Pacific Screen Forum is an influential network where strategic and creative decisions are made, projects are championed, deals are done, and collaborations are born.

The Australian industry is encouraged to meet and connect with this year’s nominees and Apsa International Jury and panel members at the Asia Pacific Screen Forum.

Events include a wide selection of focussed discussions on the filmmaking process, social networking opportunities to expand your connections.

The Asia Pacific Screen Forum is delighted with key partners to present the following special events within the program;

The Directors Chair with Adilkhan Yerzhanov | 18 November Asia Pacific Screen Forum Brunch: Cultural Diversity and Freedom of Expression in the Asia Pacific | 20 November

Speakers:

Efa Deputy Chairman Mikey Downey (United Kingdom), winner of 2017 Cultural Diversity Award for Dede Director Garin Nugroho (Indonesia), winner of the 2018 Cultural Diversity Award for Memories of my Body Director Luibov Borisova (Russian Federation), nominee...

Amanda Duthie.

Amanda Duthie has resigned from her role as the South Australian Film Corporation’s (Safc) head of production, development, attraction and studios to return to Sydney to pursue new opportunities and to be closer to family.

Duthie moved to Sa in 2012 to take up the role of CEO and artistic director of the Adelaide Film Festival and its investment Fund, and joined the Safc last October.

During her time with the state agency, Duthie worked to launch Centralised, a north-south creative collaboration in conjunction with Screen Nt and established the first screen agency partnership with Audible Australia. She also oversaw investment in Unjoo Moon’s I Am Woman starring Tilda Cobham-Hervey; Matchbox/Dirty Films ABC series Stateless; Porchlight Films/Peter Duncan’s ABC series Fallout and Sbs’s The Hunting, from Closer Productions.

After the departure of former Safc CEO Courtney Gibson, Duthie acted in the role until the appointment of Kate Croser.

The South Australian Film Corporation (Safc) has partnered with audiobook and podcast producer Audible.com.au to launch an audio drama and documentary development initiative.

The initiative opens for applications today, with the call out for audio drama or audio documentary three to six hours in length with global audience appeal.

“As we continue to explore and develop new frontiers of storytelling, Safc has pioneered a partnership with one of the most innovative players in the audio market to bring new opportunities to South Australian creatives. I can’t wait to see the diversity of applications that emerge once we remove the parameters of screen,” said Safc head of production, development, attraction and studios Amanda Duthie said.

Up to three projects will receive a share of development funding, with the intention that following presentation of the developed projects, one will be selected for commission by Audible and the Safc.

Audible.

Victoria Cocks’ ‘Davi’.

The South Australian Film Corporation (Safc) and Adelaide Film Festival (Aff) have partnered with Panavision to launch a new $100,000 short film production initiative.

The aim is to co-fund the production of up to three short films to premiere at the 2020 Adelaide Film Festival, with Panavision to supply $10,000 equipment to each selected project.

Safc head of production, development, attraction and studios Amanda Duthie said the fund was created to drive the growth of the local screen industry and support emerging filmmakers to find their authorial voice and develop their craft.

“Short films supported by the Safc have launched the careers of many notable South Australian filmmakers and have achieved considerable critical success. Significantly, the success of this early career funding is evident in the fact that almost all of the active local screen sector were funded as emerging filmmakers. Short film has long been the proving ground for...