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Amazon Prime Video unveiled a slate of six new Australian originals for 2023 at a showcase in Sydney tonight, along with first looks at three Australian scripted dramas that the streamer has already announced.

Described as part of a drive to increase investment into Australian-produced content, Amazon confirmed four docuseries and documentary features, one 90-minute live special and a series of stand-up specials from comedians including Dave Hughes, Tommy Little and Lizzy Hoo.

Docuseries include a second season of The Test, featuring the Australian men’s cricket team and filmed in the run-up the first Ashes Test match, with Pat Cummins taking on the captaincy in the wake of Tim Paine’s decision to resign. Amazon Studios produced the four-part series with Cricket Australia and Whooshka Media.

Feature-length doc, Hot Potato: The Story Of The Wiggles, tells the story of global sensation The Wiggles, the children’s entertainment group that had...

Rebel Wilson's latest project, an Amazon series titled Lol: Last One Laughing, already has us cackling into our morning coffees. The six-episode comedy series (which was filmed in 2019) is being touted as a "comedic social experiment" and involves 10 Australian comedians being locked in a house together for a six-hour competition that has no rules. Oh, except one: if they laugh, they're cut.

Each comedian will participate in a series of skits where they can say and do whatever they like, except laugh. If a comedian laughs softly, they'll receive a yellow card violation (just like in football). A second offense will earn the comedian a red card elimination, and they'll be eliminated from the game and miss out on $100,000 cash prize.

If you're not familiar with the Australian comedy scene, you'll just have to trust me when I say that you're in for a treat. With Rebel Wilson as host,...

‘The Unboxing’.

There’s a guiding philosophy that’s successfully steered much of Hannah Lehmann’s career so far: When people are spending so much time on their phones and social media anyway, why not give them interesting content to watch via their apps?

Lehmann’s short-form work has garnered millions of views, with the Sydney filmmaker first grabbing industry attention after she distributed her 13 x one minute drama series The Out There via Instagram back in 2016. That led to her getting signed with Gersh Agency and Pathfinder in the Us and a Snapchat Original commission in Two Sides, premiering last year. Screen Australia also recently sent Lehmann to La as part of its Talent USA delegation, recognising her as an up-and-coming talent.

Two Sides, which she created, wrote and directed follows a teenage couple navigating a modern-day breakup in a split-screen format, showing both characters’ point of view of the breakup simultaneously.

Sam Neill. (Photo: Ross Coffey)

The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (Aacta) will next month bestow actor Sam Neill with its highest honour, the Longford Lyell Award.

First presented in 1968, the award honours Australian film pioneer Raymond Longford and his partner in filmmaking and life, Lottie Lyell. It recognises a person who has made an outstanding contribution to the enrichment of Australia’s screen environment and culture.

Neill joins previous recipients such as Peter Weir, Fred Schepisi, Jan Chapman, David Stratton, Don McAlpine, Al Clark, Jacki Weaver, Andrew Knight, Cate Blanchett, Phillip Noyce and most recently, Bryan Brown.

“I am very thrilled by this honour indeed,” said Neill. “And very surprised! Let me check just in case they’ve made a mistake…”

Neill made his feature debut in Roger Donaldson’s Sleeping Dogs in 1979, which led to a breakthrough role in Gillian Armstrong’s My Brilliant Career opposite Judy Davis.

Network 10 and Screen Australia have launched a new documentary initiative, Out Here, focused on Lgbtqi+ diversity in rural and regional communities.

Storytellers are invited to apply for one of three grants of up to $80,000 to help develop their ideas about the experience of being Lgbtqi+ in country towns into a one-off documentary (22 minutes). The successful documentaries will then be broadcast on 10 Play, with the potential for additional broadcast via 10’s free-to-air channels.

Applications must include a director or producer, one of whom identifies as part of the Lgbtqi+ community and one of whom has at least one screen credit in their respective role.

According to Screen Australia’s guidelines: “The successful projects will represent authentic and multigenerational Lgbtiq+ characters and stories that are accessible and engaging. The intention of each project should be to promote cultural change and inclusion, ensuring more Australians from all parts of our community...

Netflix is continuing its strong push into the stand up comedy space with a new comedy event series set to launch in 2019.

The streaming giant announced Tuesday that it will bring together 47 comedians from 13 regions around the world for the series. Each comedian will perform a half-hour stand-up special, some of which will be recorded at the upcoming Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal, with sets also being taped in Brazil, Mexico, India, Germany and The Netherlands. All episodes will be released at once.

The currently untitled project will feature comedians of different styles, genders, ethnicities, and languages, with all of the episodes to launch at once.

“Few things are better than discovering a new comedian you love,” said Lisa Nishimura, vice president of original documentary and comedy for Netflix. “With this event, we’re creating a true comedy festival experience for our members where they can scour the globe...

Netflix has announced the United Nations of comedy specials with a stand-up comedy event series that will bring together 47 comedians from 13 regions.

The yet-to-be-titled special, which will launch in 2019 will feature The Good Doctor‘s Chris D’Elia, Nailed It host Nicole Byer, former Chapelle Show host writer Neal Brennan and comedy fave Nick Swardson representing the U.S.

The worldwide event series will feature a wide array of stand-up specials from comedians diverse in style, gender, and ethnicity and will tape in seven languages including French, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Dutch, German and English. All episodes are slated to launch on a Tbd date in 2019 for your bingeing and laughing pleasure.

The roster of stand-up comedians recording at this year’s Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal will also include Nish Kumar, Joel Dommett, Mae Martin, and Ellie Taylor from the United Kingdom as well as Shirley Souagnon and Jason Brokerss from France.

Rhys Nicholson.

Australian comedian Rhys Nicholson will host the 28th annual West Australian Screen Awards (WASAs).

.Oh I can.t wait for the awards", Nicholson said. "Who doesn.t love awards? Losers I guess. I.m just so glad Joel Creasey was booked so I could host!.

After winning Best Newcomer at Sydney Comedy Festival in 2012, Nicholson has performed around the world, supporting the likes of Louis Ck (Us), Amy Schumer (Us), Kathy Griffin (Us), Fiona O.Loughlin (Aus) and Wil Anderson (Aus)..

.I.m looking forward to some type of Miley Cyrus/Nicki Minaj style feud", Nicholson said. "I won.t be satisfied until a key grip punches out a Dop and two nominees are wrestling in the aisles."

The 28th WASAs will be held on June 4 at the Heath Ledger Theatre at the State Theatre Centre of Western Australia.

The awards are presented in conjunction with the Revelation...

A Playmaker Media drama starring Jessica Marais and a reality series which reunites people with long-lost family members are among six new Australian shows for Network Ten in 2016.

The line-up includes Australian Survivor, All Star Family Feud, the spin-off I.m A Celebrity. Get Me Out Of Here! Now, and the previously announced telemovie Brock.

Ten said more new local series will be announced next year as it strives to build the momentum which saw the broadcaster record its highest commercial prime time shares since 2011 as audiences increased by 15 per cent this year.

In Playmaker Media's The Wrong Girl, Love Child star Marais will play Lily, a modern woman caught between two guys — one too good to be true and the other so wrong he might be Mr. Right.. Lily and her flatmate Simone are supposed to be taking a sabbatical from men but Lily falls in love with Jack,...

Documentary musical Prison Songs and animated TV series God Squad each won three trophies at the 27th annual Wa Screen Awards.

Writer-director Jeffory Asselin.s Pinch was the surprise winner of. best feature film . drama, edging out Kill Me Three Times,. Paper Planes and The Reckoning.

The film revolves around a light-fingered teen who attempts to rip off a major drug syndicate to pay for his mother's life saving surgery.

Producer/director Lauren Brunswick received the $5,000 McKenna Hampton Young Filmmaker of the Year award.

Presented by Fti, the awards were handed out at the Heath Ledger Theatre on June 29, hosted by comedian Joel Creasey.

The Beyond West-produced Prison Songs by Kelrick Martin and Harry Bardwell took the prizes for best TV production . factual, best long form editing and sound. Martin also won the award for best long form direction..

God Squad by Troy Zafer and Nicholas Kempt was named best animation,...

Dave Eastgate, Lawrence Leung and Stephanie Son in Maximum Choppage.

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Head of ABC TV comedy Rick Kalowski has commissioned a stand-alone pilot, a prototype he intends to test for further pilots, and he.s developing a sitcom to be filmed in front of a studio audience.

In a further break from the traditional approach to comedy, Kalowski is developing several shows that are each built around an established performer-writer. All that is in addition to eight series which are either in production or post.

The stand-alone pilot deals with an unusual subject- mental illness. Details of that sitcom are under wraps but Kowalski tells If he.s looking for other projects that are suitable material for pilots.

The studio-based comedy could be the ABC.s first since Mother and Son, the Geoffrey Atherden-created classic which ran until 1994. The show is being developed with writer . producer Marieke Hardy and would...

Tony Iffland introduces the Sbs slate for 2013-2014..

Sbs revealed its 2013-2014 programming slate at an industry showcase held in The Rocks, Sydney, this afternoon..

Introduced by Sbs Director of TV, Tony Iffland, the slate spanned a number of genres and included a variety of programs; from returning series such as Once Upon a Time, to new content like documentary series Australia.s Secret Heroes, to the free-to-air premiere of international blockbuster drama The Walking Dead.. .2014 is really about more . so it.s about more food, more documentaries, more sport, more drama than ever before,. Iffland said. .On Sbs 1 and 2, we are seeing a 33 per cent increase in Australian commissioned content. We.re very proud of that. It shows how we at Sbs have rearranged our resources, used our scarce funds and really invested that in content.. Sbs was particularly thrilled to announce they will exclusively cover the 2014 FIFA World Cup.