Screen Australia Announces $6 Million Funding For Six Projects

Screen Australia has announced two feature films, a television series, two children's dramas and an online project that will share in $6 million of production funding.

The slate includes RackaRacka creators Danny and Michael Philippou teaming up with Causeway Films on their debut feature film Talk to Me; the second season of Ms Fisher's MODern Murder Mysteries; and children's series MaveriX for the ABC about a teen motocross academy in Alice Springs.

Also receiving funding is anthology feature Here Out West, which will bring together eight stories from different writers in Western Sydney; and a new season of hit LGBTQIA teen series Flunk for YouTube.

Sally Caplan, Screen Australia's Head of Content said, "Australian creators continue to capture audiences around the world, such as the RackaRacka team which has built a huge following on YouTube and are now set to deliver a new experience for fans and newcomers alike with their debut feature film. Fans will be delighted to see the Miss Fisher franchise back with another season of the spin-off, Ms Fisher's MODern Murder Mysteries; and Flunk which is making a mark for LGBTQIA representation with over 20 million views of the first two seasons. I am also thrilled to support the emerging writers on Here Out West whose powerful scripts will celebrate stories about diverse communities."

"It's heartening to see so many strong projects in the works despite the challenges COVID-19 has wrought on the industry. The appetite for distinctive local screen stories remains undiminished and we look forward to more and more productions being able to get underway again."

Here Out West: An anthology feature film from Co-Curious and Emerald Productions set in Western Sydney, by eight writers from the region. The story begins when a baby is kidnapped from a hospital by a desperate grandmother, an event that impacts eight lives in surprising and affecting ways over the course of one day. This creative team is led by producers Annabel Davis, Sheila Jayadev (Ali's Wedding) and Bree-Anne Sykes, and executive producers Blake Ayshford (Mystery Road), Lyn Norfor (Undertow) and S. Shakthidharan. The writers are Nisrine Amine, Bina Bhattacharya, Matias Bolla, Claire Cao, Arka Das, Dee Dogan, Vonne Patiag and Tien Tran.

Talk To Me: The first feature film from directing brothers Danny and Michael Philippou, the award-winning creators behind hit YouTube channel RackaRacka which has over six million subscribers. Talk To Me is a horror that follows lonely teenager Mia who becomes hooked on the thrills of conjuring spirits through a disembodied hand. But when Mia is confronted by a soul claiming to be her dead mother, she becomes increasingly plagued by supernatural visions, and must decide whether to trust the living or the dead. Danny Philippou is co-writing with RackaRacka collaborator Michael H Beck and the team is joined by producers Samantha Jennings and Kristina Ceyton from Causeway Films (The Babadook). This project is financed with support from the South Australian Film Corporation.