Screen Australia Funds Emerging Creatives, Icons
Jimmy Barnes, Working Class Man – Photo by Patrick Jones
Screen Australia has announced 30 documentaries that will share in $2.5 million of production and development funding, shaping the next chapter of Australian factual storytelling. The diverse slate highlights a new wave of documentary makers and offers intimate portraits of iconic Australians including Jimmy Barnes, George Miller, Henrietta Marrie AM and Ken Done.
Among the projects are social impact documentaries Liyan: Guided by Horses (working title) and It Starts With Us, both of which shine a light on transformative programs for young Australians.
Head of Documentary at Screen Australia Richard Huddleston said, “From regional Australia to global war zones, these rich, intimate and unflinching stories open windows into new worlds, explore our rich cultural landscape and help us understand shared challenges – moving us in ways that only documentary can.
“The calibre of talented emerging creatives we’ve been able to support has been impressive, as is the way many of them are joining forces with more experienced practitioners to achieve their aims. Our sector is ever evolving and this kind of collaborative community, coupled with innovative approaches to distinct Australian storytelling, is why our documentaries resonate with audiences here and around the world.”
Over the 2024/25 financial year, Screen Australia funded $11 million across 104 documentary projects for production and development. The agency supported a myriad of content that found critical acclaim over the past 12 months. These include Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line and Mozart’s Sister winning two AACTA-Awards, Songs Inside winning the Documentary Australia Award at Sydney Film Festival, Spreadsheet Champions screening at Hot Docs Festival in Canada and SXSW in Austin and Maggie Beer’s Big Mission winning Best Host at the C21 International Format Awards in Cannes.
On 1 July, Screen Australia launched its updated Documentary Funding Programs tailored to meet industry needs, support practitioners and foster ground-breaking content for years to come.
Some of the supported projects include:
Funding was also provided to Mint Pictures’ series for the ABC – When The War is Over – previously announced by the broadcaster and presented by Rachel Griffiths.
The full list of documentary blocklines is available here
https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/sa/media-centre/news/2025/08-11-documentary-funding-slate
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