Six New Documentary Projects Commissioned for ABC including EMPLOYABLE ME Season 2

Screen Australia has announced funding for 6 new documentary projects which will all go into production in 2019. The six projects are;

Employable Me Season Two: A new three-part series of the critically acclaimed Employable Me from Northern Pictures will return to the ABC in 2019. The series will follow the stories of nine people with disabilities as they battle to find work. The series will be directed by Cian O’Clery and produced by Jenni Wilks, with Karina Holden on board as executive producer.

Love on the Spectrum: A four-part series for the ABC from Northern Pictures that looks at relationships and dating for those with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. The uplifting series draws on relationship coaching to help young people with neuro-diverse conditions find love and shift the public perception of disability. The series is being produced by the team behind the acclaimed ABC series Employable Me including Cian O’Clery, Karina Holden, and Jenni Wilks.

Silent No More (working title): A two-part documentary series for the ABC from Southern Pictures that will follow campaigner Tracey Spicer to reveal the true story of Australia’s hidden epidemic of workplace sexual harassment, its devastating personal and public cost, and how we can change things for the better. The series is being written and directed by Anita Brown (Struggle Street), with Laurie Critchley (Hawke: The Larrikin & The Leader) on board as executive producer.

The Artful Dissident (working title): A one-hour observational documentary from Identity Films for the ABC. The film is being written, directed and co-produced by Danny Ben-Moshe (My Mother’s Lost Children). Synopsis details about this project will be revealed at a later date. This project was financed with support from Film Victoria.

The Pool: A two-part documentary series from Mint Pictures for the ABC written by acclaimed Australian author of The Slap, Christos Tsiolkas. The series dives into the social, historical, and political role the swimming pool plays within Australian society and psyche. From the original pool (the billabong) to historic pools and iconic coastal pools, Olympic pools, outback pools and the humble backyard pool, the series unearths the history of the pool in Australia. It will be directed by Sally Aitkin (David Stratton: A Cinematic Life) and produced by Dan Goldberg (Food Fighter).

Will Australia Ever Have a Black Prime Minister?: A one-hour documentary from Joined Up Films for the ABC that will examine the barriers to having an Indigenous national leader. Presented by actor Mark Coles-Smith, the documentary will be directed by Catriona Mckenzie (Mr Patterns), and produced by Danielle MacLean (Carry the Flag) and Jacqueline Willinge (Is Australia Racist?). The project was financed with support from Screenwest.

“We continue to be blown away by the ability of Australian documentary makers to connect and move audiences with complex human stories and issues of the moment. These latest projects will share the stories of remarkable Australians from those with neuro-diverse conditions looking for love, to the life of Oscar-nominated screenwriter Luke Davies,” said Bernadine Lim, Head of Documentary at Screen Australia.

“I’m also pleased to see Australian documentary makers continue to tackle international stories, sharing our perspective on the world around us.”

In addition to the ABC projects, Screen Australia has also announced funding for 10’s Body Hack 3.0: An eight-part series from Essential Media for Network 10 following Todd Sampson on a mission to investigate the most extraordinary people on the planet to see what we can learn from their lives. The series is co-written by Jeff Siberry and Todd Sampson who worked together previously on Body Hack series one and two. Jeff Siberry will direct the series, while Chris Hilton (The Go-Betweens: Right Here) and David Alrich (The Pacific: In the Wake of Captain Cook, With Sam Neil) will work alongside Sampson as executive producers.