Bunya Productions has recently announced development funding and a companion writing program with Netflix for the ten Indigenous-led productions.
The Bunya Talent Hub LA is an incubator for mid-career writers, showrunners, directors and producers, and is presented in association with Netflix and Screen Australia’s Indigenous Department.
Originally scheduled for May 2020 in Los Angeles, the Hub was delayed due to COVID-19 travel restrictions but will now take place as a virtual hub in early February 2021.
The ten productions will now each receive development funding from Netflix and Screen Australia’s Indigenous Department to further develop their projects with Bunya producers. As part of the Hub, each project will also receive one-on-one international mentorship for their production from Australians in Film (AiF).
A final pitch session to Netflix commissioners in early 2021 will see one of the projects land a formal development deal with Netflix, with Bunya Productions engaged as producers.
The ten creative teams and participants comprise a total of fourteen screen practitioners, with their projects including a range of feature film and TV series ideas encompassing comedy, drama, and the supernatural.
The participants and teams are:
- Aaron Fa’Aoso (Blue Water Empire, The Straits)
- Nakkiah Lui(Black Comedy, Get Krack!n, Kiki and Kitty) and Miranda Tapsell(Top End Wedding, Get Krack!n, The Sapphires)
- Tony Briggs(The Sapphires) and Damienne Pradier (Laurel’s Story-from Sapphire to Saigon)
- Dena Curtis(Thalu, Grace Beside Me)
- Adrian Russell Wills(Redfern Now, Black Divas) and Gillian Moody (Nice Shorts, Little J, Big Cuz)
- Ryan Griffen(Cleverman)
- Jub Clerc(The Heights, Molly and Cara)
- Dylan River(Robbie Hood, Mystery Road S2) and Tanith Glynn-Maloney (Robbie Hood, She Who Must Be Loved)
- Shari Sebbens (The Sapphires, Thor Ragnarok)
- Wayne Blair (Firestarter, The Sapphires, Mystery Road Series 2)
Penny Smallacombe, Head of Indigenous at Screen Australia, said
“This is such an exciting collaborative program and despite the delay due to COVID-19 we are really pleased to provide development support to such an incredible mix of projects from some of our best screen storytellers. There is so much talent in this group and with the support of Bunya Productions and Netflix I feel confident we can continue to take our First Nations stories to global audiences.”
Que Minh Luu, Director of Originals for Netflix in Australia, said:
“Our investment in Australian content begins with harnessing the best of Australian creative talent. We are thrilled to invest in this cohort of gifted storytellers in partnership with Bunya Productions and Screen Australia’s Indigenous Department.”
Sophia Zachariou, CEO Bunya Productions, said:
