The South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC) and streaming service Stan have partnered to launch a new matched development fund to boost the creation of new and original South Australian scripted series.
The Stan and SAFC Development Fund is a joint initiative to support South Australian creative teams to generate premium scripted series for exhibition on the streaming service.
The initiative will focus on “the development of bold, distinctive ideas with complex characters set in unusual worlds or situations that merit high production values, resulting in scripted series of world-class scope and scale.”
The projects must be highly original, strongly serialised, returnable, and intended for production and post-production in South Australia.
The SAFC is now accepting applications for the first round of development, taking selected projects from concept to pitch-ready stage. Following pitching to Stan, two of the projects will then be selected for a further round of development and commissioning consideration from Stan.
South Australian Minister for Innovation and Skills David Pisoni said: “This exciting new initiative will further cement South Australia’s reputation as a hub of screen creative excellence by providing fresh opportunities for local talent to create ambitious new works for a national platform. I look forward to seeing what exciting new series develop as a result.”
Stan’s Chief Content Officer Cailah Scobie said, “As Australia’s unrivalled home of original productions, we are very pleased to partner with SAFC on this new development initiative. Supporting our talented local industry by bringing uniquely Australian stories to the screen is a core focus of our business and the launch of this new fund represents a great opportunity for Stan to discover the stories South Australian creatives have to tell.”
SAFC CEO Kate Croser said: “South Australia has been producing some of the most ground-breaking episodic content in the country in recent times including critically acclaimed hits like Aftertaste, Stateless, The Hunting and First Day. This exciting initiative opens up new opportunities for South Australian producers and writers to create even more bold, innovative and unique series for audiences across Australia.”
The Stan and SAFC Development Fund is open for applications until 9 August, 2021.