Screen NSW has allocated $1.1 million to support 47 film, documentary and series projects, marking one of the state’s most significant recent investments in early-stage screen development.
The funding, drawn from the NSW Government, is designed to strengthen the creative pipeline at a time when competition for production-ready Australian stories is intensifying.
Head of Screen NSW Kyas Hepworth said the program is essential to safeguarding locally created stories. “It is important we support the NSW screen industry to develop original IP, and through this program we will ensure a continued pipeline of fresh and engaging stories are in development which reflect communities right across the state.”
This year’s slate includes 22 feature films, 9 documentary features, 11 fiction series, two children’s series and three documentary series – a breadth Hepworth says showcases the strength of NSW creators.
“The projects we have supported in 2025 so far, speak to the amazing talent we have in our state, which spans genres, formats and generations, and ensures will continue to see NSW stories on our screens.”
Talent and titles moving into next-stage development
Feature projects include Ngimbalyen, the feature-length screenwriting and directorial debut of Jahvis Loveday, produced by Kath Shelper. Director Isabel Darling and producer Tom Zubrycki will progress The Last of the Locals, an observational documentary set in Thredbo.
On the series front, Songbird Studio will move ahead with Judge, a Gen Z legal drama created by Xavier Hazard and Mehhma Malhi.
Wild Pacific Media will develop natural history title Kingdom of the Crocodile, while regional producer Rolla Entertainment will take children’s animated project Anvi’s Animals into its next phase.
Funding aimed at market readiness
Screen NSW’s Development Program provides up to $50,000 per project, covering writers’ rooms, creative material, animation design, research and early documentary shoots, as well as market attachment work needed to secure production finance.
Hepworth said well-supported development is critical to ensuring NSW stories travel beyond the state.
“When stories are developed with authenticity and strategic support at every stage, from development, through to production, we know they resonate with audiences locally and travel globally. This funding ensures NSW key creatives are supported at the vital development stage of their Australian projects and can work on stories driven out of the state.”
Applications remain open year-round.
Projects funded for development to date in 2025 include:
Project title: Anvi’s Animals
Format / Genre: Children’s series / Family, Science & Environment
Key Creatives: Ray Boseley (writer), David Wild (producer), Dean Bates (producer), and Mark Alston (Director)
Synopsis: Anvi’s Animals follows inquisitive Anvi and her bestie Gulp, a talking gecko, as they have fun and adventures solving everyday problems with inspiration from the animal world.
Mehhma Malhi, Xavier Hazard
Project title: Judge
Format / Genre: Fiction series / Drama
Key Creatives: Xavier Hazard (creator), Mehhma Malhi (creator), Louise Smith (producer), and Luke Mazzaferro (executive producer)
Synopsis: A group of ambitious legal graduates navigate the halls of justice as the personal staff to Supreme Court judges. Generations collide in open court and behind closed doors as the associates grapple with their newfound power, influence and complicity, ultimately questioning: who are they to judge?
Project title: Kingdom of the Crocodile
Format / Genre: Documentary series / Blue Chip Natural History
Key Creatives: Nick Robinson (writer / director / producer), Peta Ayers (writer / producer), Electra Manikakis (producer) and Mark Coles-Smith (writer)
Synopsis: Over one dramatic year on a wild Australian river, the secret lives of saltwater crocodiles are revealed – from fierce rivalries to unexpected alliances – as they navigate a rich ecosystem teeming with wallabies, dingoes, sea eagles, and more.
Jahvis Loveday
Project title: Ngimbalyen
Format / Genre: Feature film / Action Adventure, Comedy, Mystery, Contemporary and Social Issues, History & Identity
Key Creatives: Jahvis Loveday (writer / director) and Kath Shelper (producer)
Synopsis: Four Bundjalung cousins thought they were chasing a record deal – now they’re knee-deep in cursed artefacts, family lore, and a heist that might tear open more than just the past.
Isabel Darling
Project title: The Last of the Locals
Format/ Genre: Documentary Feature / Contemporary and Social Issues including social history
Key Creatives: Isabel Darling (director / producer) and Tom Zubrycki (producer)
Synopsis: In a ski town built by European post-war immigrants, change is in the air. Locals who’ve called Thredbo home for 60 years grapple with commercialisation and progress, while yearning for a bygone era, but the newer residents see opportunity by pushing the village into the 21st century. Caught in the middle is resort General Manager Stuart Diver, whose tragic past in the Thredbo landslide leaves him torn between preserving tradition and embracing the future.