Australian Features Boosted by New Funding, Festival Selection

Sam Worthington, Toni Colette, Baz Luhrmann head home for new projects

SYDNEY — There was a dizzying number of announcements from Australian producers and national agency Screen Australia this week, with the agency committing production and development funding to a raft of features with some major names attached, as well as the selection of three Australian films in the Toronto Film Festival and a fourth chosen for the Venice Film Festival.

At the same time two new local features headlined by Sam Worthington and Toni Collette go into production, while Baz Luhrmann has returned home to finish prepping The Great Gatsby in 3D ahead of the start of production, now set for mid-September at Fox Studios Australia.

Screen Australia announced AUD$18 million ($19.6 million) in production funding for six features and eight TV projects, triggering AUD$85 million in production, while development funding has been given to another eight features by the agency.

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