Yet another Jungle Entertainment series is headed Stateside – this time drama Wakefield, with Showtime snapping up the US rights.
It’s the second Australian acquisition by the ViacomCBS-owned premium network of late, having also picked up See-Saw Films’ The End last September.
Created by Kristen Dunphy and originally commissioned by the ABC, Wakefield explores the fine line between sanity and madness through the perspectives of staff and patients at a psychiatric facility.
The cast is lead by Brit Rudi Dharmalingham, a gifted nurse, who is the sanest person in what is a pretty crazy place. But when a song gets stuck in his head, a dark secret from his past begins to intrude into his present.
The ensemble also includes Mandy McElhinney, Geraldine Hakewill, Harriet Dyer, Ryan Corr, Sam Simmons and Felicity Ward.
Sam Meikle is a showrunner with Dunphy, and both wrote alongside Joan Sauers and Cathy Strickland. Series...
It’s the second Australian acquisition by the ViacomCBS-owned premium network of late, having also picked up See-Saw Films’ The End last September.
Created by Kristen Dunphy and originally commissioned by the ABC, Wakefield explores the fine line between sanity and madness through the perspectives of staff and patients at a psychiatric facility.
The cast is lead by Brit Rudi Dharmalingham, a gifted nurse, who is the sanest person in what is a pretty crazy place. But when a song gets stuck in his head, a dark secret from his past begins to intrude into his present.
The ensemble also includes Mandy McElhinney, Geraldine Hakewill, Harriet Dyer, Ryan Corr, Sam Simmons and Felicity Ward.
Sam Meikle is a showrunner with Dunphy, and both wrote alongside Joan Sauers and Cathy Strickland. Series...
- 7/15/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
There will be a strong Australian contingent at Series Mania in France this year, including Jungle Entertainment’s Wakefield, Aquarius Films’ The Unusual Suspects, Porchlight Films’ Fisk and Lazy Susan Films’ Iggy & Ace.
2020 saw the international TV festival initially forced to cancel outright before moving industry meetings and networking online. This year it returns, after two postponements, as an in-person event in Lille August 26 to September 3, with an accompanying special digital program.
Series Mania Forum, the industry arm of Series Mania, is set for August 30 – September 1.
Dramas Wakefield, commissioned by the ABC, and The Unusual Suspects, by Sbs, will each compete in the Panorama section.
ABC-ordered comedy Fisk, written, directed by and starring Kitty Flanagan, will be shown in the comedy strand, while Iggy and Ace, an upcoming short-form drama series for Sbs On Demand, will make its world premiere in the web series competitive section.
Two other Australian shows...
2020 saw the international TV festival initially forced to cancel outright before moving industry meetings and networking online. This year it returns, after two postponements, as an in-person event in Lille August 26 to September 3, with an accompanying special digital program.
Series Mania Forum, the industry arm of Series Mania, is set for August 30 – September 1.
Dramas Wakefield, commissioned by the ABC, and The Unusual Suspects, by Sbs, will each compete in the Panorama section.
ABC-ordered comedy Fisk, written, directed by and starring Kitty Flanagan, will be shown in the comedy strand, while Iggy and Ace, an upcoming short-form drama series for Sbs On Demand, will make its world premiere in the web series competitive section.
Two other Australian shows...
- 7/1/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Outgoing Screen Australia head of First Nations Penny Smallacombe is set to join Bunya Media Group as a producer.
Smallacombe will produce a number of the company’s upcoming projects, including Sbs drama series Copping It Black, working with directors Erica Glynn and Steven McGregor, who both penned the script with Danielle Maclean.
While at Screen Australia, Smallacombe helped shepherd to screen several Bunya Productions projects, including ABC series Mystery Road, Warwick Thornton’s Sweet Country and Ivan Sen’s Goldstone, as well as helping to facilitate Bunya Talent Hub LA.
Smallacombe, a Maramanindji woman from the Northern Territory, tells If she has loved Bunya’s “big, bold” output over the past few years, and considers it a privilege to join the team. She is keen to use her new role to continue to bring authentic First Nations stories to screen, particularly from exciting new talent.
“They’re a trusted...
Smallacombe will produce a number of the company’s upcoming projects, including Sbs drama series Copping It Black, working with directors Erica Glynn and Steven McGregor, who both penned the script with Danielle Maclean.
While at Screen Australia, Smallacombe helped shepherd to screen several Bunya Productions projects, including ABC series Mystery Road, Warwick Thornton’s Sweet Country and Ivan Sen’s Goldstone, as well as helping to facilitate Bunya Talent Hub LA.
Smallacombe, a Maramanindji woman from the Northern Territory, tells If she has loved Bunya’s “big, bold” output over the past few years, and considers it a privilege to join the team. She is keen to use her new role to continue to bring authentic First Nations stories to screen, particularly from exciting new talent.
“They’re a trusted...
- 5/26/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Balancing humour and pathos: Kristen Dunphy and Chloe Rickard on the controlled chaos of ‘Wakefield’
When Wakefield premiered on the ABC this month, it was the culmination of a nearly decade-long journey for creator and showrunner Kristen Dunphy.
Finding a home for the mental health-focused series was only half the battle for its creative team as they were forced to navigate a Covid-19 shutdown across international and state borders. Dunphy and executive producer Chloe Rickard, COO Jungle Entertainment, talk to If about what it meant to finally complete the project.
Introspection resulting from self-isolation is hardly a new phenomenon.
But how does it factor into the portrayal of a fictional character?
In the case of Wakefield, Covid-19 protocol may have given lead actor Rudi Dharmalingam some of the emotional triggers necessary to step into the role of Nikhil Katira, a psychiatric nurse whose sanity begins to unravel while working at the titular facility.
Before he could resume filming the miniseries following the Covid-19 lockdown, Dharmalingam first had to complete quarantine,...
Finding a home for the mental health-focused series was only half the battle for its creative team as they were forced to navigate a Covid-19 shutdown across international and state borders. Dunphy and executive producer Chloe Rickard, COO Jungle Entertainment, talk to If about what it meant to finally complete the project.
Introspection resulting from self-isolation is hardly a new phenomenon.
But how does it factor into the portrayal of a fictional character?
In the case of Wakefield, Covid-19 protocol may have given lead actor Rudi Dharmalingam some of the emotional triggers necessary to step into the role of Nikhil Katira, a psychiatric nurse whose sanity begins to unravel while working at the titular facility.
Before he could resume filming the miniseries following the Covid-19 lockdown, Dharmalingam first had to complete quarantine,...
- 4/20/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
A television adaptation of 2018’s Ladies in Black, a feature film from Bryan Brown, and a television drama from one of the creators of Offspring are among the 21 projects to share in more than $730,000 in development funding from Screen Australia.
Of the projects to receive funding, 10 have been supported through the Generate fund and 11 through the Premium fund.
Screen Australia’s head of content Sally Caplan said the agency was impressed by the “rigorous creativity” of Australian creators as the industry continued to rebound from Covid-19.
“It’s great to see a number of engaging stories set around iconic milestones in Australian history, from the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, to the social change that took place in the 60s or the recession in the 80s, and I look forward to seeing these projects develop further,” she said.
Features:
Premium:
1989
Sewing Pictures Pty Ltd
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family
Writer...
Of the projects to receive funding, 10 have been supported through the Generate fund and 11 through the Premium fund.
Screen Australia’s head of content Sally Caplan said the agency was impressed by the “rigorous creativity” of Australian creators as the industry continued to rebound from Covid-19.
“It’s great to see a number of engaging stories set around iconic milestones in Australian history, from the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, to the social change that took place in the 60s or the recession in the 80s, and I look forward to seeing these projects develop further,” she said.
Features:
Premium:
1989
Sewing Pictures Pty Ltd
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family
Writer...
- 3/1/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
Rudi Dharmalingam in ‘Wakefield’ (Photo credit: Lisa Tomasetti.)
Jungle Entertainment, BBC Studios and the ABC’s Wakefield will be among the first drama series to resume shooting after the shutdown after the producers obtained an exemption from Border Force travel restrictions for Rudi Dharmalingam.
The British actor will return to Australia on July 10 and after two weeks in quarantine will be ready to work when filming resumes on August 3.
In the eight-parter set in a Blue Mountains psychiatric hospital created by Kristen Dunphy, Dharmalingham plays Nik, a psych nurse blessed with a powerful combination of common sense and intuition.
Nik is easily the sanest person in what is a pretty crazy place but when a song gets stuck in his head, a dark secret from his past begins to intrude into his present, forming an intriguing puzzle.
Geraldine Hakewill plays a psychiatrist with Mandy McElhinney as the head nurse, Dan Wyllie...
Jungle Entertainment, BBC Studios and the ABC’s Wakefield will be among the first drama series to resume shooting after the shutdown after the producers obtained an exemption from Border Force travel restrictions for Rudi Dharmalingam.
The British actor will return to Australia on July 10 and after two weeks in quarantine will be ready to work when filming resumes on August 3.
In the eight-parter set in a Blue Mountains psychiatric hospital created by Kristen Dunphy, Dharmalingham plays Nik, a psych nurse blessed with a powerful combination of common sense and intuition.
Nik is easily the sanest person in what is a pretty crazy place but when a song gets stuck in his head, a dark secret from his past begins to intrude into his present, forming an intriguing puzzle.
Geraldine Hakewill plays a psychiatrist with Mandy McElhinney as the head nurse, Dan Wyllie...
- 6/30/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Toby Nalbandian and Greg Schmidt.
Financing feature films is going to be even harder after the pandemic, prompting Truant Pictures’ Toby Nalbandian and Greg Schmidt to offer some practical advice to genre filmmakers.
In a nutshell: Come up with compelling ideas for contained films on low budgets without sacrificing quality. Try to stick to a budget of $3 million, which could be scaled up to $8 million if Netflix or other international players come on board.
The founders of Animal Logic’s genre film and TV production arm surveyed the state of the industry yesterday in an Australians in Film webinar moderated by Krista Carpenter.
The La-based firm is developing 10 features and two TV series and is in the process of financing four of those projects, Nalbandian tells If.
Schmidt, who learned his craft from horror-master Wes Craven and filmmaker Lawrence Kasdan, offered this advice: “Make the most contained, low budget, compelling film you can,...
Financing feature films is going to be even harder after the pandemic, prompting Truant Pictures’ Toby Nalbandian and Greg Schmidt to offer some practical advice to genre filmmakers.
In a nutshell: Come up with compelling ideas for contained films on low budgets without sacrificing quality. Try to stick to a budget of $3 million, which could be scaled up to $8 million if Netflix or other international players come on board.
The founders of Animal Logic’s genre film and TV production arm surveyed the state of the industry yesterday in an Australians in Film webinar moderated by Krista Carpenter.
The La-based firm is developing 10 features and two TV series and is in the process of financing four of those projects, Nalbandian tells If.
Schmidt, who learned his craft from horror-master Wes Craven and filmmaker Lawrence Kasdan, offered this advice: “Make the most contained, low budget, compelling film you can,...
- 4/16/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Jocelyn Moorhouse with Dop Martin McGrath on the ‘Wakefield’ set.
Jocelyn Moorhouse was shooting the ABC’s Stateless when Jungle Entertainment offered her the gig of set-up director of the ABC drama Wakefield.
The concept was unlike anything she’d ever heard of, centering on the interaction between staff and patients at a Blue Mountains psychiatric hospital, leavened with musical numbers and tap dancing, so she was hooked.
Brit Rudi Dharmalingam plays Nik, a gifted psych nurse in the eight-episode show created by Kristen Dunphy, who is the showrunner with Sam Meikle, produced by Shay Spencer and Ally Henville for Jungle Entertainment and BBC Studios.
The sanest person in a pretty crazy place, Nik is confronted by a dark secret from his past when a song gets stuck in his head.
Reuniting with the director after collaborating on the Seven Network’s Wanted, Geraldine Hakewill plays a psychiatrist, with Mandy McElhinney as the head nurse.
Jocelyn Moorhouse was shooting the ABC’s Stateless when Jungle Entertainment offered her the gig of set-up director of the ABC drama Wakefield.
The concept was unlike anything she’d ever heard of, centering on the interaction between staff and patients at a Blue Mountains psychiatric hospital, leavened with musical numbers and tap dancing, so she was hooked.
Brit Rudi Dharmalingam plays Nik, a gifted psych nurse in the eight-episode show created by Kristen Dunphy, who is the showrunner with Sam Meikle, produced by Shay Spencer and Ally Henville for Jungle Entertainment and BBC Studios.
The sanest person in a pretty crazy place, Nik is confronted by a dark secret from his past when a song gets stuck in his head.
Reuniting with the director after collaborating on the Seven Network’s Wanted, Geraldine Hakewill plays a psychiatrist, with Mandy McElhinney as the head nurse.
- 3/16/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
‘Wakefield’.
British actor Rudi Dharmalingam, Mandy McElhinney and Geraldine Hakewill lead the cast of newly-announced ABC drama Wakefield, now shooting across Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Southern Highlands.
Produced by Jungle Entertainment in partnership with BBC Studios, the eight-parter created by Kristen Dunphy is set in a Blue Mountains psychiatric hospital, and described as a psychological mystery exploring the fine line between sanity and madness.
At the show’s centre is Dharmalingham’s Nik, a gifted psych nurse, blessed with a powerful combination of common sense and intuition. Nik is easily the sanest person in what is a pretty crazy place. But when a song gets stuck in his head, a dark secret from his past begins to intrude into his present, forming an intriguing puzzle that comes together as the series builds to its heart wrenching conclusion.
Starring alongside is an impressive ensemble cast including Dan Wyllie, Harriet Dyer,...
British actor Rudi Dharmalingam, Mandy McElhinney and Geraldine Hakewill lead the cast of newly-announced ABC drama Wakefield, now shooting across Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Southern Highlands.
Produced by Jungle Entertainment in partnership with BBC Studios, the eight-parter created by Kristen Dunphy is set in a Blue Mountains psychiatric hospital, and described as a psychological mystery exploring the fine line between sanity and madness.
At the show’s centre is Dharmalingham’s Nik, a gifted psych nurse, blessed with a powerful combination of common sense and intuition. Nik is easily the sanest person in what is a pretty crazy place. But when a song gets stuck in his head, a dark secret from his past begins to intrude into his present, forming an intriguing puzzle that comes together as the series builds to its heart wrenching conclusion.
Starring alongside is an impressive ensemble cast including Dan Wyllie, Harriet Dyer,...
- 2/12/2020
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
Truant Pictures development and production executives Toby Nalbandian and Greg Schmidt.
Animal Logic Entertainment’s live-action genre arm Truant Pictures has selected three finalists for its screenplay competition, designed to uncover emerging writing talent in the realms of horror, sci-fi and thriller.
The finalists, chosen from hundreds of submissions, are reported by Truant to “exhibit a unique voice, strong craft and a compelling command of their genre.”
The finalists are:
David Willing & Beth King (Vic) – The Surrogate
When single mother Natalia gives birth despite not being pregnant, she discovers the ghost of a missing child is hell-bent on destroying her family.
Jonathon Green & Anthony O’Connor (Nsw) – Emma After
A ghost girl falls in love with the living boy she’s meant to haunt away.
D.J. McPherson (Vic) – His Name Is Jeremiah
A damaged teen girl from a remote Australian town struggles to adjust when her violent mother is released from jail.
Animal Logic Entertainment’s live-action genre arm Truant Pictures has selected three finalists for its screenplay competition, designed to uncover emerging writing talent in the realms of horror, sci-fi and thriller.
The finalists, chosen from hundreds of submissions, are reported by Truant to “exhibit a unique voice, strong craft and a compelling command of their genre.”
The finalists are:
David Willing & Beth King (Vic) – The Surrogate
When single mother Natalia gives birth despite not being pregnant, she discovers the ghost of a missing child is hell-bent on destroying her family.
Jonathon Green & Anthony O’Connor (Nsw) – Emma After
A ghost girl falls in love with the living boy she’s meant to haunt away.
D.J. McPherson (Vic) – His Name Is Jeremiah
A damaged teen girl from a remote Australian town struggles to adjust when her violent mother is released from jail.
- 11/17/2019
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
Toby Nalbandian and Greg Schmidt.
Animal Logic Entertainment’s live action genre arm Truant Pictures today launched a screenplay competition designed to discover new talent.
The call-out is for any writers who are Australian citizens or permanent residents and who earned no more than $30,000 from fiction screenwriting in the past 12 months.
The scripts must be in the genres of horror, science fiction and/or thriller.
The winner will receive $5,000 cash, a hot desk for one week at Truant Pictures’ Sydney office and mentorship from Truant’s development and production executives Toby Nalbandian and Greg Schmidt.
Two finalists will each receive $1,000 cash and all three will be read and given notes from one of the three judges: Stuart Beattie, Yolanda Ramke (Cargo) and Zak Hilditch, plus written feedback from La-based ex-pat Aussie script consultant Tim Schildberger.
Entries opened today and can be submitted until September 2, with the winners announced in November.
Animal Logic Entertainment’s live action genre arm Truant Pictures today launched a screenplay competition designed to discover new talent.
The call-out is for any writers who are Australian citizens or permanent residents and who earned no more than $30,000 from fiction screenwriting in the past 12 months.
The scripts must be in the genres of horror, science fiction and/or thriller.
The winner will receive $5,000 cash, a hot desk for one week at Truant Pictures’ Sydney office and mentorship from Truant’s development and production executives Toby Nalbandian and Greg Schmidt.
Two finalists will each receive $1,000 cash and all three will be read and given notes from one of the three judges: Stuart Beattie, Yolanda Ramke (Cargo) and Zak Hilditch, plus written feedback from La-based ex-pat Aussie script consultant Tim Schildberger.
Entries opened today and can be submitted until September 2, with the winners announced in November.
- 6/30/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Tegan Higginbotham.
Screen Australia is providing more than $400,000 in story development funding for 16 projects including feature films, television and online series, featuring such talent as Bruna Papandrea, Nick Verso, Priscilla Cameron, Lisa Shaunessy, Anthony Mullins, Kodie Bedford and Tegan Higginbotham.
The slate includes The Agency, a musical comedy about moral corruption in the advertising industry, comedic horror Gnomes centered on grudge-bearing garden gnomes in a fictional regional town, and the feature Misfit, which looks at a woman who suffers from an identity disorder.
Eleven projects were funded through the Generate fund, two via the Premium fund and three through the legacy development program which has been discontinued.
Head of development Nerida Moore said: “The new development guidelines have now been in action for five months. We drastically reduced eligibility barriers and will now fund projects for any screen platform. We’ve had a fantastic response from the industry and the...
Screen Australia is providing more than $400,000 in story development funding for 16 projects including feature films, television and online series, featuring such talent as Bruna Papandrea, Nick Verso, Priscilla Cameron, Lisa Shaunessy, Anthony Mullins, Kodie Bedford and Tegan Higginbotham.
The slate includes The Agency, a musical comedy about moral corruption in the advertising industry, comedic horror Gnomes centered on grudge-bearing garden gnomes in a fictional regional town, and the feature Misfit, which looks at a woman who suffers from an identity disorder.
Eleven projects were funded through the Generate fund, two via the Premium fund and three through the legacy development program which has been discontinued.
Head of development Nerida Moore said: “The new development guidelines have now been in action for five months. We drastically reduced eligibility barriers and will now fund projects for any screen platform. We’ve had a fantastic response from the industry and the...
- 11/21/2018
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
The TV, film and Tvc production house formerly known as Jungleboys is making several emphatic affirmative action moves. Symbolically, the company.s title is now the gender neutral Jungle, reflecting the fact that 50% of the full-time staff is female.
The rechristening co-incides with three initiatives: the promotion of Chloe Rickard to partner and head of film and TV production; the launch of a female creative talent program in collaboration with Screen Nsw; and a commitment to employ at least one female in writing, directing or producing on every project. .The name Jungle is more representative of who we are now, and with our film and TV business incorporating in the Us, we should, at the very least, try to pretend to be grown-ups,. said MD Jason Burrows. One of the first hires at the company nine years ago, Rickard joins the co-founders Burrows, Trent O.Donnell and Phil Lloyd as partners.
The rechristening co-incides with three initiatives: the promotion of Chloe Rickard to partner and head of film and TV production; the launch of a female creative talent program in collaboration with Screen Nsw; and a commitment to employ at least one female in writing, directing or producing on every project. .The name Jungle is more representative of who we are now, and with our film and TV business incorporating in the Us, we should, at the very least, try to pretend to be grown-ups,. said MD Jason Burrows. One of the first hires at the company nine years ago, Rickard joins the co-founders Burrows, Trent O.Donnell and Phil Lloyd as partners.
- 11/16/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Screen Australia has launched a new initiative to encourage writers to submit more family film scripts after the genre helped 2015 break the 2001 Australian box office record.
On Monday, The Australian box office total surpassed $64 million on the back of a slew of family films including Paper Planes ($9.6 million), Last Cab to Darwin ($7.1 million), Blinky Bill ($2.3 million) and now Oddball ($8.1 million).
Screen Australia is now seeking to encourage experienced writers to consider family film through the creation of the Family Film Initiative.
"Family films represent one of the most lucrative genres at the Australian box office, yet in recent times the modest volume of scripts being submitted to Screen Australia for this category does not reflect the significance of the market," according to Screen Australia.
Working with screenwriter, script editor, producer and author Joan Sauers, Screen Australia.s initiative will fund up to three writers to develop their family film script up to a polished draft.
On Monday, The Australian box office total surpassed $64 million on the back of a slew of family films including Paper Planes ($9.6 million), Last Cab to Darwin ($7.1 million), Blinky Bill ($2.3 million) and now Oddball ($8.1 million).
Screen Australia is now seeking to encourage experienced writers to consider family film through the creation of the Family Film Initiative.
"Family films represent one of the most lucrative genres at the Australian box office, yet in recent times the modest volume of scripts being submitted to Screen Australia for this category does not reflect the significance of the market," according to Screen Australia.
Working with screenwriter, script editor, producer and author Joan Sauers, Screen Australia.s initiative will fund up to three writers to develop their family film script up to a polished draft.
- 10/5/2015
- by Brian Karlovsky
- IF.com.au
Actor/producer/writer David Field and Jungleboys are developing a movie about four women in their 50s who discover they are largely invisible to the rest of the world.
The women use this cloak of invisibility to right some of the world.s wrongs, doing a lot of things they dreamed of in their earlier lives.
The dark comedy is based on the novel The Murderous Urges of Ordinary Women by Us author Lois Melzer, which Field spotted in a Melbourne book shop.
Field optioned the film rights and told Jungleboys MD Jason Burrows about his enthusiasm for the project during the filming of The Moodys.
.I loved the premise and we.ve decided to do it in partnership with David,. Burrows tells If.
Chloe Rickard (who is working on Jungleboys. improv comedy No Activity for streaming service Stan) is the producer.
Joan Sauers, who was script editor on The Babadook,...
The women use this cloak of invisibility to right some of the world.s wrongs, doing a lot of things they dreamed of in their earlier lives.
The dark comedy is based on the novel The Murderous Urges of Ordinary Women by Us author Lois Melzer, which Field spotted in a Melbourne book shop.
Field optioned the film rights and told Jungleboys MD Jason Burrows about his enthusiasm for the project during the filming of The Moodys.
.I loved the premise and we.ve decided to do it in partnership with David,. Burrows tells If.
Chloe Rickard (who is working on Jungleboys. improv comedy No Activity for streaming service Stan) is the producer.
Joan Sauers, who was script editor on The Babadook,...
- 7/20/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
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