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ABC TV partners with Screen Queensland for ABC iview Queensland Originals: Factual Formats Initiative

Screen Queensland announced at today’s launch of the Australian International Documentary Conference, a new collaboration with ABC TV, presenting ABC iview Queensland Originals: Factual Formats Initiative.

ABC iview Queensland Originals is an initiative that helps Queensland practitioners produce online factual and factual entertainment series to premiere on ABC iview - with the potential to be broadcast on ABC2 - supporting the development and production of up to three digital series.

The program will also take three Queensland producers to MIPTV 2017.

“We are thrilled to be joining with ABC TV to deliver this exciting new program that focuses on engaging early to mid career Queensland factual producers to produce digital first factual formats capable of entertaining Australian audiences and being sold internationally,” said Screen Queensland Chair Linda Apelt.

"ABC iview Queensland Originals forms part of our early career screen program constructed to build meaningful career pathways for these practitioners and those industry seeking to develop and acquire new skills.

"SQ and ABC TV will invest almost $500,000 in this initiative as we see it delivering real outcomes for those in our industry who work within the factual genre.

“This is an important program that will highlight our state’s talent and stories in the factual space and give practitioners the opportunity to work with the ABC.”

Richard Finlayson, ABC Director of Television said: “ABC TV is serious about breaking new ground in factual storytelling, and we want to help Australian producers create innovative and compelling factual formats that sell to the rest of the world. The ABC aims to spur creative and financial success for Queensland producers in factual storytelling.”

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ABC iview now available on Apple TV

ABC is pleased to announce that iview is now available on the recently released 4th generation Apple TV
iview is Australia’s most popular video on demand service and continues to delight Australians of all ages with an extensive range of Australian titles, immensely popular children’s programming, a dedicated ABC Arts channel and iview Originals.

iview’s fast and simple interface, which has been designed especially for the 4th generation Apple TV, makes program discovery easy and a new ‘continue watching’ option on the home screen allows viewers to easily pick up where they left off.

ABC Head of TV Strategy and Digital Products, Rebecca Heap, says “we’ve had strong audience demand for iview on the new Apple TV and have built an experience that makes it easier than ever to explore and watch the ABC’s distinct and diverse Australian stories on your TV.”

To access ABC iview on 4th generation Apple TV, simply download the app from App Store through the device.
Read more

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###When I Get A Minute

A culture show hosted by Leigh Sales & Annabel Crabb - exclusive to ABC iview every Friday for 8 weeks, starting tomorrow

When I Get A Minute (#WIGAM) is a review series for the very busy, hosted by two of Australia’s most time-poor media personalities – Leigh Sales (7.30) and Annabel Crabb (Kitchen Cabinet, Canberra al Desko).

Every Friday, for eight weeks exclusively on iview, Sales and Crabb will bring you an occasionally shambolic conversation about books, movies, TV shows, cooking and other cultural obsessions.

When I Get A Minute – a new show about culture, friendship and the constant quest to be better at both. Starts tomorrow on iview.

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###The Cookie Thief

Sunday 3 April at 5pm on ABC KIDS

Premiere Special: When the Museum of Modern Cookie opens on Sesame Street, Cookie Monster and friends are very excited to visit, however when the cookie art starts to go missing, Cookie Monster must prove his innocence.

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Big bucks for short scripted

ABC and Screen Australia announce $1.5 million digital initiative for scripted content

ABC and Screen Australia have joined forces to create Long Story Short, a national, digital-first scripted series initiative to develop and produce five major projects to premiere on ABC iview. Creative teams with great ideas for scripted projects including contemporary drama, narrative comedy or sci-fi which appeal to younger Australians aged 18-35, are encouraged to apply.

A minimum of five projects will be chosen to receive funding of up to $300,000 each, plus industry support to write and produce a compelling scripted series to premiere on ABC iview.

For more information and to apply, visit Screen Australia Download the application form here.

Applications should be emailed to lss@abc.net.au by the published deadline of midnight 15 April 2016.

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###The Katering Show

from Friday 15 April

Hit series coming to iview.

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ABC iview is thrilled to announce that from Friday April 15th, food intolerant Kate McCartney and her intolerably smug foodie co-host Kate McLennan, launch exclusively on iview with a fresh picked season of The Katering Show.

In this new series, McCartney and McLennan take a Sassy Swipe™ at the over-hyped food trend of Ramen; they take the term “Yummy Mummy” way too literally; they sample a tablet that counteracts lactose intolerance in an episode dubiously cleverly titled It Gets Feta; they subject themselves and a special guest to the latest weight loss torture regimes of Paleo, Raw Food and The 5:2 Diet; and they dedicate an episode to their culinary hero and spirit bosom, Maggie Beer, where they peddle their own noxious version of verjuice.

But The Kates are aiming to give back too; to use their position as attractive celebrity chefs and trained actors to change the world. First, they’ll use their no talent to address the important issue of marriage equality. McLennan will then check her white privilege by generously inviting The Daily Show’s Ronny Chieng into the kitchen in an episode that highlights both McLennan’s sunny bigotry and her lack of star power.

And finally The Kates will solve climate change - and the cracks in their relationship - by cooking with kitchen scraps from the series in their celebratory End of Days farewell.

Of course, the entire flirty little series is peppered with references to The Kates’ crumbling personal situations; including, but not limited to, McCartney’s rat piss soaked rental property and McLennan’s endless bouts of ‘in-knicker’ infections.
To catch-up on the first series of The Katering Show click on the link below.

Production Credits: A Guesswork/Lead Balloon Production in association with ABC iview, ABC TV, Screen Australia and Film Victoria. Written by and Starring Kate McLennan and Kate McCartney. Produced by Tamasin Simpkin.

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ABC and Screen Australia Announce Projects Sharing $200,000 for New Arts Content

ABC Television and Screen Australia are delighted to announce the four successful teams who will share in $200,000 of funding for Art Bites, a joint initiative that encourages new arts content from emerging and early-career Australian filmmakers.

Two filmmaking teams from Western Australia, one team from Queensland, and one team from New South Wales will each receive $50,000 to fund a 6 x 5 minute web series that will premiere on the ABC Arts channel on iview from November 2016. Screen West and Screen Queensland have also offered support for their local talent.

The four successful series are accessible, engaging and entertaining and cover a diverse a range of topics. Set to appeal to younger audiences (18 to 35 years) the four series give a unique and fresh insight into an aspect of arts in Australia.

Suburban Interventions (WA) will delve into the life and artistic practice of artist Ian Strange, while The Glass Bedroom (NSW) will examine the influence of social media on the work of artists. The Wanderers (QLD) will explore Australia’s most exciting street artists and Shock Art (WA) is a look at how art can take us into deeply uncomfortable territory.

Applications were assessed on criteria including the distinctiveness of ideas, the teams’ ability to manage their project and whether the stories align with ABC Arts’ ambition to shine a spotlight on the arts with quality, smart, entertaining and shareable content.

Each project will have the mentoring support from a digital Arts Commissioning Editor at ABC and an Investment Development Manager from Screen Australia.

Head of ABC Arts, Mandy Chang, says, “This is a wonderful opportunity, in partnership with Screen Australia, to develop the next generation of arts filmmakers, and we’re excited to see the films that emerge from this initiative. ABC Arts on iview is a fantastic platform on which to showcase this up-and-coming Australian talent.”

Senior Manager for Documentary at Screen Australia, Liz Stevens, says, “We were really impressed with the stories that were submitted to the Art Bites initiative and the high level of interest emerging filmmakers have in telling arts-based stories. The final projects give four emerging filmmakers an opportunity to show audiences what they find exciting and important about arts in Australia, right now, through the very popular, accessible and shareable ABC iview platform.”

###Selected series
Suburban Interventions (WA)
Suburban Interventions will look at how growing up in the suburbs or Perth informed the artistic practice of artist Ian Strange and led to a global analysis of the iconography of suburbia and home.
Producer: Brooke Silcox
Executive Producer: Amanda Morrison
Director: Ian Strange

The Wanderers (QLD)
The Wanderers examines work of six of Australia’s most exciting street artists as they take their work on the road – a discovery of self and new culture as they explore the influence of a new environment on their individual artistic styles.
Producer: Drew McDonald
Director: Selina Miles

The Glass Bedroom (NSW)
The Glass Bedroom will profile six Australian artists who use Instagram to create bold new works to share with their thousands of followers. The series will take viewers inside the ‘glass bedrooms’ of these Instagram artists, to explore the relationship between authenticity, identity, and social media in their work.
Producer: Bethany Bruce
Executive Producer: Bridget Ikin
Director: Kate Blackmore

Shock Art (WA)
Shock Art explores the art shocking us today and why it can take us deep into extremely uncomfortable territory. The effect of powerful art can leave a lasting impression long after we’ve viewed it. Is it OK for it to be offensive, controversial, and even dangerous?
Producer: Alice Ross
Director: Sam Field

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###Story Hunters

From Monday 16 May

New Series Exclusive to ABC iview - Finding the stories you want told

Story Hunters is an exciting new video journalist concept, showcasing original stories powered by the audience. Housed on the ABC’s iview service, Story Hunters is a growing collection of distinctive fact based journalism, as well as opinion pieces and satirical content.

Story Hunters will use the audience to find untold stories and explore fresh angles to existing ones. It is digital first content, made to be both easily accessible and shareable.

Executive Producer Erin Vincent says:
“It’s an exciting new space for the ABC to be entering into. It’s a project that recognises that changing audience habits require fresh approaches to storytelling.”
“We are using social media to both initiate and engage with our story tellers, so we’re asking the audience to tell us what issues they want explored and investigated.”

The team will deliver compelling stories from all over the country. Supervising Producer Paul Horan says:
“We have a talented team of video journalists, who are working on this project and engaging with the audience about the types of stories they want covered. Don’t expect your traditional ABC News style of presentation – this is something quite different!”

There will also be “Guest Hunters” throughout the series including, former Mamamia Editor-in-Chief Jamila Rizvi and Author and Comedian Rosie Waterland.

The pilot program will see new stories published each week.

Stories going live today include:

Beginner Beauty Queens - Part 1 & 2
Video Journalist Mike Clay travels to South Australia to ask who enters beauty pageants and why? 15 young women are competing for two spots in the finals for Miss World Australia. So, what does it take to win?

What’s Going On? Journey to Canberra
The first in a series of how Canberra really works. Guest Hunters Jamila Rizvi and Rosie Waterland journey to the heart of Australian democracy to answer all the questions you’re thinking but not asking.

What’s in the Giftschrank?
What makes a book dangerous? Giftschranks or poison rooms were used to keep offensive literature from Hitler’s time in power after WW2. Ashlynne McGhee discovers that Australia has Giftschranks of its own, full of books deemed too dangerous for the general public.

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###Hello Stranger

From Friday 17 June

Hello Stranger is a contemporary snapshot of the people of Australia. We talk to people in the street… then follow one story home.

People pass each other every day, but rarely stop to say hello. It turns out that we are more complex, remarkable and much stranger than you’ve ever imagined.

Filming in all corners of the country, from Arnhem Land to the banks of the Murray river in SA, and from the housing commissions of Redfern to Caville Avenue in Surfers Paradise, Hello Stranger interviewed over 300 Australians cast directly off the streets.

Each episode begins with a vox pop asking a universal question to people across the country.

When have you broken the rules?; What are you addicted to?; How did you learn about sex?; Where do you feel most at home?; When have you gotten revenge?

Following one of the characters we interview on the street, Hello Stranger then takes the audience into the hidden personal worlds of contemporary Australians. This series is an unprecedented survey of the country as we are today. Real stories told by the strangers we meet.

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I was watching the 7pm Victorian news on the iView app on my phone, on the train home from the AFL at Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium tonight, when I noticed that closed captions are now available with the news. When the 7pm bulletins were first available 2-3 years ago, captions were not available.

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###Black As

From Monday 4 July

Off beat, off track and online…go bush with the Black As boys – Chico, Jerome, Dino and Joe, as they venture into the wilds of Arnhem Land, hunting for adventure and a good feed. Made by the team behind the acclaimed 2001 Bush Mechanics series, Black As features 24 x 5 minute episodes premiering on iview July 4th.

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###Wallander Series Binge

From Sunday 17 July

Kenneth Branagh stars as Kurt Wallander, a flawed but deeply human detective, in this series of captivating tales set in the dramatic and beautiful landscape of southern Sweden.

Based on the award winning Wallander novels by Henning Mankell, Kurt Wallander is a sensitive but brilliant detective – a man who takes on each murder case he works on personally and will stop at nothing in his search for the truth, even at the expense of his health and family life.

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###No Strings Attached - iview Exclusive

From Friday 22 July

This Melbourne-made web series peers beneath the covers of the exhilarating, at times awkward, world of dating apps. No Strings Attached recreates this world with puppets used to re-enact actual dating app dates as told by the people who’ve survived them.

This genre-bending mash-up sees documentary, comedy, drama and reality TV collide. It’s Crank Yankers meets Creature Comforts on the set of The Bachelor. This innovative, off-beat series features voice recordings of people relaying their tales of dating triumphs and woes in 5-7 minute vignettes. Their voices are then lipsynced by a cast of puppets who re-enact their dates for the screen.

The second season to the award-winning Tales from Tinder, No Strings Attached features diverse, dramatic, and daring tales of dating disasters and delights; from the shocking failures, bizarre revelations and embarrassing slip-ups, to the rare stories where true love is found.

This series features stories of people from all walks of life: from a dating app addict who swapped drugs for online dating; to the love sick existentialist who is brutally dumped; to the polyamorous man who gets more than he bargained for when he sets his wife up on a date with his Tinder girlfriend.

From Tinder to Grindr, RSVP to OK Cupid – online dating is no-longer a dirty word for many - it’s the norm. Whether using it for casual relationships or something more lasting, in the overly saturated market place of dating apps, people are encouraged to shop for their perfect match – but more often than not, users get more (sometimes less) than they bargained for.

On the surface, No Strings Attached is an entertaining comedy, but at its heart it’s a study of modern relationships as mediated by technology, and the surprising and awkward things that happen when we’re trying to connect with another human being.

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As of today, the ABC is now streaming all* of it’s channels live on iView: http://iview.abc.net.au/collection/live-streams

*Only Sydney/NSW versions for now but I’m sure that other market variations will eventually make it on there. Also, it must be said that the ABC’s main channel (again, the Sydney/NSW version only) has been streaming for several months now and I think ABC News 24 has been streaming ever since the channel was launched but don’t quote me on that!

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I tried to watch ABC News Victoria on iView tonight as I came home late from my trip to Sydney, but the clip was all green with little or no sound. I ended up watching the NSW bulletin instead.

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###When TV Was Awesome - iview Exclusive

Available Now

Old-school TV with a twist

This side-splittingly funny new 10-part series features television shows selected from the goldmine that is the ABC archive. Mastermind, Harry Butler in the Wild and Patrol Boat are just some of the gems that have been dusted off and creatively re-voiced, giving them the comedy makeover they deserve.

These short, sharp vignettes are from the imaginative and outrageous mind of award-winning comedy writer and performer Jason Marion (Rove Live, Dirty Laundry Live)

Episodes of When TV Was Awesome include:

• Bastard! – the game show where contestants must endure as many insults as they can to win.
• Man Boat – All hell breaks loose when a ship’s captain releases a rat to boost morale.

• Pumpkin Phun Tonight – before A Current Affair there was Pumpkin Phun.

• Harry Butler Gone Wild: Food – Hungry Harry is having a very bad day in the bush…

• Pastamind - 70s quiz show where the answer is always ‘pasta’. How hard could it be…?

When TV Was Awesome is an hilarious reimagining of our television history- irreverent, funny, satirical and sharable.

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###F*CKING ADELAIDE

OUTSTANDING AUSTRALIAN CAST COMMENCES MAKING A LONG STORY SHORT WITH CLOSER PRODUCTIONS’ F*CKING ADELAIDE

An outstanding Australian cast has been announced for F*CKING ADELAIDE, a 6-part comedy drama series for ABC iview . Headlined by AFI, Helpmann and Green Room Award-winning Australian icon Pamela Rabe (Wentworth, Cosi), Tilda Cobham-Hervey (52 Tuesdays, Barracuda, The Kettering Incident, Hotel Mumbai), Kate Box (Rake, The Little Death), and singer, songwriter, actor, Brendan McLean (The Great Gatsby, Tracks). Production commenced this week in - you guessed it - Adelaide.

F*CKING ADELAIDE is the new production from Closer Productions, the creative South Australian team and SAFC Seed company behind the groundbreaking and internationally award winning feature film 52 Tuesdays.

Commissioned by the ABC and Screen Australia through their Long Story Short initiative, F*CKING ADELAIDE was one of 6 successful projects out of 290 applicants. The series has received dditional funding from the South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC).

ABC will premiere F*CKING ADELAIDE online on its iview platform in 2017

Three close but disparate siblings reunite in Adelaide. But when they discover their mother is selling their childhood home, their middle class freedoms and sense of security is rocked and they are forced to confront a past that none of them can let go of. Each 12 minute episode is told through the unique point of view of one of the characters.

F*CKING ADELAIDE is directed by Sophie Hyde, produced by Rebecca Summerton and Sophie Hyde and written by Matthew Cormack and Matt Vesely.

Director/Producer Sophie Hyde said “It’s a total delight for me to work with this stunning ensemble cast and to be creating this funny, and at times heartbreaking series in our home- town and alongside the crew we know and trust. It’s refreshing to reclaim the jokes about Adelaide and laugh at ourselves while utilising all the things we relish about this city and speaking to the experience of family and home. We are also thrilled to partnering with our investors to create work for ABC’s ever more exciting digital platform ABC iview, which gives us the opportunity to be playful with the episodic form and allows audiences to watch whenever they want”

“The competition for Long Story Short was about as fierce as any funding round ever gets,” said Mike Cowap, Investment Manager, Screen Australia. “The Closer team shone through with this moving, profound, and hilariously well-observed story about family and place, ably supported by their rich body of previous work.”

Said ABC Head of Comedy Rick Kalowski, “F*cking Adelaide is one of the most innovative, sophisticated scripted shows ABC iview has yet commissioned, from one of the most talented production teams in the country. We’re thrilled to continue our collaboration with Screen Australia Multiplatform, and to renew ours with The South Australian Film Corporation, with whom we hope to work frequently in the next few years”.

CEO of the South Australian Film Corporation, Annabelle Sheehan said “Closer Productions is an innovative filmmaking collective who are part of a distinctly South Australian new wave of filmmakers. Their work represents a unique creative voice in the Australian screen landscape. Being selected as one of 6 projects from almost 300 applications confirms how dynamic and compelling South Australian stories are.”

All key creatives and Heads of Department are South Australian. The series will shoot from early December through to mid-January on location in Adelaide and South Australia.

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###Sammy J’s Playground Politics

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The ABC iview hit returns with a special show for Christmas Sammy J’s Playground Politics – Tis the Season to be Pollie

After capturing the nation’s hearts and Facebook accounts during the 2016 Federal election campaign, Sammy J, the self-proclaimed political tragic, returns with his latest installment of Sammy J’s Playground Politics – Tis The Season To Be Pollie.

It’s Christmas time in Canberra. Malcolm, Bill and all their friends have stuffed their stockings and our economy for another year, but who’s made it on Santa’s naughty or nice list? It’s time to deck the parliamentary halls with boughs of pollie, as Sammy J shares the Christmas spirit with the children of Australia, through carols, candy canes and taxpayer funded carrots for Rudolph. There’s never been a more exciting time to find out what our pollies are getting for Christmas!

5pm Monday 19 December on ABC iview

9pm Wednesday 21 December on ABC TV

10.50pm Wednesday 21 December on ABC2

10.30pm Thursday 22 December on ABC2

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###Three new comedies exclusive to ABC iview: Goober, Almost Midnight and Lost in Pronunciation

Three new 6 x 5minute narrative comedy web series, Goober, Almost Midnight and Lost in Pronunciation – all collaborations between ABC and the South Australian Film Corporation - will launch exclusively on ABC iview during the Christmas/New Year week. The series showcases new South Australian screen talent both on and behind the camera.

Goober is about Harry (Brendan Williams), a too-friendly Uber driver, convinced that every passenger will be his next best friend. Harry is on the autism spectrum, and spends his days bemusing and confusing his passengers - despite the support of his dad (Shane Jacobson), always just a hands-free phonecall away with encouragement and wisdom.

Harry is eternally optimistic, especially when it comes to Wendy (Ashton Malcolm), who works in the booth at Harry’s favourite drive-thru restaurant. Harry is convinced that any day now he and Wendy will be happily married. With a house. And six children. And a dog. All he has to do is summon the courage to talk to her about something other than ice-cream.

Goober comes to iview on Boxing Day. Written by Ben Crisp. Produced by Kirsty Stark. Directed by Brendon Skinner and Simon Williams. The show is from Epic Films - Screen Producers Association of Australia’s 2016 Breakthrough Business of the Year.

Almost Midnight is a coming-of-age romantic comedy, with each of the six episodes set a year apart against the backdrop of that glorious moment when boundless promise and uninhibited drunkenness combine – the final five minutes of New Year’s Eve. Dave (co-creator/writer and director Stephen Banham) wants a fairy-tale romance, but lacks the ability to meet or, more importantly, keep the woman of his dreams, Jen – especially when he’s hampered by the appalling advice of his best friend and self-professed ladies’ man, Acka (co-creator/writer Aaron Casey). Over six New Year’s Eves, we witness Dave’s growth from a bumbling wall-flower to a fully-matured man, comfortable in his own skin and ready for love. But when the clock strikes midnight, will he get his wish or turn into a pumpkin?

Almost Midnight comes to iview on Boxing Day. A We’re Not Boys Production. Producers: Alex Keay and Peta Bulsara.

Lost in Pronunciation is a ‘fish out of water’ comedy series from the award-winning and fast-rising comedian, Venezuelan born Ivan Aristeguieta. It premieres Sunday 1 January on ABC iview.

Lost in Pronunciation is the autobiographical story of a young man who escapes the dangers of Venezuela only to find himself in ‘the lucky country’s’ safest, friendliest state – South Australia. With the help of two Aussie housemates, lesbian tradie Tia (Lori Bell), and her hipster vegan brother Scott (Nic Krieg), Ivan learns that to become a permanent resident isn’t so much about ticking boxes on a form, but adapting to the strange and unique customs that we may take for granted, but make us truly Australian. Created and written by Ivan Aristeguieta and Chris McDonald. Produced by Julia DeRoeper. A collaboration between ABC iview, the South Australian Film Corporation and JDR Screen