FACTUAL & ARTS
A DOG’S WORLD
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Dogs were the first animal ever domesticated and this long-shared history has intertwined their biology with our own in ways we are only just beginning to understand.
Join ABC’s Tony Armstrong, as he presents A Dog’s World, a three-part series that seeks to understand our ever-evolving relationship with dogs.
Through genetics, neuroscience, behavioural and physiological research we uncover the mounting evidence on what makes dogs unique among animals and an unparalleled companion for humans.
The series uncovers fresh insights into the human-dog relationship, that will have us looking at our pooches in new ways
PRODUCTION CREDITS
A Wildbear Entertainment Production. Series Writer Roslyn Lawrence. Series Director
Emma Watts. Executive Producers: Kate Pappas, Alan Erson. ABC Executive Producer Leo Faber.
A LEAGUE OF HER OWN
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A League of Her Own follows the Queensland Maroons women’s team as they strive to achieve the extraordinary in one of the most physically demanding professional sports in Australia – rugby league.
But there is more to it than just the game – these elite athletes are also juggling family and careers as well as fighting for equal pay. And they have one chance to show they have something worth backing.
Featuring actuality, behind the scenes footage, intimate interviews and a rich array of archive, this documentary chronicles the team’s journey to the 2021 Women’s State of Origin. Stars Tahnee Norris, Karina Brown, Ali Brigginshaw.
PRODUCTION CREDITS
A WildBear Entertainment production for the ABC, with Principal Development and Investment from Screen Queensland and financed with support from the ABC. Directed by Tani Crotty.
Producer Veronica Fury. ABC Commissioning Editor Rachel Robinson.
BACK IN TIME FOR THE CORNER SHOP
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Hosted by Annabel Crabb this much-loved living-history series returns. This time with a twist, rewinding the beloved Ferrone family back in time to live through over 100 years of running a family-owned corner shop.
An institution for millions of Australians the humble corner shop was more than just a place to buy essential daily needs and tasty treats it was once at the heart of our community.
From meat pies to milkshakes, from salami to dim sims, from fads to frozen foods, this series will go beyond the family home into our neighbourhoods to tell the story of a changing Australia.
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Produced by Warner Bros. International Television Production for the ABC. Warner Bros.
Head of Entertainment Caroline Swift. ABC Factual Manager Julie Hanna. ABC Head of Factual and Culture Jennifer Collins.
CARBON – THE UNAUTHORISED BIOGRAPHY
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This is the ultimate story of Carbon, the most talked about but least understood element on earth. Carbon in nature, industry, culture, war and love. Carbon’s story is an epic journey from the death of a star to the birth of the modern world, towards an understanding of today’s most vital issues: energy, climate and survival.
Told through intimate testimonials from those who know Carbon deeply, we also hear Carbon’s story in her own words. As if unearthed from an ancient archive. Carbon finally has a voice.
Narrated in first person by Sarah Snook, Carbon tells of her birth in the violent core of an exploding star billions of years ago and of turbulent sagas through the fabric of our evolving Earth. With breathless exhilaration she uncovers that she is key to unlocking the evolution of all life forms, including us.
Carbon’s story reminds us that we are deeply connected with our planet. She reminds us of the profound beauty of the natural world and of our fleeting and humble participation in the most extraordinary story in the universe.
PRODUCTION CREDITS
A Genepool Productions and Handful of Films Production with principal Australian production investment from the ABC and Screen Australia in association with Film Victoria, CBC, Arte France, Umbrella Entertainment and TVF. Executive Producers Sonya Pemberton, Niobe Thompson, Ari Harrison. Producers Sonya Pemberton, Lucy Maclaren, Niobe Thompson. Directors Daniella Ortega and Niobe Thompson. Writer Daniella Ortega. ABC Manager Documentaries Stephen Oliver. ABC Head of Factual and Culture Jennifer Collins.
HARLEY & KATYA
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Indigenous Australian figure skater Harley Windsor was the poster boy for the Australian Winter Olympic Team.
Paired with Russian skater Katya Alexandrovskaya, this unlikely duo achieved unprecedented success on the ice before meeting with great tragedy.
Now Harley is alone in Moscow, contemplating his future. We retrace his steps to uncover the dark side of elite sport.
How far are we willing to go in the pursuit of Olympic glory?
PRODUCTION CREDITS
A feature documentary from Blayke Hoffman and Stranger Than Fiction for the ABC,
with principal production investment and development funding from Screen Australia in association with Screen NSW. Written and Directed by Selina Miles. Producers: Blayke Hoffman, Jo-anne McGowan, Aaliyah-Jade Bradbury. Executive Producer Jennifer Peedom.
ABC Commissioning Editor: Rachael Robinson
ISRAEL FOLAU
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This documentary is about Australia’s most gifted and controversial athlete, and how a social media post landed him at the heart of our culture wars, derailing campaigns and careers in the process.
A homophobic bigot to some, a persecuted freedom warrior to others, this is the first time Israel Folau’s story is examined in all its multilayered complexity.
PRODUCTION CREDITS
An In Films production for the ABC. Principal production funding from Screen Australia in association with the ABC. Developed with support from the Screen NSW Slate Development Fund. Director Nel Minchin. Producer Ivan O’Mahoney. ABC Commissioning Editor Jo Chichester.
ITHAKA: A FIGHT TO FREE JULIAN ASSANGE
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Filmed over two years across the UK, Europe and the US, this documentary follows 76-year-old retired builder, John Shipton’s tireless campaign to save his son, Julian Assange.
The world’s most famous political prisoner, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has become an emblem of an international arm wrestle over freedom of journalism, government corruption and unpunished war crimes.
Now facing a 175-year sentence if extradited to the US, the family are confronting the prospect of losing Julian forever to the US justice system.
This David-and-Goliath struggle is personal. With Julian’s health declining in a British maximum-security prison and American government prosecutors attempting to extradite him to face trial in the US, the clock is ticking.
Weaving historic archive and intimate behind-the-scenes footage, this story tracks John’s journey alongside Julian’s fiancée, Stella Moris as they join forces to advocate for Assange. We witness John embark on a European odyssey to rally a global network of supporters, advocate to politicians and cautiously step into the media’s glare - where he is forced to confront events that made Julian Assange a global flashpoint.
PRODUCTION CREDITS
A Shipton House Production. Principal production funding from Screen Australia in association with Film Victoria. Written and Directed by Ben Lawrence. Produced by Gabriel Shipton and Adrian Devant. Executive Producer Roger Savage. Original Music by Brian Eno. ABC Manager
of Documentary Stephen Oliver. Head of Factual and Culture Jennifer Collins.
MEET THE PENGUINS
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In this one-hour natural history film, Dr Ann Jones takes us to meet the world’s smallest penguins, living on the southern coastline of Australia.
From the world’s most famous penguin parade on Phillip Island to the penguins lives in the city suburb of St Kilda, we meet key characters who over the next six months will attempt to complete their mission: to stake their territory, partner up and raise their chicks.
Warm, surprising, revelatory and uplifting, Meet the Penguins shows us that whilst the Little Penguins may be the world’s smallest penguin, they might just be the toughest too!
PRODUCTION CREDITS
A Northern Pictures production in association with the ABC. Financed with the assistance of Screen NSW, Film Victoria and Screen Australia. Executive Producer Karina Holden. Line Producer Anna Mantzoros. Senior Production Supervisor Kate Bailey. ABC Manager
of Documentary Stephen Oliver. Head of Factual and Culture Jennifer Collins.
MIRIAM MARGOLYE’S AUSTRALIA UNMASKED
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The very funny, very naughty Miriam Margolyes is finally out of lockdown and heading back home to Australia
She’s once again packing up the campervan and striking out on the road in search of answers. Over three episodes, Miriam seeks to understand what the “fair go” means in Australia today, and how it is playing out in the diverse lives of her fellow citizens. Covid has exposed fault-lines – including in Miriam’s own understanding of her place in the world.
She was about to come home, when first bushfires and then the pandemic, turned everything on its head. Like thousands of fellow Australians stuck overseas, she’s been yearning to return.
But what is she returning to? From the outlaws to the Establishment, millennials to boomers, Miriam immerses herself in lives rarely seen on our screen. Now eighty, more fragile but more fearless, Miriam takes a deep dive into Australia behind the mask.
PRODUCTION CREDITS
A Southern Pictures Production with principal production investment from Screen Australia in association with ABC. Financed with support from Screen NSW. Series Director Ash Davies. Series Producer Bethan Arwyn. Executive Producer Laurie Critchley. ABC Executive Producer Leo Faber.
MUSTER DOGS
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Spanning the red earth of the Top End to the green pastures of regional Victoria, Muster Dogs is a 4x1 hour character-driven series featuring
five graziers from across Australia, each of whom has been given a Kelpie puppy from the same litter to train up to be a muster dog.
Checking in with the puppies at key milestones, our training gurus and mustering experts will set challenges and assess the pups’ progress.
Our journey to train these uniquely Australian dogs is an emotional ride into the farmers’ lives and a deeper understanding of the unique bond between human and dog.
PRODUCTION CREDITS
An Ambience Entertainment production for the ABC with production investment from Screen Queensland and financed with support from the ABC. Original Concept by Michael Boughen. Series Director Monica O’Brien. Directors: Michael Boughen, Sally Browning and David Wallace. Producers: Monica O’Brien and Michael Boughen. Co-producer John Unwin. ABC Executive Producer Rachel Robinson. ABC Manager, Screen Jo Chichester. International Distributor
ABC Commercial.
NINGALOO WITH TIM WINTON
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Celebrated author Tim Winton takes us on a lyrical and passionate exploration of Ningaloo, on Australia’s North West Cape - a haven for unique and endangered species and one of the last pristine suite of ecosystems on the planet.
A remote and ‘living ark’ of biodiversity where the forces of nature are still the most powerful shaping influence.
Ningaloo has been a long-time inspiration for Tim’s life and his work, and on this very personal journey he seeks to learn more about how this unique place came to be, how its local and global connections combine to create such a rare island of biodiversity as well as what such a place might tell us about our future.
For Tim, it’s a place that enriches humanity - and his exploration of it will astonish, inspire, and delight.
PRODUCTION CREDITS
An Artemis Media Production in association with Matter of Factual with major production funding from Screenwest, Lotterywest and the Western Australia Screen Fund in association with Screen Australia. Financed with support from the ABC and Love Nature. Writer Tim Winton. Director/Co-producer/Co-writer Peter Rees. Line Producer Karen Williams. Executive Producer Celia Tait. ABC Manager, Documentaries Stephen Oliver. ABC Head of Factual and Culture Jennifer Collins.
OLD PEOPLE’S HOME FOR TEENAGERS
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The success of Old People’s Home For 4 Year Olds has paved the way for a bunch of bigger kids to join a bold ground-breaking experiment as Old People’s Home For Teenagers debuts.
Presumed polar-opposites, older people and teens in fact have much in common. Both can experience loneliness and isolation impacting their health and wellbeing.
Having seen how intergenerational care can impact the health and happiness of older Australians, we will witness a new perspective, and test if casting aside pre-conceived notions and spending quality time together can help both teenagers and older Australians live more fulfilling lives.
Can sharing seemingly everyday tasks from cooking to technology build the connection needed to improve the overall wellbeing, confidence and mood of both age groups?
There will be frustrations and short fuses. Will the teens gain tools for resilience? Will self-esteem rise as feelings of loneliness fall?
This incredible social experiment is not to be missed.
PRODUCTION CREDITS
An Endemol Shine Australia production made in association with the ABC.
Series Producer Brooke Hulsman. Executive Producer Debbie Cuell. ABC Manager of Factual Julie Hanna. Head of Factual and Culture Jennifer Collins.
REBUILDING MALLACOOTA
Working title
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After a bushfire almost wiped them off the face of the earth, can a ragtag band of citizens from a deeply divided community overcome their differences and seize control of their own destiny to come back from the brink?
Rebuilding Mallacoota (w/t) is an intimate character-led observational documentary series that chronicles a real-life experiment in self- determination taking place in the bushfire-ravaged Victorian coastal community of Mallacoota.
Inspired by the fleeting unity its residents felt while fighting the fires side by side, Mallacoota’s citizens aren’t waiting around for bureaucrats and outsiders to save their community - they’re putting aside their differences and coming together to rebuild themselves before it’s too late.
But in a small town that’s long been riven by feuds and deep divisions, will this turn out to be a shining example of grassroots democracy in action or a one-way ticket to a world of pain and anguish?
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Produced by Renegade Films with principal production investment from ABC and Screen Australia in association with Film Victoria. Produced by Joe Connor, Lucy Maclaren and Ken Connor. Series Director Tony Jackson. ABC Manager of Documentaries Stephen Oliver. ABC Head of Factual and Culture Jennifer Collins
SOUTHERN OCEAN LIVE
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Australia’s Southern Ocean is a wild and dramatic place - full of charismatic creatures and the perfect place for the ABC’s next live adventure. Southern Ocean Live will be a blockbuster night of natural history, broadcast live, from the icy depths of our winter seas.
Our hosts Hamish Macdonald and Dr Ann Jones, will be located at Penguin Parade, on Phillip Island in Victoria. During this extraordinary night of broadcast, we will witness stories about whales, great white sharks, cuttlefish, albatross along our great southern coastline.
We will learn how the southern coastline of Australia is warming and changing four times faster than anywhere in the world, and what this means for scientists trying to protect fragile ecosystems.
Southern Ocean Live promises big creatures, big science and big thrills, as we take the audience on a live adventure that’s as wild as it gets.
PRODUCTION CREDITS
A Northern Pictures production in association with the ABC. Financed with the assistance of Screen NSW, Film Victoria and Screen Australia. Series Director and Executive Producer Karina Holden. Live Producer Kirsty Bradmore. Senior Production Supervisor Kate Bailey.
ABC Manager of Documentary Stephen Oliver. ABC Head of Factual and Culture Jennifer Collins
SPACE 22
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Does creativity have the power to help reach into spaces that are beyond words?
Recording artist Natalie Bassingthwaighte believes so. Natalie will bring together seven strangers, each with their own mental health struggles, in an ambitious experiment to test if the simple act of participating in art can help heal invisible wounds.
Joining them in a unique workspace, Space 22, across three different art disciplines will be well known Australian artists Abdul Abdulla, Wendy Sharpe and Eddie Perfect.
Every year 1 in 5 Australians experience symptoms of mental illness, with roughly 60% of us not seeking help. Working with the Black Dog Institute, Professor Kathryn Boydell will be measuring the results. Supported by psychotherapist Noula Diamantopoulos, many in the group will be experiencing visual and performing arts for the first time.
The hope is that by being creative, together, it will have a positive impact on their health and wellbeing.
PRODUCTION CREDITS
An original BBC Studios ANZ production for the ABC. Series Producer Bev Shroot.
Executive Producers: Kylie Washington, Anita Jorgensen and Ariel White. ABC Factual Manager Julie Hanna. ABC Head of Factual and Culture Jennifer Collins. Distributed by BBC Studios.
THE EXHIBITIONISTS
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A night accidentally locked into the National Gallery of Australia,
sends four female actors, (Bessie Holland, Mandy McElhinney, Bridie Carter, and Veronica Milsom), on a caper as they uncover a new perspective on Australian Art.
Searching for a way out of the hallowed halls, they sneak behind the scenes and are confronted by the fact that only 25% of art works in the Australian collection are by female artists. As the night progresses, they uncover scandalous tales of sexism and forgotten works of art. Outraged, they are inspired to bring work by female artists out of the shadows, and into the light.
The Exhibitionists is both a playful and profound docu-comedy, celebrating women in the arts. The film is inspired by the NGA’s Know My Name initiative and will broadcast on International Women’s Day in 2022.
PRODUCTION CREDITS
A Northern Pictures production. Financed with the assistance of the National Gallery of Australia in association with the ABC. Financed with the assistance of Screen NSW. Writer and Executive Producer Karina Holden. Drama Director Helena Brooks. Script Editor Eloise Healey. ABC Executive Producer Kalita Corrigan. ABC Manager Factual Julie Hanna. ABC Head of Factual and Culture Jennifer Collins.
THE FAMILY COURT MURDERS
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Helmed by Walkley award-winning investigative journalist Debi Marshall, The Family Court Murders takes a deep dive into the shocking events surrounding the 1980s NSW Family Court bombings and murders. Crimes that rocked the nation.
PRODUCTION CREDITS
A Media Stockade and Said and Done Production. Series Director Chris Thorburn. Producers: Madeleine Hetherton-Miau, Rebecca Barry and Debi Marshall. Executive Producer Mark Morrissey. ABC Commissioning Editor Stephen Oliver. International Distribution Flame Distribution.
TINY OZ
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Celebrating history and craft in equal measure. Comedian Jimmy Rees and tiny artist JoAnne Bouzianis-Sellick reveal tiny Australia, through the extraordinary crafts people who lovingly obsess over teensy details, as they re-create remarkable moments in our nation’s history, in glorious miniature.
Local artisans across Australia accept the challenge to hand build tableaus representing intriguing events that have all but vanished from living memory. Recreated in miniature include; the once bustling lawless pearling town of Broome, a hot air balloon launch that fascinated and scandalised the people of Adelaide and the hundreds of exotic animals that were escorted through Sydney streets across the harbour, en route to their brand-new home at Taronga Zoo.
PRODUCTION CREDITS
A Northern Pictures production in association with the ABC. Featuring Jimmy Rees and JoAnne Bouzianis-Sellick. Series Producer and Director Tosca Looby. Executive Producer Karina Holden. ABC Executive Producer Kalita Corrigan. ABC Factual Manager Julie Hanna. Head of Factual and Culture Jennifer Collins.
WHITELEY ON TRIAL
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Whiteley on Trial (In Films) interrogates the biggest case of alleged art fraud in Australian history.
When Melbourne dealer Peter Gant and conservator Aman Siddique find themselves accused of forging and selling three paintings as authentic works of modern art royal Brett Whiteley, the pair are convicted by a jury in what at first appears to be an open and shut case.
But with the judge himself rendering the verdict ‘unsafe,’ the conviction is quickly overturned on appeal, leaving art observers in disbelief. By interviewing key players in the trial and with access to original case materials, this two-part series follows the captivating twists and turns of a monumental saga, asking what price our cultural heritage paid in the process.
PRODUCTION CREDITS
An In Films production for the ABC, developed with support from the Screen NSW Slate Development Fund with production investment from Screen NSW and financed with support from the ABC. Director Yaara Bou Melhem. Producer Ivan O’Mahoney. Associate Producer Georgia Quinn. Executive Producers: Ivan O’Mahoney & Nial Fulton. ABC Executive Kalita Corrigan. ABC Manager Documentaries Stephen Oliver. ABC Head of Factual & Culture Jennifer Collins.