Emerging genre filmmakers get a shot at the brass ring with a new development fund.
Good news for wannabe filmos, and in the current cultural climate you could probably use some. Wake in Fright Trust, along with Umbrella Entertainment, Sanctuary Pictures, and AACTA have launched the Wake in Fright Development Initiative. This spankin’ new national film development program is stumping up $30,000 worth of funding and hands-on development for the winning script, which should keep nascent screenwriters in instant ramen and box wine for a good few weeks.
Yes, script; specifically, a thriller, horror, or general genre script. Named for Wake in Fright, the ball-tearing 1971 film directed by the late Ted Kotcheff that’s getting a sweet 4K release from Umbrella in the near future, the initiative aims to support and, dare we say, reinvigorate Australia’s long and proud tradition of deeply upsetting but irresistibly fascinating genre flicks. you know: Razorback, The Babadook, Wolf Creek, Mad Max. Look, go watch Not Quite Hollywood if you need a refresher.
Entries open on July 1 and are open to all Australian writers. Applications from women, First Nations people, culturally and linguistically diverse folks, practitioners with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ artists, and filmmakers based in regional areas are strongly encouraged to throw their hats into the ring. And the good news is they’re only after a pitch and a treatment at this stage. Time to dig into those half finished drafts, gang.
Frontieres executive director Annick Mahnert, WME agent Jonah Rabb, and No Coincidence Media CEO Mitch Stanley are on hand to cast a critical eye over submissions, with more to be announced.
Over at IF, Umbrella general manager and Sanctuary Pictures producer Ari Harrison noted that accessibility and ease of entry is the name of the game, saying “I understand how tough the development funding side can be, and that road can be really time consuming if you get knocked back.
“It could be 6-9 months of waiting and doing nothing when you could be working, so we definitely try and encourage people to get working on their own.
“State agencies do have certain quotas they need to fill and boxes they need to tick [with funding] but ours is somewhat a commercial focus and avenue, as well as what we think can actually get made.
“That’s why we’ll help from a distribution lens as well.”
That’s incredible news for the Australian film community.
Entries for the Wake in Fright Development Initiative are open from July 1 – August 12, 2025, with the October 9. Shoot over to AACTA for more info. In the mean time, check out the trailer for Umbrella’s stunning restoration.
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