Screenwest and the ABC are pleased to announce Deighties: Dating in Your Eighties, Old Dog, New Tricks and Monumental are the three successful WA formats heading into development as part of the ABC Factual Formats Initiative.
Launched earlier this year, the ABC Factual Formats Initiative is a major Western Australian joint initiative designed to discover the next great returnable factual series out of Western Australia.
The three formats will be developed over the coming months with at least one going into production in Western Australia later this year, for broadcast on ABC iview and the family friendly 8pm Tuesday primetime slot on ABC TV in 2023.
The three successful WA formats are:
Deighties: Dating in Your Eighties
A diverse group of single octogenarians embarks on a quest to find love in a confronting new world of modern dating.
- Format: 6 x 30 minutes
- Production Company: Feisty Dame Productions & Alpenhorn
- Key Creatives:
- Executive Producer: Donna Andrews
- Producers: Tania Chambers & Pascal Mercay
- Development Producers: Brendan Hutchens and Rose Grandile-Pizzi
- Director: Mason Fleming
- Created by: Pascal Mercay & Mason Fleming
Old Dog, New Tricks
Mental ill-health and loneliness in Australia have increased to pandemic levels, so have dogs in pounds. A solution is: a mutual rescue. Dog behaviourist Laura V rehabilitates dogs on death row and pairs them with a family in need.
- Format: 6 x 30 minutes
- Production Company: Artemis Media
- Key Creatives:
- Executive Producers: Celia Tait & Nia Pericles
Monumental
Aussie communities build a monument to celebrate their town with Australia and the world! It’s big, it’s bold, it’s… monumental.
- Format: 6 x 30 minutes
- Production Company: Catch & Release
- Key Creatives:
- Executive Producer & Creator: Nathan Gibbs
- Co-Producer: Andrew Farrell
“We were inundated with imaginative and premium format ideas, which made the selection process incredibly competitive. I’m so pleased with the three formats we’ve selected and look forward to seeing one of them go into production in WA later this year.” said Paul Williams, Screenwest Documentary Executive.
“We’re thrilled to be working on this initiative with our colleagues in the West, and a congratulations to the successful projects selected for development for ABC iview and primetime. Not only were there an impressive number of applications but the quality was outstanding. I look forward to seeing these three develop further over coming months.” said ABC Acting Director Entertainment & Specialist, Jennifer Collins.
Western Australia has produced a number of fantastic documentaries which have been broadcast on the ABC including Will Australia Ever Have A Black Prime Minister?, Laura’s Choice, Don’t Stop the Music, Girl Like You, A Friend in Death, Jaimen Hudson: From Sky to Sea, The Fathering Project, Who’s Been Sleeping in My House? as well as the upcoming art documentary Walking Man (2022) and major three-part documentary series Ningaloo with Tim Winton (2023).
