Ian Thorpe doco and SBS Cronulla riots investigation get Screen Australia funding
An ABC documentary about Olympic swimmer Ian Thorpe directed by Gregor Jordan is one of the films to receive funding from Screen Australia.
Jordan, who directed Ned Kelly and Two Hands, followed Thorpe as the swimmer made his failed comeback for the 2012 London Olympics.
The project, Ian Thorpe: The Swimmer is produced for the ABC by Jordan Helen Panckhurst, Michael Hilliard, Simone Kessell and executive producer Rob Galluzzo.
Five documentaries have received funding from the national screen agency, two from the National Documentary Program and three from the General Documentary Program.
Excellent, more public money going to millionaire Thorpie.
Hmmm, an SBS doco on what went wrong at Cronulla … that will be about as balanced as a see-saw with a fat man on one end and a baby on the other.
any funding for interesting documentaries. on events that are happening now?? more revisions of the past, paid for by the public!
Hey.. I’m interested in watching the SBS doco on Cronulla riots.. can you please tell me how and when we can watch it? is it just online or it will be broadcasted on SBS?
@zumabeach, what kind of balance are you looking for?
Sou, I imagine the SBS doco on the Cronulla riots hasn’t finished being produced yet.
Dan, how do you figure that the public money will be going to Ian Thorpe? It is a documentary ABOUT him. It is not produced by him, or directed by him. He may get an appearance fee – though that is not common in docos.
If you want to grind your “we’re wasting tax payers money” axe, please grind it somewhere else as you clearly have NFI how TV programmes are made.
Let me guess that SBS doco will paint all non-Muslims as bogans and all Muslims in the riot as victims. It’s far more complex and non-PC than that.
i think the point is why “public money” is spent on “Sports Star” documentary.
Rather than a Commercial Sponsor; – which IS how most TV programs are made.
the Public money is offering publicity to Mr Thorpe, mostly likely leading to more “endorsements” and sponsorship/s.
I would pay to see a documentary about a see-saw with a fat man on one end and a baby on the other. Maybe See-Saw films could produce.
Yes, doubtless the SBS doco will paint people throwing beer bottles at cops as bogans……..the bias is shocking.
Apologies that I don’t own the sarcasm font.
Yes, doubtless the SBS doco will paint the guy who tried to protect his girlfriend from revenge seeking idiots, who then stabbed him five times and kicked his head in for his trouble, as a bogan as well … if they bother to track him down, of course. The Cronulla riot was brought on by an on-going number of racist incidents, sparked on both sides of the fence, but the history of SBS docos is that they take one point of view – inevitably not that of big bad western society – and push it to the max. Okay if that’s what they want to do but they immediately alienate any potential mainstream audience. Still, they don’t have to worry about that as we, the taxpayers, are largely picking up the bill. Yes, I know, the tabloid trash shows on the commercial networks give it to asylum seekers, migrants, dole bludgers, used car salesmen etc … but if you’ve been around the media long enough you know it’s all about sparking a reaction, any sort of reaction from any side of the debate. Sorry to say but I do own the sarcasm font.
I would love to see Government funding that went to something current and edgy. Something with risk. Why not if it guaranteed return?