From the Tampa crisis to Tina Arena’s life in song and the man behind the “succulent Chinese meal”, Screen Australia has today committed $5.6 million to 44 documentary projects bound for broadcasters, streamers and online platforms.
Several major titles already have network backing, led by ABC’s three-part series TAMPA: The Ship That Turned the Tide, SBS commissions including Empire In Colour and Ray Martin is Misinformed, Nine’s true crime revisit Outback Terror: The Falconio Murder, and Seven’s feature portrait Tina Arena: Unravel Me.
Many projects also have international distribution partners attached, signalling strong global interest in Australian factual storytelling.
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The slate ranges from viral internet folklore to natural history, music legends and social issues, spanning both traditional broadcast commissions and digital-first productions aimed at online audiences.
The announcement covers projects at both production and development stages, forming one of the first major documentary funding slates of the year.
Richard Huddleston, Screen Australia’s Head of Documentary, says the latest funding slate highlights the ambition and diversity of Australia’s factual storytelling sector (image – C21)
Screen Australia Head of Documentary Richard Huddleston said the breadth of subjects highlights a sector pushing boundaries while remaining distinctly Australian in voice.
“From brave historical interrogations and intimate character studies to timely geopolitical examinations, natural history epics and fresh digital first storytelling, these stories reflect a sector unafraid to innovate and to speak with authentic and diverse voices.”
Among the most prominent projects, TAMPA: The Ship That Turned the Tide revisits the 2001 maritime standoff that reshaped national politics, while Empire In Colour uses colourised archival footage to examine the legacy of the British Empire.
Seven’s Tina Arena: Unravel Me charts five decades of the singer’s career, and the Nine backed Outback Terror: The Falconio Murder reopens one of Australia’s most haunting crimes.
Elsewhere, Ray Martin is Misinformed explores truth in the digital age, while Shaun Micallef’s Going for Broke tackles the nation’s relationship with gambling for the ABC.
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The lineup also leans into distinctive Australian culture, including The Man Who Ate a Succulent Chinese Meal, which unpacks the life behind the viral arrest video, and music feature Howzat! The Story of Sherbet.
Environmental, community and First Nations stories feature strongly through projects such as Testimony, Arrernte Boxing: A Community’s Fight and the nuclear history documentary Atomic Paradise.
Digital audiences are also catered for, with YouTube series Tastes of Africa and social media wildlife project The Wombat Guy among those supported.
Full list of funded documentary productions (February 2026):
Projects with broadcasters attached
TAMPA: The Ship That Turned the Tide – ABC
Empire In Colour – SBS
Ray Martin is Misinformed – SBS
Homeless 300 – SBS
The Hunt for the Last Nazis – SBS
Untitled CJZ Documentary (football history) – SBS
Saltwater Cowboys of Shark Bay – NITV
Shaun Micallef’s Going for Broke – ABC
Outback Terror: The Falconio Murder – Channel 9 / UKTV
Tina Arena: Unravel Me – Channel 7
Other funded productions
Atomic Paradise
Tell Me No Lies: The Real John Pilger
Rolf Harris: Primetime Predator
Arrernte Boxing: A Community’s Fight
The Man Who Ate a Succulent Chinese Meal
Dance for Your Life
We Are the Ones
Untitled Lune Project (ultra processed foods)
Howzat! The Story of Sherbet
Testimony
Untitled Wild Pacific Media Production (natural history)
The Wombat Guy
Tastes of Africa
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Development funding highlights include
This is Amy Taylor (Amyl and the Sniffers frontwoman)
MOONSHOT (hybrid climate satire documentary)
Many of the newly funded projects are expected to roll out across Australian screens and platforms over the coming years as production ramps up.
Read more on the newly funded projects HERE.
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