Fresh Blood 2024: Sorting the middling from the good and the bad

It’s press release time!

ABC and Screen Australia announce Fresh Blood projects set for production

The ABC and Screen Australia are delighted to announce the next stage of the Fresh Blood initiative, with three projects being selected to move into production.

Each team will receive $400,000 in funding ($200,000 from the ABC and $200,000 from Screen Australia) for the production of a 30-minute pilot, reflecting a continued commitment to supporting emerging Australian talent and innovative storytelling.

The three projects were selected from a highly-competitive pool and showcase the calibre of new and diverse voices within the Australian screen industry.

Rachel Millar, ABC Head of Entertainment said, “The ABC is thrilled to be moving into pilot stage for the next round of Fresh Blood. We were so impressed with the ingenuity, diversity, and production value in the stage 1 short form. We can’t wait to see their truly ‘fresh’ storytelling come to fruition in long form and we’re excited to be once again partnering with Screen Australia on this fantastic initiative.”

Lee Naimo, Head of Online and Games Screen Australia said, “Building on the success of the previous Fresh Blood initiatives, we’re proud to support these three teams and their exciting projects to move into production on their pilots, promising to bring fresh perspectives to Australian audiences. These projects exemplify the creativity and diversity that the Fresh Blood initiative aims to champion.”

The successful projects are:

• Going Under: A comedy-drama that explores the lies people tell to save face, grieving for something not yet lost, and not disappointing Mum. Written by Lauren Bonner and Danielle Walker and produced by Craig Ivanoff and Saskia Vaneveld. The story is set in a town on the brink of destruction. As the protagonist gets reacquainted, she falls back in love with the community she had left behind. Going Under is about personal growth and the connection between individuals and their communities.
• Urvi Went to an All Girls School: A coming-of-age comedy-drama set in 2010 Melbourne. Directed by Nina Oyama and written by Urvi Majumdar, Nina Oyama, Rohan Ganju and Suren Jayemanne, this story follows the journey of a teenage girl determined to become an actress despite her traditional Indian family’s wishes. Produced by Lauren Nichols with executive producers Michelle Buxton, Urvi Majumdar and Chris Mcdonald, Urvi Went to an All Girls School, asks audiences how far they’d go to follow a dream — defying cultural expectations in the uniquely heightened environment of a selective all-girls school.
• Westerners: Immerses viewers in the vibrant, multicultural milieu of Western Sydney. Directed by Munasib T Hamid and co-written by Kevin Duo Han and Mark Mariano, the story follows three young adults navigating the challenges of their unfulfilling jobs while contending with cultural clashes and personal dilemmas. Produced by Monique Mulcahy and executive produced by Max Miller, Georgia Mappin and Sam Lingham, Westerners combines humour with a surrealist style, depicting the characters’ struggles and comedic escapades in a culturally diverse environment – exploring themes of identity, community and the quest for meaning.

It’s always fun when a press release puts the word ‘fresh’ in (sarcastic?) quotation marks so we don’t have to.

Seriously, though, is there anyone out there who thinks these were the three most deserving of this year’s Fresh Blood pilots? If we were ranking them in order of how funny they were, these three would be solidly in the middle. They were neither laugh-out-loud hilarious nor obviously dreadful. They were neither edgy nor downright dull. They had some laughs, but don’t worry folks, there’s a bit of relatable drama in there too (two of them are “coming of age” shows and one is about being challenged by a natural disaster).

Given the current state of ABC comedy, which is to play it as safe as possible whilst having one eye on potential international sales, this makes sense. And if you want a good laugh, hey, at least the ABC’s one remaining, actually funny sitcom is back next month!