The decline in locally made film and television can be traced back to the removal of federal government quotas for local children’s television on free-to-air commercial networks in 2020. It prefaced Australian children’s content falling off a cliff with a 84 per cent decrease occurring between 2019 and 2022,according to Australian Communications and Media Authority data.
Aside from a smattering of shows – includingSurviving Summer andEddie’s Lil’ Homies on Netflix – streaming services have not picked up the slack.
Australian-made family-friendly film and television was thriving in the years before quotas were ditched with a swathe of popular titles released between 2010 and 2020 includingLittle Lunch,The InBESTigators,Oddball andPaper Planes.
Film producer Jo Werner,whose company was bought by the BBC this month and has a slew of young adult and family titles to her name includingSurviving Summer,Dance Academy andCrazy Fun Park,says the industry needs better support.
“I would absolutely love to see more family films made,” she says. “Because of the streamers,it’s mostly international shows and movies that we’re watching. I think Australia does incredibly well in kids’ television,and a lot of those shows extend to being family viewing.
“A lot of them are written for kids and older kids’ audiences,but then find that family viewing as well. So I think it’s something that we do well,but it’s something that we need to fiercely protect because it’s expensive to make,and so we really do need the support of the networks and the streamers to make sure that more is made.”
Capturing the imaginations and eyeballs of parents and kids – a demographic spanning anywhere from six to 60 – is no easy task. For Werner,diversity in the age of writers is essential in creating layered humour and appeal.
“For something likeSurviving Summer,we will have younger,emerging writers and we really love to give first-time writers a shot at a script and to really make sure that we’ve got that authentic view,the voice of the characters,” she says.
Best family shows on free to air and streaming services right now
Bluey (ABC)
At first glance,it’s an animated show for little kids. But the multi-layered humour is exquisitely crafted for parents,children and absolutely anyone who’s been part of a family. Two new episodes will air on April 7 and 14.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Disney+)
Based on the best-selling series by Rick Riordan,the series follows 12-year-old demigod,Percy Jackson,and his friends as they go on a quest to restore order to Olympus. Many Harry Potter-esque fantasy and action scenes,and much to be learned about Greek mythology.
Windcatcher (Stan)
Set in a remote country town,this Australian film follows an indigenous boy as he takes on the school bullies. Percy Boy’s adventures are as much about friendship as they are about family. Premieres March 28.
Crazy Fun Park (ABC)
There were raised eyebrows when this little-known Australian series won the Logie for Most Outstanding Children’s Program overBluey last year. But it’s for good reason. A mesh of genres including horror and comedy,the show centres on best friends Chester and Mapplethorpe who encounter a pack of ghouls at an abandoned theme park.
Barbie (Apple TV+)
There may be a few innuendos parents need to explain,butBarbie is rated PG because it’s mostly good fun. The messages around feminism have polarised some viewers,with some saying it goes too far by objectifying men and others who found it hugely inspiring.
Taylor Swift Eras Tour (Disney+)
Fresh off the Swift mania that struck Australia last month,this concert-film gives fans an extra three and a half hours of footage. Promoted as “Taylor’s cut”,it features four songs not shown in theatres when it was released last year and four unseen acoustic performances.
“But we also love the experience of older writers in the room and writers who are parents,because they will be audience members as well,and so that helps us to layer in storylines and jokes and appealing things to different ages.”
Nailing a sense of verisimilitude whilst handling thorny topics in a sensitive way is key to keeping family viewers watching.
A set of golden rules guided screenwriter Boyd Quakawoot as he penned the new Stan filmWindcatcher,which touches on death and grief. He watched a number of movies tackling death in families,such asBridge to Terabithia,The Mighty andA Monster Calls.
“It was just to see how they deal with death in those situations because I didn’t want to make the scenes too scary or too intense for kids. It’s got to be enough that they get it,but they’re not afraid of it,which is a big thing I think.”
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Windcatcher is the story of Percy Boy,played by Lennox Monaghan,and his friends who try to win the local school sports day title from a group of grade five bullies. Starring Pia Miranda,Jessica Mauboy and Kelton Pell,the film is the first co-commission between Stan and ACTF.
Quakawoot said it’s a great step for locally made family content and indigenous writers like himself.
“For me,personally,withWindcatcher being made it’s a big plus and I think for indigenous writers as well,that people want to take chances in the marketplace,like Stan and ACTF,about putting stories with indigenous people,especially young indigenous people,like those kids out there as well,” he says.
With a background in social services and a treasure trove of memories from his childhood,Quakawoot said there are plenty more stories he hopes to tell.
“I would love to actually do a sequel toWindcatcher because I think there’s a lot of potential in Percy Boy’s story and his friends as well,” he says.
“When I write things,I try to go for three things;humour,heart and the bittersweet. When you see them,it doesn’t matter that you’re a kid or an adult,it touches you and it resonates with you.”
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