ABC drama The Newsreader will get a third season with Screen Australia announcing funding for another instalment of the series.
The second season is currently airing on Sunday nights, and the whole season is available for binge viewing on iView. The show follows the staff at a commercial television station as they cover the big news stories, fulfill their career ambitions and work to keep their personal secrets under wraps.
Views have been enthralled by the tale of ambitious newsreader Helen Norville and her struggles with mental health, up-and comer Dale Jennings – who lives in fear of his bisexuality being discovered, and veteran newsreader Geoff Walters who is struggling to remain relevant in a fast-changing world.
The Screen Australia announcement says all the key creatives who write and produce the series will be back onboard for the third instalment. The show is based around real life historical events which so far have included the Challenger disaster, the Australian bicentennial, the Hoddle Street massacre, and the release of Lindy Chamberlain.
It’s likely the next season will be set in the late 1980’s which might see it include big events such as the opening of parliament house, the launch of the Liberal party’s controversial One Australia policy, the Walsh Street police shootings, the pilot strike,
It’s just one of a series of television show and feature films that have been approved for funding by Screen Australia. Other projects including a feature film about Constance Wilde, the wife of writer Oscar Wilde. Game of Thrones star Emelia Clarke is set to star.
He Ain’t Heavy, a feature film from WA director David Vincent Smith has also been funded. It tells the story of a 30-year-old woman who puts her drug-addicted brother into a home-made rehab facility constructed in her grandparents back garden.
Arts Minister Tony Burke said the list of projects funded showed there was a huge amount of creativity in the Australian screen industry.
“These projects speak to the incredible breadth, quality and relatability of Australian stories. Australia’s screen sector is something we should all be proud of. Australian stories allow us to learn more about ourselves, come to understand each other and let the world get to know us. The Australian Government is proud to support an empowered and innovative Australian screen industry.” Burke said.
OIP Staff
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