The ACTF has released its Annual Report, outlining its corporate governance, production funding, education, outreach and financial performance for 2018 – 2019.

This year two live action dramas completed production and were delivered to the ABC. Hardball and The Inbestigators both launched on ABC ME and iview at the end of the financial year, with outstanding viewing figures, demonstrating how highly children and families enjoy and value Australian stories. The ABC reported very strong viewing figures for both shows, describing Hardball as one of its best digital performers. The Inbestigators made its international debut on Netflix, available in 31 languages across 189 countries.

The second season of Little J and Big Cuz also went into production and a four-part series, First Day, began filming at the end of the 2018 – 2019 financial year. The series is based on the short of the same name that was made for International Day of the Girl in 2017.

With the growth of so many new entertainment platforms, the ACTF believes that we need to find a new way to support the provision of local children’s content, and position Australian producers to take advantage of the new opportunities that are emerging. Janet Holmes à Court, chairman of the ACTF’s Board of Directors says:

“A sophisticated response to supporting Australian children’s screen content in the 21st century should consider the vital role the ABC plays in delivering Australian content to children, take full advantage of the ACTF’s expertise and capacity to support production and ensure that content reaches audiences, and make investing in Australian content an attractive option for all kinds of commercial platforms. Above all, it should put the interests of Australian children and their families first.”

The ACTF’s 2018-19 Annual Report is available for download, here.

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