Screen Australia has agreed to fund a new film project documenting the life and work of underwater cinematographer Valerie Taylor as part of its Documentary Producer and Commissioned program.
According to the film’s official synopsis, the feature documentary from Wildbear Entertainment about Australian icon Valerie Taylor – a diver and filmmaker who captured the underwater world on camera for films like Jaws. With access to decades of personal film archives, this feature will reveal how Valerie defied gender expectations in her work, and dedicated her life to shark conservation.
Director Sally Aitken (David Stratton: A Cinematic Life) will be joined by producer Bettina Dalton (Dino Bird) and executive producer Alan Erson (Barrenjoey Road).
The Real Jaws: The Valerie Taylor Story is one of seven projects that will be funded using over $1.68 million in grant money. The Documentary Producer program is designed to give producers the foundational funding required to leverage their projects creatively and commercially. It must have a clear path to audience but marketplace attachment is not required at the application stage.
“We’re thrilled to see such a range of documentaries in this production slate, spanning environment, immigration, sport, true crime and personal profiles,” Screen Australia’s Head of Documentary Bernadine Lim said. “Through these projects, audiences will experience the unique power of documentary to not only record our Australian stories, but offer a means to engage with them.”
Find out more information about this round of projects here.
