Film Finance CorporationAustralia (FFC) has agreed to invest in seven features, two of which will behandled internationally by Celluloid Dreams and two by Arclight Films.

The seven projects include actor/theatre director Richard Roxburgh'sdirectorial debut Romulus, My Father, to star Eric Bana; director CherieNowlan's long-awaited follow-up to Thank God He Met Lizzie, which willstar Brenda Blethyn, and writer/director Tony Ayres' (Walking On Water)second film, Home Song Stories.

The FFC has also provisionallybacked an eighth film - director/writer Gillian Norman's feature-lengthdocumentary titled Empire Americana, which examines the controversiesand effects of America's global military dominance - provided it findsadditional funding partners.

The details of all the filmsare below.

Clubland

Prod co: RB Films Pty Ltd.Prod: Rosemary Blight. Dir: Cherie Nowlan. Scr: Keith Thompson. Int'l sales and dist: Palace Films,Goalpost/Shaftsbury. Synopsis: A sexual coming-of-age comedy about a shy andinexperienced 20-year-old, his raucous comedienne mother and his assertive,accidentally funny, new girlfriend.

The Home Song Stories

Prod co: Home SongProductions Pty Ltd. Prods: Liz Watts, Michael McMahon. Dir/scr: Tony Ayres.Int'l sales and dist: Dendy Films, SBSi, MediaCorp Raintree, Fortissimo Films.Synopsis: The story of Sue, a glamorous Shanghai nightclub singer, and herstruggle to survive in Australia with her two young children.

Night (feature-lengthdocumentary)

Prod co: Circe Films PtyLtd. Prods: Lizzette Atkins, Lawrence Johnston. Dir/scr Lawrence Johnston.Int'l sales and dist: Dendy Films, Becker International, SBS Independent.Synopsis: Showing society in all its forms, people and places, urban and rural,in contemporary Australia, Night will be a cinematic "event" documentary, whichexplores the universal nature of night and how we experience the night.

Noise

Prod co: Retroactive FilmsPty Ltd. Exec prod: Bryce Menzies. Prod: Trevor Blainey. Dir/scr: MatthewSaville. Int'l sales and dist: Madman Cinema, Celluloid Dreams, SBSiIndependent. Synopsis: A black comedy about a disaffected young cop, Noiseexplores the ripple effect that occurs across a city in the aftermath of anincident on a suburban train.

Romulus, My Father

Prod co: Arenafilm Pty Ltd.Prods Robert Connolly, John Maynard. Dir: Richard Roxburgh. Scr: Nick Drake.Int'l sales and dist: Footprint Films, Arclight Films. Synopsis: Adapted fromRaimond Gaita's critically acclaimed memoir describing his father's eventfullife from the migrant camps of post-war Victoria to his wife Christina'sstruggle with mental illness.

Untitled

Prod co: GFN Productions.Exec prods: Geoff Levy, Lynda House, Antonio Zeccola. Prods: Leesa Kahn,Catriona Hughes. Dir: Alister Grierson. Scr: Alister Grierson, John Lonie.Int'l sales and dist: Palace Films, Arclight Films. Synopsis: A psychologicalthriller about a lost patrol of Australian soldiers cut off from their supplyline on the Kokoda Track during the battle for Isurava in New Guinea in 1942.

Razzle Dazzle - AJourney Into Dance

Prod co: Wild Eddie Films.Exec prods: Al Clark, Andrena Finlay. Prod: Jodi Matterson. Dir: Darren Ashton.Scr: Carolyn Wilson, Robin Ince. Int'l sales and dist: Wildheart FilmsDistribution, Celluloid Dreams. Synopsis: Tears, tantrums and tiaras in theworld of competitive dance eisteddfods. (This is a re-approval because ofchanges to the original deal)

Not yet financed but witha letter of intent:

Empire Americana (feature-length documentary)

Prod co: Piper Films Pty Ltd& Keziah MultiMedia. Prod: Mike Piper. Dir/scr: Gillian Norman. Synopsis:An intimate examination of America's quest for empire and the impact on agrateful world of the emerging Empire Americana as the guardian of democracy,policing the planet to extend peace and freedom.