Doc producer Eva Orner secures Screen Australia funding for two features

Speaking to Screen at the Pristina Film Festival, Orner said that she would be at markets next year gathering production funding for two features, one currently being written by writer-director Elissa Down (Black Balloon), and another by writer-director Maciek Wszelaki (Original Schtick).

Orner described the first project as a “large, historical, controversial, probably Australian-German co-production” and she compared Wszelaki’s script as The Constant Gardener meets Blood Diamond.

Of the latter, Orner said: “It’s a thriller set in the Congo, based around a rare substance that is the new blood diamond. We have Screen Australia development money and I would be looking to do it as a South African- Australian co-production as we have a treaty. We’re already in second draft on that so towards the beginning of next year I’ll be hitting the markets looking for more funding”.

Orner also described a documentary she intends to shoot in Kabul next year: “I’m waiting on funding for another project that I’ll be writing, directing and producing myself. It’s set in Kabul, Afghanistan, looking at local start-up companies, and local creative ventures.”

“Depending on how a funding application to Screen Australia goes, I’m hoping to go to Kabul next month to shoot a teaser reel and some scenes”. 

Orner said that the project had drawn strong interest from ABC in Australia, and that she was hopeful of securing US or UK presales.

She has collaborated with director-producer Alex Gibney on five films in the past two years (including Oscar winner Taxi To The Darkside), but said she was now looking forward to directing and working on feature films.