Screen Canberra invests in book-to-screen adaptations

12 November 2020 Books+Publishing

Adaptations of Peter Papathanasiou’s memoir Little One (A&U) and Kaaron Warren’s fantasy novel The Grief Hole (IFWG Publishing Australia) are among several projects to receive investment from Screen Canberra.

Papathanasiou’s adaptation, which received a development loan support for a television adaptation, is one of four projects to share in investment of $309,000 as part of round 10 of the CBR Screen Fund.

Papathanasiou, whose debut novel The Stoning will be published by Transit Lounge in 2021, will work as a scriptwriter and consultant on the series. The project will be produced by Peter Andrikidis and Shannon Wilson-McClinton and directed by Andrikidis, whose productions include East West 101 for SBS, Wildside for ABC, Underbelly for the Nine Network, The New Legends of Monkey for Netflix, Reckoning for Sony and Eden for Stan.

‘I loved Little One as soon as I read it and could immediately see its adaptation potential to the screen as a deeply moving and compelling biopic,’ said Andrikidis. ‘It is a story about family, humanity, love and great loss, and the result will be a gripping, fascinating and emotive human story which showcases untold Australian history.’

A feature film adaptation of The Grief Hole is among three projects to share development support totalling $46,000 as part of the Made in CBR Special Purpose Fund, established to ‘provide specific support to the ACT Screen professionals whose work and income have been negatively impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic’.

The book adaptation will be undertaken by Joshua Koske in collaboration with Warren, the novel’s Canberra-based author.

Category: Local news