2024
FEBRUARY
We are thrilled to announce that John Farnham: Finding The Voice has received the 2024 AACTA Award for Best Documentary.
Nominated in three categories including Best Original Score and Best Sound, the landmark music documentary celebrates Australia’s greatest singer and his journey from the suburbs of Melbourne to 60s pop fame, through life’s highs and lows, and ultimately to record-breaking success as ‘Australia’s Voice’.
A Beyond Oz production in association with Blink TV, this definitive documentary was theatrically released in May 2023 becoming the highest grossing Australian feature documentary of all time – as well as the highest grossing Australian film released in 2023, before premiering on Channel 7.
Executive Producer and Beyond Managing Director Mikael Borglund said: “This recognition is not only a testament to John’s incredible career to date – a literal soundtrack of the nation – but also to all those who contributed and worked to make this remarkable production happen. We could not be prouder.”
Sony Pictures Releasing International presents and Screen Australia presents in association with Screen NSW in association with VIC Screen, a Beyond Oz production in association with Blink TV.
JANUARY
BEYOND PRODUCTION GROUP BUY BACK
Thursday 11 January 2024 – Sydney, Australia – The following joint statement was issued today announcing the buy-back of the Beyond production group by BYI Holdings Pty Limited:
Banijay & Beyond International Pty Limited:
“Both parties confirm the buy-back of the production division of the Beyond group and its current production subsidiaries by Mikael Borglund’s personal holding, BYI Holdings Pty Limited.
The move sees Banijay retain the rights of the extensive Beyond Rights catalogue it acquired in December 2022; while Beyond will own future projects with immediate effect. Ongoing productions will not be affected.
Beyond International and Banijay Rights have also concluded a five-year first-look distribution deal pertaining to Beyond group’s future productions, which cements an ongoing partnership between the two groups for the coming years.”
2023
NOVEMBER
Filmmaker Scott Hicks Hosts Q&A Sessions for “The Musical Mind”
Esteemed filmmaker Scott Hicks is hosting Q&A sessions to support his latest film, “The Musical Mind.” The Musical Mind explores the remarkable ability of four extraordinary musicians to channel their unique instincts and individual neurodiversity into sublime musical creations, unlocking profound emotion through the borderless language of music. Hicks engages audiences in these sessions, offering insights into the creative process and sharing behind-the-scenes stories, creating a more intimate connection between the director and viewers.
November 18 – Nova Carlton Melbourne – 7pm
https://www.cinemanova.com.au/films/musical-mind-the
November 19 – Event Bondi, Sydney – 6:30pm
https://www.eventcinemas.com.au/EventsFestivals/TheMusicalMind
November 20 – Event Glendale, Newcastle – 6pm
https://www.eventcinemas.com.au/EventsFestivals/TheMusicalMind
November 26 – Palace Nova East End, Adelaide – 3pm
https://www.palacenova.com.au/special-events/filmmaker-qa-session-with-scott-hicks
SEPTEMBER
Love It or List it Season 5 airs on Foxtel at 7:30pm Wednesday 27th September!
Love it or List it Australia is back for its fifth blockbuster season, with hosts Neale Whitaker and Andrew Winter again racing to help more families at a cross-roads – should they renovate or relocate?
Neale Whitaker and his design team are working even harder to stretch renovation budgets, yet still deliver beautiful solutions to make owners fall in love all over again.
Property expert, Andrew Winter, has been doing his homework too, lining up gorgeous, affordable listings to tempt families into a whole new life.
Every story reflects the conversations and dilemmas around Aussie kitchen tables in various stages of life. The good news is – with the wizardry of Neale Whitaker and Andrew Winter, there can always be a fabulous ending!
MAY
John Farnham: Finding The Voice opened in Australian cinemas on Thursday, May 18th 2023.
The definitive theatrical documentary of John Farnham, Australia’s greatest singer. We follow his journey from the innocent suburbs of Melbourne to 60s pop fame, through incredible highs and lows, ultimately to record-breaking success as ‘Australia’s Voice’. It’s the story of a singer and a national audience finding and believing in each other. John Farnham was 38 years old when Whispering Jack was released. Nobody ever questioned that he could sing, but the journey to find his artistic voice and become Australia’s most trusted and beloved performer took half a lifetime. His album Whispering Jack is still the highest selling Australian album ever, and this documentary tracks the personal and public life that lead to Farnham becoming and remaining Australia’s greatest musical artist.
FEBRUARY
Beyond Entertainment and Custom Nuts form ‘Beyond Custom Nuts’ – a new partnership for producing cutting edge animated series
Beyond Entertainment, part of content powerhouse, Banijay, today announces it has entered into a new partnership with independent animation and creative studio, Custom Nuts. The partners have agreed a slate development deal to co-produce cutting-edge animated series for the international market, with the first three projects (Jock and Sunny, Shape & Shapers and Classical Chaos) launching this month at Kidscreen. Further developments will be added from the pipeline through 2023 and into future years.
JANUARY
Mind Games – The Experiment has global premiere on Amazon Prime Video
Beyond Productions, a Banijay company, is pleased to announce that its new feature documentary, Mind Games – The Experiment, will drop globally on Amazon Prime Video today, the 19th January. Narrated by Stephen Fry, Mind Games – The Experiment captures an international, ground-breaking study that follows sedentary and physically inactive gamers from across the globe to see if exercise can take their game to the next level by improving cognitive function, mental performance – and hopefully their global gaming rankings. In doing so, they are looking to definitively test an ancient Roman saying, “Anima Sana In Corpore Sano” – that a healthy body equals a healthy mind.
2022
DECEMBER
Facing Monsters rides wave of international success back to Australia in time to win big during awards season
Beyond West is delighted to share that Facing Monsters, its seminal feature documentary about Western Australian “slab wave” surfer Kerby Brown, has been a big winner at some of Australia’s most prestigious awards events in the past week. The film won two 2022 AACTAs – Best Cinematography in a Documentary and Best Sound in a Documentary – and picked up The Audio Network Award for Best Editing in a Documentary Feature from the Australian Screen Editors Guild and won a WA Screen Culture Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography.
OCTOBER
BeyondTNC to put music docs on the map at MIPCOM
BeyondTNC, the specialist factual production company which specialises in developing and producing music documentary films and television series, marks its first official MIPCOM with the launch of a new feature doc, as well as a select slate of titles looking for distribution and co-production partners. Launching in Cannes, Right Here, Right Now (1 x 90), produced by BeyondTNC and BMG Films, captures the iconic, end of an era, free rave event in Brighton in 2002, where DJ Fatboy Slim made history performing to a quarter of a million people. Exhilarating archive and moving new interviews with Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim) and a host of others, help revisit this landmark event, one that defined a generation. Right Here, Right Now is being distributed by fellow group company Beyond Rights.
Beyond Productions gears up for further growth with new SVP hire
Los Angeles, USA: Beyond Productions has appointed Joe Rivadeneira as SVP Development, Factual at its Los Angeles-based production operation. Joe Rivadeneira will advance Beyond’s longstanding reputation for factual programming including twelve seasons of MythBusters for Discovery, fourteen seasons of My Lottery Dream Home for HGTV, fourteen seasons of ID’s Deadly Women, The Invisibles for Nat Geo/Disney+, Motor MythBusters for MotorTrend, White Rabbit Project for Netflix, Curse of Akakor for Facebook Watch and a soon to be announced adventure series for Netflix.
APRIL
New documentary series revisiting some of Australia’s most memorable concerts launches on ABC in May
Beyond Entertainment and Bloodlines Music are pleased to announce the live music documentary series Days Like These…with Diesel will premiere on ABC TV Plus (and ABC iView) at 8.30pm on Wednesday 4th May, with a new episode dropping weekly. The 12 episodes hosted and narrated by musician Mark Lizotte, aka ‘Diesel’, use a compelling mix of archival footage and new interviews to revisit some of Australia’s most seminal concerts and uncover the intriguing stories behind them.
2021
MARCH
Beyond Productions recruits Hamo Forsyth to its UK Team
Beyond Productions UK has appointed award-winning executive producer and showrunner Hamo Forsyth to the new role of creative director, factual. Forsyth will report into Beyond Productions’ president John Luscombe, and will work closely with Damon Pattison, also a creative director in the UK office, who focuses primarily on formatted entertainment and factual entertainment. Hamo, who joins Beyond Productions UK today, will be charged with leading the development of factual content for UK commissions but will also work with the development teams in the Australian and US offices on co-production opportunities.
JANUARY
Pooch Perfect Launches on BBC One in the UK
The British version of Pooch Perfect, hosted by Sheridan Smith OBE and produced by Beyond Productions UK, launched on BBC One on 7th January into the 8pm primetime slot. Press reviews and social media comment for the 8 x 60 dog grooming competition series proclaimed it a ‘joyous watch’ and ‘perfect viewing’ for these difficult times.
ABC Announces Season 1 Pickup of Pooch Perfect for the US
Award-wining actress Rebel Wilson announced today, 13th January, the ABC series pickup of Beyond Media Rights’ uniquely paw-some dog grooming competition Pooch Perfect, which she will host. Television personality Lisa Vanderpump, celebrity dog groomer Jorge Bendersky and veterinarian Dr Callie Harris serve as the trio of all-star judges. Each week on Pooch Perfect, teams will compete in two challenges: the Immunity Puppertunity challenge and the Ulti-mutt Challenge showdown. In these challenges, the teams face off in epic grooming transfurmations and showcase their incredible creations on the illustrious “dogwalk.” There will be one dramatic elimination every week up until the season finale, where the top three teams will compete for a giant cash prize and the coveted Pooch Perfect first place trophy.
Pooch Perfect US Premiere Date Announced
On 25th January, it was announced that Pooch Perfect, the ulti-mutt dog grooming competition series, will premiere on ABC on Tuesday March 30th. The eight-episode series will showcase 10 of the best dog groomers in the country, along with their assistants, competing in a series of paw-some themed challenges. Pooch Perfect is produced by Beyond Media Rights Limited. Elan Gale, Sonya Wilkes and Rebel Wilson serve as executive producers. Nicole Anthony, Mike Rosen, Carley Simpson and Matthew Silverberg serve as co-executive producers. ABC’s Pooch Perfect is based off of the Australian format.