Award-winning Aquarius Films to wind down productions – After 18 years of creative partnership, award-winning producers and co-founders Angie Fielder and Polly Staniford have announced they will be closing the doors of their acclaimed Australian production company, Aquarius Films.
The duo will pursue creative opportunities individually while continuing to develop a small number of existing projects on their slate as a team.
The announcement comes hot off the heels of the successful launch of the Binge Original Series Mix Tape at SXSW in Austin, where it won the Audience Award in the TV Spotlight category. Mix Tape launched in Australia on Foxtel and Binge in June to critical and commercial acclaim and had its UK premiere in July on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer where it topped the streaming chart in its debut week.
Founded in 2007, the Academy Award-nominated, AACTA Award-winning production company built a strong legacy for bold, female-led projects, diversity both on and off the screen and intelligent, progressive, and inspiring stories.
Aquarius is one of only a small number of Australian production companies that have remained wholly independent, producing high-quality films and television series for global audiences that are commercially successful and critically acclaimed.
Aquarius Films’ catalogue includes five feature films and eight television series totaling 50 hours of content for some of the world’s biggest and best streamers, networks and distributors including Netflix, Universal, Entertainment One, Memento, Cornerstone, LevelK, Hopscotch, Transmission, Hulu, Acorn, Binge, Foxtel, Stan, ABC, SBS, APC, Warner Bros. Australia, DCD Rights and Boat Rocker. Highlights include the Academy Award-nominated Lion, Sundance premieres Wish You Were Here and Berlin Syndrome and award-winning television series Mix Tape, Love Me, Savage River and The Unlisted.
Angie Fielder said:
“I am beyond proud of everything that Polly and I have achieved with Aquarius Films over the past 18 years. From humble beginnings producing short films from our kitchen tables, it has been a joy to build the business alongside such a brilliant friend and colleague. We have been fortunate to work with so many incredible creatives, staff and partners along the way – I will be forever grateful for these collaborations. This is an exciting transition for Polly and I, and I’m thrilled for what this next chapter has in store for each of us.”
Polly Staniford said:
“Aquarius Films has been our creative home for nearly two decades, and while it’s bittersweet to say goodbye, we’re both feeling a strong call to explore new directions. I want to thank the brilliant writers, directors, cast, crew, funding partners, and collaborators who’ve been part of this incredible journey. Aquarius would never have been what it was without all of you. And I’m so grateful to Angie for an incredible 18-year collaboration – this is a celebration of everything we’ve built – and a powerful new beginning.”
First cutting their teeth making a handful of highly acclaimed short films, including David Michôd’s award-winning shorts Crossbow and Netherland Dwarf, the duo soon moved into feature films and television, with all five of Aquarius’ feature films premiering at top tier festivals including Sundance, Toronto and Berlin, and a collection of series nominated for Best Series, Best Miniseries or Best Children’s Series at the AACTA and Logie Awards.
Aquarius Films quickly established itself as a major player in the Australian and international arena, with company accolades including a NSW Creative Laureate and 2018 Screen Producers Australia (SPA) Screen Business Export of the Year Award alongside its critically acclaimed film & television legacy including:
- The Binge Original Series Mix Tape, adapted from the popular and critically acclaimed novel by Jane Sanderson, which premiered at SXSW in Austin before debuting in Australia on June 12 this year. Starring Teresa Palmer and Jim Sturgess, the Australian-Irish co-production with Subotica won the Audience Award in the TV Spotlight category at SXSW.
- The Academy Award-winning feature film Lion, starring Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman and directed by Garth Davis. Nominated for six Oscars, including Best Film, and four Golden Globes, Lion premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and went on to win an outstanding 12 AACTA Awards including Best Film. Produced in association with See-Saw Films, Lion grossed $130 million at the global box office.
- Aquarius’ debut feature film, Wish You Were Here, starring Joel Edgerton and Teresa Palmer, which premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize. The film won multiple awards including the AACTA Award for Best Screenplay and the Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film and was directed by Keiran Darcy-Smith.
- Berlin Syndrome from celebrated Australian director Cate Shortland, screenwriter Shaun Grant and starring Teresa Palmer, which returned Aquarius to Park City, Utah for the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. Berlin Syndrome saw Aquarius again nominated for the Grand Jury Prize, before screening in the Panorama section of Berlinale and selling to Netflix in a global deal.
- Dirt Music, directed by Gregor Jordan and starring Garrett Hedlund and Kelly Macdonald, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019. Adapted from Tim Winton’s much-loved novel, the film was released by Universal Pictures and Focus Features.
- Crime drama Savage River, directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse and starring Katherine Langford, for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, which won the Best Miniseries at the 2023 Screen Producers Awards.
- Romantic drama series Love Me starring Hugo Weaving, for Warner Bros. Australia and Foxtel’s BINGE. The critically acclaimed series was nominated for seven Logie Awards, including a win for Most Outstanding Supporting Actress for Heather Mitchell, and 10 AACTA Awards, including Best Drama Series, and went on the stream on Hulu in the US.
- Aquarius’ first television series The Other Guy was Matt Okine’s first foray into creating, writing and starring in scripted TV.
- YA sci-fi thriller The Unlisted for Netflix and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation won the Crystal Bear Award for best TV series at the 2020 Prix Jeunet festival.
- The Unusual Suspects for SBS and Hulu sold to over 35 countries and won the SPA Business Export of the Year Award.
The duo will continue to own and manage the ongoing rights in Aquarius Films’ catalogue.
Media Release – Aquarius Films
Link to Aquarius Films HERE
TV Central Other content HERE
Award-winning Aquarius Films to wind down productions
