Palace Films has committed to the Australian release of comedy/drama Driving Back To Dubbo from the Melbourne-based team behind this year's Un Certain Regard entrant Japanese Story.

It will be the third film from director Sue Brooks, writer Alison Tilson and producer Sue Maslin. The debut film for all three was the 1995 sleeper hit Road To Nhill.

Driving Back To Dubbo is a drama/comedy about a 14-year-old girl who runs away from home after stealing $20,000 from her fathers' safe, an act that uncovers many secrets and creates much confusion. Both Dubbo and Nhill are the names of isolated towns in Australia.

Brooks and Tilson have six projects in development, three of which are well advanced, including Happy Families, which is being produced by Claire Dobbin. In this story a mother cannot cope with her son being gay, even though she would like to, and her actions destroy the very spirit that he inherited from her.

There are also two films on the slate that are big budget by Australian standards because of the work required during post-production. One is a fantasy featuring a talking animal and the other is a drama set on a beautiful island that undergoes dramatic change.