Film Finance Corporation Australia (FFC) today agreed to fund the thriller Storm Warning and the coming-of-age teencomedy Hey, Hey, It's Esther Blueburger.

Estherwill be the debut for Cathy Randall but StormWarning is from Jamie Blanks, who jumped from a graduation film to Hollywood horror films UrbanLegends (1998) and Valentine (2001).

The Storm Warning scriptis set in a mangrove swamp by veteran writer Everett de Roche, whose creditsrange from Razorback in the early1980s to Visitors a couple of yearsago.

The producers are Gary Hamilton - his company Darclight International is also handling sales -- and PeteFord, and Ann Darrouzet is co-producing. Two of theexecutive producers - Martin Fabinyi and Michael Gudinsky -- reflect the fact that Darclight(Arclight's genre division) will release the filmlocally in conjunction with Mushroom Pictures.

Hey, Hey, It'sEsther Blueburger is only thesecond feature to be financed by producer Miriam Stein but both features havebeen announced this year -- the privately financed Monkey Puzzle will also shoot in 2006.

The executive producer is Heather Ogilvie,BVI will release it locally and Lightning Entertainment will handleinternational sales.

Australia's biggest film investor also threw its weight behindanother thriller, Acolytes, to bedirected by Jon Hewitt, but it has to satisfy various criteria before it getsthe production go-ahead.

Financed through marketplace door of the FFC

Storm Warning

StormWarning Productions Pty Ltd

Executive Producers Greg Sitch, Martin Fabinyi,Michael Gudinski, Mark Pennell

Producers GaryHamilton, Pete Ford

Co-Producer Ann Darrouzet

DirectorJamie Blanks

WriterEverette De Roche

Sales & Distribution DarclightInternational, Darclight/Mushroom Pictures

Synopsis On a boating trip metalsculptor Pia and lawyer husband Rob become lost whenthe engine of their Zodiac fails and they drift off course into a mangroveswamp.

Hey,Hey, It's Esther Blueburger

Tama Films Pty Ltd

Executive producer Heather Ogilvie

Producer MiriamStein

Director/Writer Cathy Randall

Sales and Distribution Buena Vista International, Showtime, Lightning Entertainment

Synopsis A quirky coming-of-age teencomedy that explores what it's really like to be an outsider in your own world.

Letter of Intent from the FFC

Acolytes

Stewart& Wall Entertainment

ProducersPenny Wall, Richard Stewart

DirectorJon Hewitt

WritersShayne Armstrong, Shane Krause, Jon Hewitt

Sales and Distribution Intandem

Synopsis Adramatic thriller about the abused turning the tableson their abusers - and the tables eventually turning back.