01 08 2018 - Media release Indigenous Department announces $1.5 million in special funding Hunter Page-Lochard (left) and Leah Purcell (right) have both received funding for their respective collaborative projects
Screen Australia's Indigenous Department has announced the 20 recipients of a range of special funding programs. Two web series have been funded through the Black Space initiative, eight short films will be developed through Short Blacks, three documentaries about the Indigenous response to climate change will go into production through State of Alarm and seven enterprises are being supported via Indigenous Screen Business. A further documentary project also received production funding and a web series received development funding outside of these programs.
Successful projects include Hunter Page-Lochard (Cleverman, Spear) and Carter Simpkin's Short Blacks film Closed Doors; Kutcha's Carpool Koorioke created by Black Space recipient John Harvey, as well as Indigenous Screen Business funding that has been provided to production company BUNYA (Mystery Road, Sweet Country, Goldstone) to grow their current business model.
The funding has been awarded as part of the Indigenous Department's 25th anniversary celebrations.
Supporting Indigenous screen story tellers is as vital as supporting the Indigenous businesses behind them. This funding is being distributed across a diverse group of strong Indigenous production companies who will use the financial support to strengthen Indigenous business planning as well as assist slate development through the employment of key business personnel. said Penny Smallacombe, Head of Indigenous at Screen Australia.
For 25 years the Indigenous Department has put our people in control of their own stories. The funding model has been incredibly successful and has even inspired other countries to do the same for their Indigenous creators. It is our key focus to ensure Indigenous people continue to be seen and heard across a variety of storytelling platforms, and most importantly that Indigenous screen businesses are being invested in to continue producing such significant work.
The anniversary year will be marked by Screen Australia on Thursday 30 August with a formal ceremony in Sydney, with Indigenous creators joining from across the country. Later in the year, the Indigenous Department will release its blueprint for the next 25 years of Indigenous screen stories.
FUNDING RECIPIENTS Short Blacks The Short Blacks initiative aims to launch the careers of new filmmakers by funding the development of a short film up to 10 minutes in duration. Recipients include:
Closed Doors, a thriller centered on a modern couple who face a number of challenges in the bush when their paranoia forces their car to peel off the road. Created by Hunter Page-Lochard (Cleverman, Spear) and Carter Simpkin's production company Djalihouse Productions (Djali). The pair will write, direct and produce this short film.
Father Jericho is a noir revenge thriller written and directed by Shane Salvador (Shanks, Deadlock). Produced by Noble Savage Pictures, the story surrounds an Aboriginal man of God with a heart-breaking past. Hayley B Johnson will produce with Majhid Heath (Brown Lips, A Chance Affair, Shock Treatment) working as executive producer alongside genre specialist Ross Grayson Bell (Fight Club, Under Suspicion). Highly experienced filmmaker Greg McLean (Wolf Creek, Jungle) will also come on board as a directing mentor for Shane Salvador.
Shed, a compelling and significant short about a young Aboriginal girl, Mary, who is enslaved on a cattle station in western Queensland. This short will be written and directed by Chantelle Murray and produced by the experienced Dena Curtis (8MMM Aboriginal Radio, Grace Beside Me).
The remaining five Short Blacks projects and complete blocklines for all can be found here
Black Space Black Space fosters Indigenous talent with production-ready, episodic online concepts. The recipients are:
Anchoring Mob inspired by Anchorman will showcase comedic Indigenous talent set against the backdrop of a community TV morning show. This 5 x 5 minute short series will be written and produced by Shakara Walley (Aussie Rangers) and directed by Kelli Cross (Aussie Rangers). The creative duo Walley and Cross will embed the Indigenous experience into each episode whilst delivering the news with Indigenous razzle dazzle.
Kutcha's Carpool Koorioke, a 4 x 4 minute web series that follows prominent Indigenous musician, Kutcha Edward's driving the hottest Indigenous talent to where they need to go through the streets of Fitzoy. It's a chance for a song and a yarn and passing on a bit of the real history. John Harvey (Spear) of Brown Cabs will write, direct and produce alongside Anna Grieve (Carry the Flag, Big Stories, Small Towns) and Danielle Maclean (Croker Island Exodus, Carry the Flag) of Tamarind Tree Productions who are both working as producers on the project.
Jetzak Productions also received development funding for their online web series Bush Tucker Bunjie Does Gold Coast. This proposed 3 x 5 minute online series follows the outlandish misadventures of Bush Tucker Bunjie, a larrikin of the Gold Coast. Gabriel Willie of the Wulli Wulli nation forms as the series creator and has written the original script with Benjamin Southwell (Damari & Guyala) directing and E.J. Garrett of the Darumbal and Wulli Wulli nations (Gumbi Gumbi) producing.
The complete blocklines for Black Space are available here
The complete blocklines for online development are here
State of Alarm State of Alarm was a special documentary initiative for Indigenous screen practitioners developing screen content aimed at global audiences. A total of eight projects received development funding and now three projects have been selected to
