
Screen Australia, ABC and NITV announce proper love up short film initative
12 December, 2024
Media releases
Thursday 12 December 2024: Screen Australia's First Nations Department, the Australian
Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and National Indigenous Television (NITV) are calling for
applications from mid-career First Nations producers to apply with an emerging writer and director
team for Proper Loved Up, a new romantic comedy short film initiative.
In partnership with Screenwest, Screen Territory, Screen Queensland, Screen Tasmania, VicScreen,
the South Australian Film Corporation, Screen NSW and Screen Canberra, this initiative will support
up to eight First Nations teams, helping them bring fresh, exciting Indigenous stories to the screen.
It will also focus on building producers' business skills to develop projects for both local and global
markets.
Head of First Nations at Screen Australia, Angela Bates said, We have a proud history of
supporting Indigenous creatives to tell powerful and authentic stories that inspire and travel the
world. This program expands on the legacy of my predecessors and their work in creating the
Indigenous Producers program. It is designed to empower First Nations producers by providing them
with a practical and holistic experience of producing a short film, in addition to offering individual
seed funding to expand their project slate for local and international markets. It's bold and
ambitious, and we are thrilled to partner with the ABC, NITV and the state and territory agencies to
bring this to life.
We need to nurture and develop more First Nations producers. This is vitally important for cultural
safety and the creation of Intellectual Property in the evolving screen landscape. Our writers and
directors are in high demand with Indigenous content proving not just its cultural value but
commercial value. Developing our talent pool of experienced producers will enhance our
storytelling and broaden the reach of our creative voices.
We've had genre themed initiatives previously like Shock Treatment, which have been very
successful, so I'm excited to see what stories our mob will tell in the rom com genre space.
To be eligible, stories must be conceived by an Indigenous creative with the key roles of writer,
director and producer held by Indigenous Australians. No experience in screenwriting is required,
but applicants must demonstrate an interest in pursuing a career in this field. Stories that include
the use of First Nations languages are encouraged.
ABC Head of Indigenous, Kelrick Martin said, ABC Indigenous is a proud participant of Proper
Loved Up, having partnered with Screen Australia's First Nations department to support career
pathways and creative opportunities for Indigenous screen practitioners for many years. It's a
commitment that is fundamental to the work we do every day. We love that this initiative is
focussed on the joyous, socially awkward fun of the rom-com genre, and can't wait to see what
these new producers and creative voices will deliver!
Head of Indigenous Commissioning and Production at NITV, Dena Curtis said, NITV is proud to
support the Proper Loved Up initiative, a new look short film program that provides a holistic
approach to developing Indigenous producers, writers, and directors. It is vital that we help foster
talent within the industry and we are excited to continue to support emerging Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander creatives. We can't wait showcase short romantic comedy dramas that celebrate
stories about black joy and black love.
More details about eligibility and how to apply can be found here.
Proper Loved Up will be delivered in two stages:
STAGE ONE:
Up to $5,000 in development funding for each project.
Intensive training program with three in-person workshops and four online masterclasses.
Following completion of the workshops, successful applicants will deliver a third draft script and be invited to apply for up to $80,000 in production funding to produce and deliver their short film. The film will have a 12-month festival holdback before broadcast on the commissioning platforms.
A First Nations Series Producer supported by NITV and ABC will work with producers throughout development and production.
STAGE TWO:
Focuses on slate development for local and international markets.
After completing the third workshop, creatives can apply for up to $15,000 in seed funding (from Screen Australia and relevant State Agencies) to develop a slate of projects.
Includes opportunities for First Nations Travel Grants to take their slate to a local or international market such as Cannes Film Festival or Screen Forever.
INFORMATION WEBINAR Applicants are encouraged to attend the webinar hosted by Head of First Nations Angela Bates. The session will provide an overview of the initiative and the application process with insights from Head of Scripted at Blackfella Films Penny Smallacombe and acclaimed writer/director Dylan River. A short Q&A will follow.
Date: Wednesday 18 December 2024
Time: 11am-12pm AEDT
Register: Click here
Accessibility: An Auslan interpreter will be made available for the webinar. If you would like to discuss this or other accessibility requirements, please contact FirstNations@screenaustralia.gov.au or call 1800 507 901.
A recording of this webinar will be made available on the Screen Australia website soon after.
Applications close 5pm AEDT Friday 14 February 2025.
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn and work.
Download PDF
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
09/10/2026
September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026
New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
11/09/2026
Calrec will introduce two new products at IBC2026 (Stand 8.C47, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-14): the Type RT broadcast production console and the Apex M6 Modula...
11/09/2026
Grass Valley has announced AVORA, a standalone all-in-one live production solution launching at IBC2026 (Booth 9.A01 and IBC Future Tech Zone, Stand 14.C49, Sep...
11/09/2026
CAMB.AI is introducing its Streaming SDK and Streaming Dashboard at IBC2026, wit...
11/09/2026
EVS has announced XT-S, a software-defined server platform that runs multiple live production applications on a common hardware foundation. The platform debuts ...
11/09/2026
EKT is demonstrating a new Linux-based ATSC 3.0 set-top box at IBC2026. The second-generation product moves away from Android to reduce memory costs, with Linux...
11/09/2026
The Sennheiser Group will exhibit at IBC2026 (Hall 8, Booth D50, September 11-14...
11/09/2026
ESPN's Monday Night Football will open its 2026-27 season with a new renditi...
11/09/2026
Dalet has announced an integration of NVIDIA's Synthetic Video Detector AI model into Dalet Flex, enabling media organizations to identify potentially AI-ge...
11/09/2026
The Media Coding Industry Forum (MC-IF) will demonstrate Versatile Video Coding (VVC) capabilities at IBC2026 (Hall 2, Stand 2.B13), as the codec moves toward c...
11/09/2026
Sony will exhibit at IBC2026 (Hall 13, September 11-14), demonstrating products across live production, news, cinema, and immersive and spatial content workflow...
11/09/2026
Wave Central, a Domo Broadcast Company, has been named a recipient of a 2026 Tec...
11/09/2026
Studio Network Solutions (SNS) is bringing a pair of workflow updates to IBC2026...
11/09/2026
iodyne will co-exhibit with Hedge at IBC2026 (Booth 7.A36, September 11-14) and appear across three additional partner booths, marking the first public demonstr...
11/09/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
11/09/2026
The network will phase in HDR crew by crew while expanding Next Gen Stats integration, SkyDry availability, and onsite studio shows...
11/09/2026
CAMB.AI is introducing its new Streaming SDK and Streaming Dashboard at IBC2026,...
11/09/2026
Massive host operation at Melbourne Cricket Ground featured 54 cameras, 25,000 ST 2110 flows, REMI studio production in Stamford, and global distribution to mor...
11/09/2026
Production Anywhere Remote Kit (PARK) & AR-fueled Stage B are two key pieces to ...
11/09/2026
By Ramona Flume and Lucy Spicer
There's a particular kind of magic that hap...
11/09/2026
By Jessica Herndon
The fall film season is kicking off, and Sundance Institute-...
11/09/2026
Spark series gains compact modelling stompbox
Positive Grid's Spark amps have become a popular part of the company's line-up, offering a convenient ...
11/09/2026
New flagship sequencing plug-in revealed
Rapid Flow have just launched a new 16-track sequencer plug-in which they say has been designed for total rhythmic...
11/09/2026
Rohde & Schwarz unveils the air-cooled R&S TM1 medium-power UHF transmitter at I...
11/09/2026
FIFA World Cup 2026 and Peacock's Love Island USA' Power NBCU-Versant ...
11/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
11/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
11/09/2026
Lightware has announced the launch of LARA (Lightware Advanced Room Automation) 2.0, a major upgrade to its built-in room automation platform, introducing impro...
11/09/2026
10 September 2026 - MusiMap, the B2B music intelligence company that is transforming how companies can harness the emotional power of music to reach consumers a...
11/09/2026
Matrox Video today announced an integration between Matrox ORIGIN and NVIDIA Holoscan for Media, enabling Matrox ORIGIN media services to be provisioned, config...
11/09/2026
Net Insight today announced that its cloud-native live media orchestration is now available through Oracle Cloud Marketplace, providing broadcasters, production...
11/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
11/09/2026
Version 1.8 will bring advanced routing control, new workflow tools, boosted control panel flexibility and ease of integration into IP networks...
11/09/2026
Ikegami announces four additions its UNICAM XE range of 4K-UHD cameras with the introduction of the UHK-X700VN, UHK-X750VN, UHK-X600VN and UHK-X650VN. Developed...
11/09/2026
DHD.audio has chosen IBC2026 as the launch venue for a major new addition to its broadcast sound production platform: the MX3 console range. MX3 retains the mod...
11/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
11/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
11/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
11/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
11/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
11/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
11/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
11/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
11/09/2026
New standalone solution gives production teams everything they need to create, produce and deliver live content from one flexible system.
Grass Valley today an...
11/09/2026
Recognition honors the development of FPV drone camera systems for live sports broadcast coverage
Wave Central, a Domo Broadcast Company that develops advanced...
11/09/2026
Teradek, the industry leader in zero-delay wireless video solutions, announced the launch of Bolt 7, which now includes a unified wireless video and data system...
11/09/2026
The ACT Entertainment tvONE and Green Hippo Pixel Academy has released its autumn course schedule, with hands-on training dates in September, October and Novemb...
11/09/2026
LA JOLLA, CA-Transthyretin amyloid disease (ATTR) is a progressive, life-threatening condition caused when the protein transthyretin (TTR) breaks apart and aggr...