12 12 2024 - Media release Screen Australia, ABC and NITV announce Proper Loved Up Short Film Initiative
Short Film Last Drinks at Fridas from Pitch Short Blacks Initiative
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 [email protected] 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
Media enquiries Maddie Walsh | Publicist
61 2 8113 5915 | [email protected]
Jessica Parry | Senior Publicist (Mon, Tue, Thu)
61 428 767 836 | [email protected]
All other
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Cameras Empower Youth Broadcasting Program
Brie Clayton July 3, 2026
0 Comments
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro and Blackmagi...
04/07/2026
iZotope Joins Boris FX
Boris Yamnitsky July 3, 2026
0 Comments
iZotope, the team behind RX and Ozone, is joining Boris FX. A letter from founder Boris...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
03/07/2026
New bundle & three Single Packs
Continuing to expand their already sizeable orchestral collection, VSL's latest release introduces three new Single Pack...
03/07/2026
Venue installs new ATC-equipped control room
LSO St Luke's, a unique music venue that also serves as the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, have rec...
03/07/2026
Caden Pearson appointed new Commissioning Editor for NITV
3 July, 2026
Media releases
National Indigenous Television (NITV) has strengthened its commitment...
03/07/2026
1 February 2023
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany, 1st February 2023: Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software technology for digit...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Death Star
Andy Marken July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Look, I can't get involved. I've got work to do. It's not that I like the Empire; I hate i...
03/07/2026
Berklee's New Visual Identity: Honoring Our History, Building for What's...
03/07/2026
Scripps Research scientists awarded $2M to advance global disease surveillance Two Gates Foundation grants will expand wastewater surveillance and AI-driven dis...
03/07/2026
Joan Pulupa joins Scripps Research faculty to study the organization of DNA in brain cells and its links to neurodegeneration Using smell-sensing neurons and ad...
02/07/2026
Entering her senior year, this hometown girl is paving a career in live sports production gaining experience in replay and audio and as a TD
In the live-sports...
02/07/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
02/07/2026
BLAST, a competitive entertainment company focused on esports, has announced more than $133 million in revenue for 2025, representing more than 40% year-over-ye...
02/07/2026
Riedel Communications has announced official SKAARHOJ panel support for SimplyLive production workflows, enabled through the SimplyLive 2.1 release. The integra...
02/07/2026
The Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic has deployed LiveU video-over-bond...
02/07/2026
Gravity Media USA has announced the appointment of Brittney Boston as Head of Business Development, effective July 1, 2026. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Bosto...
02/07/2026
TwelveLabs, a video intelligence company, has announced $100 million in Series B funding co-led by NEA and NAVER Ventures, with participation from Amazon, Radic...
02/07/2026
The Pro Padel League (PPL) has announced a broadcast partnership with USA Sports that will air five PPL championship matches on CNBC during the 2026 season, the...
02/07/2026
LiveLike, a digital fan engagement platform, has announced eight confirmed FIFA ...
02/07/2026
Cobalt Digital has received Future's Best of Show Award, presented by AV Technology at InfoComm 2026, for its blueCORE family of standalone signal processor...
02/07/2026
Synamedia has announced the appointment of Dr. Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transition...
02/07/2026
The Esports Foundation (EF) and Sony Group Corporation have announced an expanded collaboration for the Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC), taking place in Paris, Fra...
02/07/2026
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. ( Z') has announced exclusive broadcast and digital rights for the Bundesliga in India for five years, beginning with the...
02/07/2026
An effort uniting News, Sports, Local, and Telemundo, the 50+-camera live produc...
02/07/2026
Zoey Deutch, John Slattery, Ken Marino, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, and Ben Wang appe...
02/07/2026
Stammering, stuttering, strangulated tones
The Crow Hill Company's latest creation promises to be the most original sound set they've produced to d...
02/07/2026
A new era in unmixing and spectral editing
The latest version of Steinberg's spectral audio-editing software has just arrived, building on the strength...
02/07/2026
Aims to simplify additive synthesis
Sine Machine is the debut launch from Melatonin, a Vienna-based developer who have spent the past six years creating wha...
02/07/2026
Products to remain fully active & supported
Following the news of Native Instruments joining the inMusic brand line-up, Academy and Emmy Award-winning visua...
02/07/2026
What you missed!
Last weekend, Saturday 27 June 2026, saw the debut of Sound On Sounds new GearExpo UK event, the largest dedicated pro-audio event to take ...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Following the successful launch of its inaugural APAC Mentoring Programme last month, the Rise AV APAC Regional Council will bring the conversation around mento...
02/07/2026
Blackmagic PYXIS 6K Used to Shoot Director Takahisa Zeze's Cry Out
Brie Clayton July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Highly mobile camera supports tense and de...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions acquires BFE, expanding its lead in European broadcast, medi...
02/07/2026
Berklee Alum and Faculty Perform at Boston Public Library's 250th Anniversar...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions GmbH, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast media industry, is acquiring BFE Studio und Medien...
02/07/2026
Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, has extended the ingest facility at leading Brazilian sports company LiveMode, work...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Standalone processors acknowledged for the innovation and value they bring to Pro AV
Cobalt Digital, a leading designer and manufacturer of signal processing ...
02/07/2026
Synamedia announced today the appointment of Dr Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transitio...
02/07/2026
Screen Australia backs audience-led filmmaking with new insight-driven initiativ...
02/07/2026
Screen Australia refines guidelines for Narrative Content Development and Docume...
12 12 2024 - Media release Screen Australia, ABC and NITV announce Proper Loved Up Short Film Initiative 
