The Next Generation: celebrating First Nations storytelling
We’re shining the spotlight on 11 talented emerging creatives shaping the future of Australian screen and games.
This year’s NAIDOC Week honours and celebrates not only the achievements of the past, but the vision and leaders of the future.
Hear from some of Australia’s emerging storytellers shaping their own path about what drew them to screen stories and the storytellers that have inspired them.
Kimberley (Kimba) Benjamin is a Yawuru, Bardi and Kija woman from Rubibi/Broome, proudly living and working on Country. Kimba has worked as a researcher, writer, director and story producer for documentary series including Our Medicine and Back to Nature. Her short film Re-imagining Our Futures: birthing won the Māota People’s Choice Award for short documentary 2025 and Innovation in Short Film at the 2024 WA Screen Culture Awards. Kimba has recently ventured into drama working on Jub Clerc's SBS web series Warm Props and completed a Netflix directors' attachment on Surviving Summer S2. Having previously lived and worked in Boorloo/Perth and Naarm/Melbourne, Kimba's diverse work and passion for telling stories is informed by her connections and relationships with communities across the Country.
Growing up in Broome and listening to all the old stories from my mum and Aunties inspired me to imagine and create. I remember always wanting to archive the stories and bring them to life in some way with the home camcorder. This hasn’t really left me, I just have more tools to use now and people to collaborate with. I always want audiences to feel some sort of connection, whether that’s our mob watching and resonating, feeling seen and laughing - always to laugh, because joy is so important or for others to gain deeper understanding and respect for the power of our stories.
It’s the beautiful Blak women in film who influence and inspire me the most. Karla Hart, Jub Clerc, Genevieve Grieves, Jodie Bell, Dot West - each and every one are trailblazers in film and have nurtured me to think deeply, laugh proper loud and dream up projects with their unwavering guidance and encouragement. I am the filmmaker I am because of them - I’m so lucky to know and love them. Blak women are the best.
Arthur Ah Chee
Arthur Ah Chee is a Wangkangurru Game Director and founder of Cerulean Creative Studios, an Aboriginal-led studio on Kaurna Country. His work spans Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, Crimson Cutlass, and the upcoming Cheeky Boy, based on a Narungga Dreaming, with Jacob Boehme as Creative Director and Cultural Lead, and Daen Sansbury-Smith as Lead Artist. Arthur is Vice Chair of the South Australian Games Association (SAGA), and supports emerging First Nations creatives through mentorship, workshops, and community events.
I’ve always been a hands-on creator, and today I see myself as a digital craftsman, weaving Story and Culture into interactive form. Games let us reimagine how stories are shared, especially for First Nations voices. In my late 20s, I pivoted careers to help shape that future from within, and I want my work to reflect the joy of being a creative, especially as a First Nations person exploring ideas in a multicultural world. I hope audiences feel the fun in what I do and are inspired to share their own stories through digital content, movement, and interaction.
"Games let us reimagine how stories are shared, especially for First Nations voices."
I was really inspired by the creatives I met at the International Indigenous Digital Games Summit 2024 in Aotearoa. Meeting other First Nations people making games reminded me I’m not alone in this space. Their warmth and passion made me want to keep making fun, meaningful stories for our communities.
Brendan Blacklock
In a move to change directions in life at the age of 34, Brendan completed a Diploma in Screen & Media in 2012 before working in film and TV drama including Felony, Redfern Now S2, Cleverman S1, and telemovie Promise Me, as well as documentaries Colour Theory and Servant or Slave. Since then, he has also completed an Advanced Diploma in Cine Essentials and his Director of Photography credits include Blak Ball, Looking Black, One Mind, One Heart, The Knowledge Keepers, Spread the Word for Disney, Language and Me, No Offence!, and Compass episodes featuring Narelda Jacobs and ARIA award-winner Dobby. Brendan has been operating as Blacklock Media since 2013 shooting corporate videos, music videos, short films and documentaries.
What drew me to screen narratives was the sense of community. The meeting of people and hearing their stories. Knowing it’s my job to do their story justice. It’s the chaos of set life, chasing the perfect shot, the travel and the food. But mostly it’s the chance to leave a legacy of stories captured by Aboriginal people for Aboriginal people. I want audiences to watch, listen, learn and to see the beauty of people and Country through my lens. Not because they must, but because they want to. I want the viewer to feel the emotions I felt walking on Country or hearing a person’s story.
I am inspired by the Aunty or Uncle telling their story for the first time. The non-media people who are brave enough to sit in front of the camera pushing aside their anxieties and soldiering on to get the word out. The people who don’t believe they have a story to tell.
Rhyan Clapham (P.K.A. DOBBY) is an ARIA Award-winning composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist. A proud Filipino and Murrawarri musician, whose family is from Murrawarri and Ngemba Lands, DOBBY effortlessly traverses the classical, contemporary hip-hop and traditional music worlds, to create a sound that is wholly his own. DOBBY was also selected for the inaugural APRA AMCOS NATSIMO Screen Composer Intensive 2022. Having recently composed on the SBS drama Erotic Stories and the upcoming feature documentary WINHANGANHA, DOBBY is fast becoming one of the most dynamic and exciting young composers in the country.
I fell in love with the soundtrack behind The Matrix. After that, it was game over. I was constantly tuning in to the music behind the films I watched, more and more understanding its contribution to storytelling. I want audiences to understand the importance of First Nations composers behind our own stories. We put more than passion into our work; it’s a Cultural obligation, one filled with the utmost joy and pride to carry these stories. It’s a privilege and an honour that I don’t take for granted to be able to have this platform to share my Murrawarri and Filipino cultures, but that said, I am one of a few composers in this space. We are so dedicated, passionate and talented, but we need the rest of the industry to get on board.
Sara Khan is a fantastic up and coming storyteller on the screen. I was very honoured to compose for her episode "Powerful Owl" on the SBS series Erotic Stories. Leah Purcell is another iconic storyteller, I love her work. I've also had the honour of working with the amazing Jazz Money; we collaborated on an incredibly powerful film called WINHANGANHA, using archival footage from the National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA).
Brooke Collard is a Ballardong/Whadjuk Noongar woman, and proud mother of a toddler. As a Producer and Writer, Brooke is creating opportunities for authentic representation for those who have been marginalised in media, such as stories of First Nations people and LGBTQIA+. Brooke and their partner Gary Hamaguchi won the AACTA Regional Pitch for 2023 with their project Reclamation, a Noongar horror. In 2023, Brooke collaborated with Common Ground for their educational series First Nations Bedtime Stories - Noongar, and produced short film Marlu Man which is in development as a feature film. In 2022, she was shortlisted for the Digital Originals initiative with Red Dress Woman. Brooke also has a successful podcast series with SBS Radio, Noongar Wellbeing.
Growing up in a regional town, film and games were my only window to a bigger world and to other perspectives. While a movie and TV show will tell a story in two to ten hours, a game can spend 100 hours telling a single narrative, completely immersing you into the perspective of the characters. I hope that our audiences will get to experience and appreciate our Culture and beliefs and our way of life. It is through this immersive storytelling that only games can provide that I believe we can create some real change, especially now more than ever where it seems like social media has isolated and created extreme political opinions.
I really love Blaktasia because I just really admire the GUCK team. I also loved All My Friends Are Racist, for showing a side to First Nations peoples that hasn't been shown before in such a cheeky way. I also really look up to Dot West for everything she's done in the film industry and her work with Little J and Big Cuz.
Travis Cloudy-Hensgen
Travis is a proud Torres Strait Islander man with connections to Ugar, Iama and Erub Islands, who grew up in Mildura on Latji Latji country. He is also part of the LGBTIQA+ community. Travis has years of experience in various corporate roles, including as Operations Coordinator at Seed Mob, and with Common Ground. Travis’s journey with Common Ground reignited his passion for writing, and now Travis is developing a series based on his life, has written an unproduced short film, and authored two published articles for Common Ground. He recently completed Creating a TV Series Bootcamp at AFTRS, and is an attachment on the TV series Goolagong with the First Assistant Director and team.
Deeply passionate about storytelling as truth-telling and the power of lived experience, Travis envisions telling stories that showcase the strength, talent and beauty of our people and experiences - stories that shift the narrative on trauma, humanising the experiences many First Nations queer people face and how it is a strength to the collective.
Storytelling has always been part of who I am, whether yarning about life or through film. I grew up writing to express my emotions, and found myself really obsessed with series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Storytelling meant everything to me and to think someone used their own experience to shape the stories throughout every genre of television series. I want the next generation to have so many films and series where they see themselves and in all the different layers of who we are, especially queer First Nations mob. I hope to share through writing or producing stories that are real and can spark connection and deep reflection and, at the same time, make you laugh. And also make change, it was through working with Common Ground First Nations, I realised how storytelling in all forms can shift narratives and create change.
So many writers inspire me, like Kodie Bedford. All the crew on films like Samson & Delilah, Top End Wedding and The Sapphires, movies I rewatch all the time. I'm learning so much from many generations of storytellers. What inspires me most is that as mob we all have the ability to share our stories across film, art, music and fashion, often all at once. That's powerful.
Libby Collins is a Tiwi filmmaker with a decade of experience bringing First Nations stories to life. Having recently worked as Co-Producer for Prime Video’s series Top End Bub and Producer/Director at GARUWA Creative, Libby combines her creative vision with a deep commitment to First Nations community uplift, driving impactful projects that resonate with audiences and amplify the voices of Indigenous peoples. Her directorial credits include The Last Post, the RUOK? Stronger Together series, and Break the Cycle. She also directed three episodes of FARE – Voices of Change, capturing personal stories from respected First Nations leaders.
Her production credits include Top End Wedding, Motherhood in the Colony, Kobie Dee NT Tour, Power to Country, Kieren Karritpul x Country Road and The First Inventors. She is currently a Producer participant of Screen Australia’s initiative Proper Loved Up, alongside Writer/Director Siena Stubbs.
I’ve always loved filmmaking and think it’s an important form of storytelling. My brothers and I are proper movie lovers and it’s a real safe place for me. Mix that with my obsession with my grandparents and family on the islands and their stories and wanting to bring those to life - that’s probably where it all started. I want my work to provoke thought and conversation and for people to be excited by it. I’m working on an action-horror, so I specifically want that audience to sh*t themselves.
"It’s important for our mob to see themselves or people they know and love on screen, represented in a real way. See that our people and stories are epic and can exist in the 'mainstream'."
There are too many inspiring storytellers to name here and I’m so grateful to have so many to be inspired by! If I’m picking films - Radiance is ALL time. Samson & Delilah (that salty plum scene!) and, while Jedda’s storyline is a bit cooked, seeing a Tiwi in a leading role and speaking my language equals peak inspiration. But for me, the drivers of inspiration are family. My first and forever storytellers. I genuinely am so grateful to have them and to have my Culture and Language that influence everything that I do. I’m more than blessed and I don’t take it lightly.
Shontell Ketchell
Shontell Leah Ketchell is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander filmmaker and the director of Pandamonium Films – a First Nations, female-led, production company focused on First Nations representation and storytelling from their diverse perspectives. Shontell has written and produced for ABC, NITV, SBS, CBS, and BBC, both in the factual and scripted space, with credits including Barrumbi Kids, Gold Diggers and the upcoming series Ghosts. Shontell’s latest project Marliya, developed alongside Director Stephen Page and Producer Ewan Cutler, received $20,000 in development funding as part of AIDC’s Shark Island Foundation Feature Docs Pitch at AIDC 2025.
Storytelling is my purpose and part of who I am. Our stories are layered with strength, struggle, Culture and survival. I want audiences to laugh, reflect, and see the resilience, complexity, and excellence of First Nations mob. Most of all, I want Blak women to see themselves authentically represented on screen. Working in screen lets me combine my love of film, TV and writing, so I started Pandamonium Films to bring the stories I grew up with to life, bold, funny, raw, and unapologetically Blak.
Rachel Perkins, Leah Purcell and Deborah Mailman paved the way for women like me. Their work showed what’s possible when we take up space in this industry. They inspire me to back the next generation and tell our stories our way.
Ben Armstrong (Wiradjuri) has worked in the technology and creative industries for over 24 years. Passionate about authentic partnerships and the participation of Indigenous people in STEAM careers, Ben works to break down systemic barriers so that Indigenous people can thrive and have a future powered by choice. Ben has a published short story based on characters and stories from his forever Dungeon Mastering, and is one of the 2024 recipients for the AGDA Rising Star Award which honours people who have made significant contributions to the Australian Games Industry in the past five years.
When Baldur’s Gate 1 was released, I was obsessed with being able to experience the worlds and stories that I love in new ways that combined my passion for storytelling and digital technologies. There is an incredible opportunity for that experience to continue for Mob in games. I want audiences to enjoy the experience, to laugh, to be shocked, to 'wow' at the beauty of the art and music, to empathise with characters and storylines and to appreciate Indigenous storytelling for its strength. I want them to walk away and say - “that was dope!”.
I am forever inspired by the Mob at GUCK. They achieved something incredibly special on and off screen. They’re the next generation of leaders in the games industry. Maru Nihoniho from Metia Interactive inspires me to never give up. Her legacy is profound, and she never forgets her Community.
Hunter Page-Lochard
Hunter Page-Lochard is the Director and founder for the production company Djali House. He is currently appearing in Kodie Bedford’s series Reckless, filming in WA. Hunter has appeared in Critical Incident and The Newsreader, which he won the 2024 AACTA award for best supporting actor in a drama. Hunter wrote, directed, and starred in the short film Djali which premiered at the 2018 Sydney Film Festival and the opening night for Flickerfest Short Film Festival. He co-wrote and directed ABC short film Closed Doors, directed for ABC’s family show Thalu, has written and directed for Playschool, Beep and Mort and The Wonder Gang. Hunter has starred in many Films and TV series including Barons, Fires, Paul Goldman’s feature film Kid Snow and ABC’s Cleverman, which premiered at the 2016 Berlin Film Festival, and aired on Sundance TV in the US. He has worked on films including Stephen Page’s Spear and Around the Block, both which screened at TIFF, and he is also one of the regular hosts of Playschool.
Growing up, film and television were a constant in my life. Screen stories had the power to move me, make me feel seen, and help me understand things I couldn’t always express. That emotional impact is what pulled me in. Through Djali House, I want to create stories that do the same for others. Stories that speak truth, challenge perspectives, and uplift our Culture. I want audiences to feel something, whether it’s recognition, discomfort, pride, or hope. Our work at Djali House draws from lived experience, memory and Culture, and we use screen storytelling as a way for audiences to process the world and connect with others.
Our goal is to create space for authentic, unapologetic First Nations voices, bold stories that honour where we come from while paving the way forward.
I’ve been lucky to grow up around many powerful First Nations creatives who’ve helped shape the screen industry. Their vision, courage, and talent created the space we now stand in. For me personally, the biggest inspiration has come from my family. My father’s creative leadership continues to guide me. And my uncle, David Page, showed me that our creativity as First Nations people is a strength, not a limitation. At Djali House, we carry that legacy forward. We honour the Elders and ancestors who opened the doors before us by making sure those doors stay open and that the next generation has the strength, vision, and support to walk through them.
Phoebe Watson is a proud Gunditjmara woman living and working on Wurundjeri Country in Naarm/Melbourne. She is the Lead Game Designer & Lead Producer at GUCK working on Blaktasia: Invasion of The Murk. Phoebe has been a strong advocate for ICIP protocols within Australia’s game industry, giving talks and presentations to the industry about the inclusion and cultural sensitivities for First Peoples depiction, representation and creative content.
I have been drawn to games since I was a kid, often finding myself lost and completely captivated by the other worlds that I would get thrown into. Each game was a different story that was wrapped in a completely different universe with different rules. I want audiences to leave with a moment that stirred emotion. Whether it’s a burst of laughter, or deeper emotional response, it’s that fleeting or persistent moment of feeling moved, surprised or genuinely connected to the story and the characters. For me, that’s where the magic is.
I am very inspired by the emotions and feelings that art can achieve and I’ve been so lucky to work alongside Charlotte Allingham and Patricia McKean. Two amazing First Nations artists who take different approaches to their work, but both achieve a gorgeous sense of whimsy and magic in their pieces.
This article was compiled and sub-edited by Aimée Lindorff.
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