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Applications now open for two new Indigenous programs

Screen Australia is looking for ambitious Indigenous online storytellers with big ideas, and aspiring Indigenous creative producers, to take part in two new programs commencing in 2017.

Black Comedy

The [Black Space] Web Series Initiative and Indigenous Producers Internship Program have been developed by Screen Australia’s Indigenous Department, which funds creatively ambitious Indigenous projects and people.

[BLACK SPACE] WEB SERIES INITIATIVE

As original multiplatform content explodes across our small screens – including Screen Australia’s own Soul MatesBlack As and The Katering Show – [Black Space] will be an opportunity for Indigenous creators, online video content producers and video bloggers to be part of a new generation of daring screen storytellers, bringing their projects to life as web series.

The program is aimed at Indigenous talent with ideas at a ‘production-ready’ stage to create a series of three to five standalone episodes of 4-10 minutes, which could be a comedy, drama, mockumentary, factual and/or any other relevant genre.

Two successful creative teams will be funded up to $200,000 each to produce their concepts, to be made entirely for online publication, and will attend a two-day workshop focussed on marketing online content.

Applications must be submitted by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Australian writers, writer/directors or presenters, or writer and director teams, however the team’s core creative must be Indigenous for the project to be eligible. Project producers must have at least one eligible short drama or documentary credit.

Applications for the [Black Space] Web Series Initiative must be submitted online by 10 April 2017.

More details, including how to apply, can be found here

INDIGENOUS PRODUCERS INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

The second initiative – the Indigenous Producers Internship Program – will provide paid opportunities for up to three Indigenous producers to be mentored and trained by experienced and committed screen producers working at successful Australian production companies.

The Internship Program is designed to help more Indigenous producers break into the screen industry, provide sustainable ongoing salary-based employment and increase screen credits for producers at the early stages of their career. It is also an opportunity for established production companies to take on talented and committed emerging creatives, expand their own skills sets and contribute to an Australian screen sector that is richer and more diverse. 

Internships may be completed full-time over a one-year period or on a part-time basis over two years, with Screen Australia’s Indigenous Department contributing between $50,000 and $70,000 to the salary of the producer placement. Production companies are encouraged to supplement this amount with their own contribution. 

“Indigenous Producers come with cutting edge concepts steeped in over 40,000 years of storytelling capability,” said Penny Smallacombe, Head of Indigenous at Screen Australia. “We want these bold creatives to work with the best the Australian screen industry has to offer. I’m excited about the kinds of screen content that will come out of these collaborations in the coming years.”

Production companies involved in the Indigenous Producers Internship Program may be Indigenous or mainstream, and applications must be jointly completed by the Indigenous producer intern and the production company mentor, in agreement with a solid work plan. 

Applications for the Indigenous Producer Internship Program must be submitted online by 24 February 2017.

More details, including how to apply, can be found here