New Head of Indigenous at Screen Australia

Screen Australia today announced Penny Smallacombe as its new Head of Indigenous.

Penny succeeds Erica Glynn who announced her departure earlier this year after 11 years with Screen Australia and predecessor agency the Australian Film Commission. 

Graeme Mason, CEO of Screen Australia, said, “We are pleased to have Penny take on the position, and have seen her dedication first-hand in making important Indigenous content. We expect her breadth of industry knowledge will make a great contribution to the role and more importantly to making Indigenous stories.

“We are sad to see Erica go. She has played a significant role in bringing some instrumental, and acclaimed, Indigenous stories to life – Toomelah, Coniston, Redfern Now – and in supporting the strong presence of Indigenous practitioners in the sector. We wish her the best in returning to her passion of filmmaking and look forward to seeing her contribution to Indigenous storytelling continue behind the camera.”

Penny is currently working with NITV and Screen Australia on the Songlines on Screen initiative and will commence her new role on 1 August 2014. Most recently, Penny was a Senior Programmer at NITV. She produced series 1 and 2 of the ABC’s Yarning Up, and has held producer and production management roles on numerous films including Scar, The Forgotten Ones and In a League of their Own. She was also a producer/director for ABC’s Message Stick program.

The Head of Indigenous role provides strategic, creative and operational direction for Screen Australia’s Indigenous content creation and is responsible for development and investment decisions.