Ballardong Whadjuk Noongar producer and writer Brooke Collard has been selected to participate in the Toolbox Programme at the European Film Market (EFM), held alongside the Berlin International Film Festival.

Selected by the Winda Film Festival, Collard will attend the program with the support of the Indigenous Cinema Alliance (ICA), where she is a 2026 ICA Fellow.

Collard's work champions authentic First Nations and LGBTQIA+ representation. Guided by the principle "No Stories About Us, Without Us," her storytelling centers community healing, agency, and ethical collaboration. In 2023, she won the AACTA Regional Pitch for Reclamation, a project currently in development.

The Toolbox Programme is an intensive, tailor-made initiative supporting underrepresented producers from around the world through direct access to the international film marketplace.

The program offers one-on-one mentorship with industry experts, alongside workshops, matchmaking events, and high-level networking opportunities. Participants are nominated by partner organisations rather than selected directly by the EFM.

Collard said being selected for the program "feels like a dream".

"I always have to pinch myself that I have the opportunity to travel the world with other First Nations peoples and break down the film industry with our unique stories and experiences," she said.

"It has been phenomenal to be a part of the online workshops and learn new things around genuinely doing impactful filming that gives back to the community as well as breaking down barriers. All the mentors have been from different countries, and it's been confidence-boosting to see how First Nations stories resonate in other countries.

"The toolbox equipped me to feel confident heading overseas to a country I haven't been to before, especially at a film market where there will be tens of thousands of participants, but I feel like I can navigate it.

"I was paired with a mentor, Catherine Fitzgerald, and I'm so grateful because I feel like we'll continue a friendship once the toolbox has completed and hopefully collaborate one day."

"It has been really wonderful to be connected with other First Nations film makers ahead of going to Berlinale. I know that once I touch down, I have a network of friendly faces I can reach out to and potentially work with one day," Collard said.

"It would not have been possible without the support of ICA (Indigenous Cinema Alliance) who have been connecting us with not only making us comfortable in Berlin, but making sure we're connected to industry people who can help us achieve what we need to.

"I bring my cultural experience everywhere I go, and it's truly special to connect with others who are doing the same and challenging mainstream narratives to tell stories that we haven't seen on screen yet. Being able to bring all of this to EFM feels powerful in a time where our stories are being silenced, and we are seeing war atrocities happening before our eyes. Bringing a decolonial lens to EFM, the responsibility is not lost on me to learn what I can so that I can bring it back to Broome, a regional town, and make change that goes internationally.

"I've been working in the film industry since 2018, but made the transition to producing in 2022. Since then I've been building my networks, and have had the privilege to get to know Pauline Clague who runs WINDA film festival, and she is the reason I have been supported to attend.

"I have many projects on my slate, and I will be testing the markets interest in First Nations Horror and First Nations Science Fiction and Fantasy."

Collard said she has "always wanted to work in film, but had no idea about the pathway into it, especially growing up in Margaret River in WA, the options were hospitality or farming".

"I've loved being a producer, it's a unique role that every day at work is completely different," she said.

"I got my first start in a writers room on The Great, which was incredible because I got to see a writers room at a high level and it inspired me to continue onwards as a writer.

"From there I had the chance to produce my first short film in 2020 which was Aboriginal Warrior, which was commissioned by NITV and gave me the confidence to pursue producing more seriously. I have since been a part of Netflix's Broad Horizons initiative, Screen Producers Australia's Ones To Watch 2021, and highly competitive Proper Loved Up and Digital Originals."

Looking ahead, Collard is set to have a busy 2026 both personally and professionally.

"I'm working together with a group of Noongar women to create a VR titled Walbreninj. I'll also be working on a few film productions that I can't quite share yet, but they will all be on your TV soon," she said.

"My biggest project for 2026 though, will be navigating putting my son through Kindy and enjoying the journey along the way."

The European Film Market brings together approximately 10,000 producers, distributors, sales agents, buyers, and financiers over eight days in Berlin. Closely linked with the Berlinale, the EFM serves as both a major marketplace for film and audiovisual content and a platform for innovation and exchange.

Founded in 2016, Winda Film Festival is an Indigenous-led festival based in Sydney that celebrates emerging and established Indigenous filmmakers while fostering opportunities for Indigenous voices across the screen industries.

An official partner of the EFM since 2015, the Indigenous Cinema Alliance showcases market-ready Indigenous feature films and supports Indigenous producers through initiatives including the ICA Fellows Programme. In 2024, ICA expanded its mandate to also operate as a world sales agent for Indigenous films.

Collard's selection for the EFM Toolbox Programme marks a significant step in her growing international profile and underscores the impact of Indigenous-led pathways shaping the global film industry.

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