Screenrights has revealed six projects which will be supported by its annual Cultural Fund, with nearly $300,000 allocated to this year's focus of creative intelligence.
A grant of $49,750 will support production company GARUWA to run 'Ngaluwi: Documentary Storytelling Incubator', a 12 month initiative designed to support First Nations documentary practitioners and teams.
Milk Crate Theatre's 'MCT ScreenLab: Unearthing New Voices for the Screen' will receive $50,000 for their 20-week program to provide accessible, professional screen-based training for individuals with diverse lived experiences, including those experiencing homelessness, disability, and mental health challenges.
Aotearoa/New Zealand's Jack Media will receive $50,000 for 'Te Piringa: A Programme for Indigenous Wellbeing in Screen Storytelling', a six-month Indigenous-led pilot program designed to support the health and wellbeing of Māori and Indigenous screen practitioners, both on-screen participants and crew.
Supported by a $50,000 grant, a 'Residency+ Producing Skills Program' aims to develop culturally diverse and First Nations screen producers through a three-phase capacity building initiative from Cinespace .
'AI for Women in Screen' will also receive $50,000, enabling Jessie Hughes to deliver masterclasses designed to upskill female screen practitioners in AI tools, enabling them to lead creative teams through technological transformation in the screen industry.
Aotearoa/New Zealand's Te Tari Tuhi Kupu A Whakaahua Script to Screen will receive $50,000 for their 'Script Development Workshops for Deaf, Disabled and Neuro Diverse creatives' program designed to upskill deaf, disabled, and neuro diverse creatives in innovative screen storytelling.
Screenrights board director and Cultural Fund working group chair, Rachel Antony, said the company was impressed with this years calibre of applicants.
"We were once again so impressed with the calibre of applications and the breadth of the potential positive impact for the screen sectors in both Aotearoa-NZ and Australia," she said.
"My thanks, too, to our panel of external assessors for their thoughtful consideration and recommendations of this final six."
The Screenrights Cultural Fund makes a difference by supporting people with exciting and innovative initiatives which foster the creation and appreciation of screen content in Australia and New Zealand.
Including this year's funding round, the Cultural Fund has now provided almost $2 million in funding for projects since it was launched in 2018.
This year's applicaitons were assessed by a panel of professionals with both local and international expertise in screen, media and education.
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