SBS and the NSW Govt forked out $180 000 to fund the six teams, and have finally announced who’s made it.
NSW Minister for the Arts Don Harwin and SBS have announced the six emerging film making teams chosen to create shorts that will air as part of the broadcaster’s coverage of the 40th anniversary celebration of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival in 2018.
The recipients of this year’s LGBTIQ focused Create NSW Generator: Emerging Filmmakers Fund celebrate LGBTIQ diversity through a wide scope of themes including LGBTIQ acceptance in multi-cultural communities, small-town bigotry and a Muslim probationary policewoman amongst others.
The successful projects are Concern for Welfare (director Fadia Abboud), Black Lips (director Adrian Chiarella), Cherry Season (director Joshua Longhurst), the bilingual Tomgirl (director Vonne Patiag), Joy Boy (director Stef Smith) and Disco Dykes (director Sara West).
Don Harwin said that the fund is an exciting and valuable way of introducing greater diversity into the Australian screen industry.
“I am immensely proud of this initiative and its aims for funding productions that shape a more diverse Australian screen sector, both on-screen and off. We are delighted that with our partners at SBS, these projects will create 155 screen jobs that support LGBTIQ creatives, show strong representation for female practitioners, those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and include jobs for young people,” he said.
“Promoting the benefits of diversity in all its forms remains at the core of SBS and we are thrilled to partner with Create NSW on this emerging filmmakers initiative, part of our increasing commitment to create opportunities for Australian screen practitioners from diverse backgrounds,” said SBS Managing Director, Michael Ebeid. “Delivering positive outcomes for emerging LGBTIQ creatives and talent, this year’s selected stories span a range of important themes from across the community and we look forward to featuring these as part of SBS’s overall Mardi Gras coverage next year.”
Each film making team will receive $30,000 through a $15,000 production finance grant from Create NSW and a $15,000 licence fee from SBS. The shorts (each up to 15 minutes long) will be filmed and post-produced in NSW and be delivered by the end of January for programming through SBS.
As part of the initiative, Create NSW has signed drama, factual, entertainment and comedy production company CJZ (makers of Gruen,House of Bond, House of Hancock and Go Back to Where You Came From) as Executive Producers of all the shorts.
