Screenrights, a prominent name in the media industry, has proudly declared the recipients of its 2023 Cultural Fund. This year, a whopping $265,763 will be channeled towards six innovative projects, all aligned with the theme of ‘New Visions’.
Rachel Antony, Screenrights Board Director and Chair of the Cultural Fund Working Group, expressed her enthusiasm: “It’s wonderful that the Screenrights membership is able to support the wider creative community through the Cultural Fund. Our assessors had a wide range of compelling applications to consider, from across Australia and Aotearoa-New Zealand, and I’m inspired by the aims of all the selected projects and look forward to seeing the impact they create.”
A Renewed Approach to Application Assistance
For the second consecutive year, Screenrights has implemented an Expression of Interest process, aiming to provide additional support to applicants during the application phase. This initiative has proven fruitful, as evidenced by the fact that five out of the six grant winners had availed of this support mechanism.
Spotlight on the Funded Projects
Black Apple Productions has been awarded $50,000 to curate ‘THE LAB: First Nations Women Screen Directors Lab’, a unique national screen directing workshop tailored for six First Nations women.
Pink Lake Creative will harness a $45,000 grant to roll out their Pathways and Connections Workshop Program. This initiative will enable 40 children from three remote communities in western Victoria to immerse themselves in screen industry workshops, with a special emphasis on augmented technology.
Sound aficionados Alicia Butterworth and Tfer Newsome will receive $50,000 for their venture, ‘Developing Diverse Screen Sound Practitioner Futures’. This project, backed by Griffith University and SAE Brisbane, will offer training workshops for emerging female and non-binary screen-sound professionals who are currently underrepresented in the industry.
Wellington’s Proud Voices on Screen will spearhead the Queer Screen Development Toolkit with a grant of $30,730. This toolkit is designed to offer support and resources for teams crafting screen projects that highlight queer themes, narratives, characters, and actors.
Touch Compass from New Zealand will be granted $50,000 for their Screen Production Programme tailored for d/Deaf and Disabled Students. This initiative aims to empower Deaf and Disabled budding filmmakers, equipping them with the skills to narrate their unique stories and carve out successful careers.
Lastly, The Unquiet Collective is set to receive $50,000 for their Distribution and Impact Lab, a rigorous social impact and non-theatrical planning lab for three films, prepping them for their grand release.
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A Rigorous Selection Process
The selection of these projects was carried out by a distinguished panel, boasting both local and international expertise in the realms of screen, media, and education.
For more details on the Cultural Fund and its impact, visit screenrights.org/cultural-fund.
