SAFC launches Diversity and Inclusion Strategy

The South Australian Film Corporation has launched a bold new plan to boost diverse representation in South Australian screen production, and increase inclusion.

The SAFC’s Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2022-2032 sets out comprehensive, quantifiable 10-year targets for the representation of diversity both on and off screen in the South Australian screen sector.

Diversity targets to be achieved over the next 10 years are designed to increase representation of people who are First Nations, female, LGBTQIA+, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD), regional and remote, and Deaf or disabled, or an intersection of these identities – both in positions of key creative “Greenlighters” (credited writers, directors and producers) and credited crew on SAFC productions supported with development and production funding.

Setting targets will help to keep the SAFC accountable and shape the agency’s funding allocations, policies, programs, and strategic initiatives over time.

Minister for the Arts  Andrea Michaels said, “Through the launch of this ground-breaking strategy the SAFC has once again cemented South Australia’s position as a leader in the nation’s screen industry, committed to ensuring the full breadth of South Australian voices are heard and talent represented both on and off screen. By working towards a screen sector that is representative of the demographic makeup of South Australia as a whole, we can ensure the stories we see on screen truly reflect who we are as a people.”

SAFC CEO Kate Croser said, “The SAFC has long been committed to improving diversity and inclusion in the South Australian screen sector, championing diverse storytellers and authentic representation in screen productions. We recognise that diverse practitioners have experiences, make observations and face barriers that are unique to them, giving them unique perspectives on life and the world. Their representation is vital for ensuring the screen stories we support are not only authentic but continue to connect with audiences here and internationally. The launch of this strategy is a significant step forward in the SAFC’s mission to support and develop underrepresented storytellers, creatives and crew, and to fund the production of stories which reflect the vibrancy, capability and potential of the diverse South Australian community.”

SAFC Board Member producer Tony Ayres, said: “Creating a culture in the screen industry that is as inclusive and representative of the society we live in needs strategies for active inclusion as well as structural change to remove barriers to participation – and that’s what the SAFC’s Diversity and Inclusion Strategy sets out to do. As someone who identifies as being from several intersecting under-represented groups in the Australian screen industry, I am particularly proud to have been part of the development of this bold new strategy which will set the bar for the industry nationally.”

Joining Tony Ayres on the working group to develop the strategy were SAFC Disability Screen Strategy Executive Gaelle Mellis, SAFC Board Member Miriam Silva, SAFC First Nations Screen Strategy Executive Pauline Clague, SAFC First Nations Industry Development Executive Nara Wilson, SAFC Head of Production and Development Beth Neate, and former SAFC First Nations Screen Strategy Executive Lee-Ann Buckskin.

The strategy formalises the SAFC’s existing commitment to diversity and inclusion and builds on past programs and projects including:

·      International Emmy Award winning children’s series First Day which has won acclaim and accolades around the world for its ground-breaking and sensitive portrayal of a transgender teenager;

·      Rolf de Heer feature film The Mountain, currently in post-production, which included four First Nations South Australian crew supported by the SAFC to gain their first feature film credits as Heads of Departments;

·      The successful Film Lab: New Voices program from the SAFC and Adelaide Film Festival, which has created “Greenlighter” skills development opportunities for practitioners from under-represented communities;

·      The SAFC and Channel 44’s First Nations Internship Program, mentoring and training First Nations screen creatives to discover new careers in TV production; and

·      The SAFC’s Targeted Diversity Attachment program, which has seen LGBTQIA+, Deaf and disabled, CALD and First Nations crew gain on-set employment on productions including international hit series The Tourist, ABC children’s series First Day and MaveriX, Netflix series Heartbreak High and factual NatGeo series Aussie Snake Wranglers.

The Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2022-2032 becomes part of the SAFC’s established suite of diversity policies including the inaugural Disability Equality Plan released in 2020, the First Nations Screen Strategy 2020-2025, and ongoing Reconciliation Action Plan.