Call for Entries: Untapped Australia 2024

Sabir Pirzada, Alice Bell, Noora Niasari, Danny Philippou

Australians in Film and Screen Australia have opened applications for its Untapped Masterclasses from March to June 2024.

Untapped, which has been running for the past four years, is Australia’s premier artist development program for undiscovered and historically excluded Australian writers and directors to create career pathways into the LA market.

Speakers include co-writer and co-director of the global breakout hit, A24’s Talk to Me, Danny Philippou; executive producer and writer of Amazon’s Expats, Alice Bell; writer and director of indie feature Shayda, Noora Niasari; and writer of Star Wars: The Bad Batch and Person of Interest, Sabir Pirzada.

Up to six recipients will be selected to participate in anonline Development Lab between August and November 2024, with each receiving individualized mentorship, story consultation, creative feedback and professional development support.

First Nations Australians; people who are culturally and linguistically diverse, living with disability, LGBTQIA+ and/or who are living in regional and remote locations are encouraged to apply.

Peter Ritchie, Executive Director of Australians in Film, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that Danny, Alice, Noora and Sabir have agreed to be our Masterclass speakers for Untapped 2024. Craft and skill are the very foundation of telling a successful story, and each of our Masterclass speakers will bring a wealth of knowledge and inspiration to Australian artists wanting to tell their unique stories to the world. Enormous thanks to everyone at Screen Australia and all our partners who continue to keep the doors open for Australia’s best emerging writers and directors.”

Deirdre Brennan, CEO of Screen Australia, said: “We’re looking forward to finding another talented cohort of emerging and diverse Australian storytellers for Untapped 2024. This unique program ensures they will have the skills, project direction and global insights needed to navigate the US market. Danny, Alice, Noora and Sabir will each play a pivotal role in guiding participants – offering their wealth of experience and expertise. We’re incredibly excited to have them on board.”

Writer Miranda Aguilar, an Untapped 2023 participant, said: “Breaking into the industry can be an incredibly daunting, opaque process. Programs like Untapped are critical to bringing in new talented voices that might otherwise be dissuaded from trying to enter this line of work. I genuinely appreciated how AiF and Untapped really cared about setting us on the right path forward in order for us to courageously forge our way through.”

Untapped applications are open untilMarch 15 at 11:59 p.m. (AEDT).

australiansinfilm.org/untapped