She Directs announces workshop recipients

Eight filmmakers participated in a intensive three-day directors’ lab over the weekend in Victoria’s Yarra Valley.

She Directs was established by filmmaker and Warramungu / Luritja woman Beck Cole (Deadloch, Wentworth, We Are Still Here, Black Comedy, Here I Am) in response to a growing gap in the number of First Nations women joining the screen industry.

Emerging directors selected for the program were Peal Berry (Yankunytjatjara), Rhianna Malezer (Butchulla, Kamilaroi), Brittney Morris (Wiradjuri, Dunghutti, Wonnarua) Nazareth Alfred (Kulkalgal), Merryn Trescott (Wiradjuri), Kellie Baxter (Wiradjuri, Kamilaroi), Talia Liddle (Arrernte/Luritja/Yunkunjatjara) and Takani Clark (palawa/Samoan).

BLACKapple’s Beck Cole curated the lab with masterclasses and sessions from established filmmakers and crew including writer/actor/director Briar Grace-Smith, director Tanith Glynn-Maloney, 1st Assistant Director Toni Raynes, cinematographer Katie Milwright, actors Leonie Whyman and Harvey Zielinski, acting coach Clare Madsen and script supervisor Karlyn Fitzgerald.

Common Ground CEO Rona Glynn-McDonald said, “It has been a joy creating space for early-stage First Nations directors to build skills and confidence in directing alongside Beck and the BLACKapple team. Receiving almost 70 applications from incredible First Nations women and gender diverse mob from across the country confirmed the undeniable need for more opportunities like this.”

Screen Australia Head of First Nations Angela Bates said, “The First Nations Department is thrilled to support She Directs – led by the extraordinary Beck Cole who has so much knowledge and wisdom to pass on. This vital initiative is helping bring about real change by fostering a new generation of First Nations talent, and ensuring our stories are heard and celebrated on screen. I look forward to seeing the positive impact this initiative has on their careers.”

VicScreen CEO Caroline Pitcher said, “VicScreen is very proud to support She Directs – an important initiative led by the indomitable Beck Cole. She Directs will equip a talented group of First Nations women to finesse their directing skills and help redress the gap between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous screen practitioners thriving in the screen industry.”

Screenrights Chief Executive, James Dickinson said, “Screenrights is proud to support this wonderful initiative through our Cultural Fund. The demand for the lab demonstrates that BLACKApple and Common Ground are addressing a crucial gap in the industry, and we look forward to seeing the work of these emerging female First Nations filmmakers on our screens down the line.” – James Dickinson, Screenrights Chief Executive

Beck Cole said, “She Directs has been carefully curated to upskill and inspire a new generation of talented First Nations women screen directors in a safe, non-competitive environment. The fact that we received over 60 applications from across Australia reflects the growing hunger and need for a practical film lab designed by First Nations filmmakers for First Nations filmmakers. She Directs is the first of its kind and we hope it’s the first of many more to come!”