Following through on their commitment last year to address the gender imbalance within the local screen industry via the $5 million Gender Matters initiative, Screen Australia has today launched two new funding programs: Brilliant Careers and Brilliant Stories.
The five point plan aims to ensure that Screen Australia production funding is targeted to creative teams (writer, producer, director and protagonist) that are at least 50% female by 2018 year end. It includes a $3 million allocation of “jump start” funding, and a further $2 million of support for distribution incentives, marketing and industry networking. Brilliant Careers and Brilliant Stories are included in this first allocation of funding.
The Brilliant Careers program is open to companies, industry organisations and guilds for proposals of up to $250,000 that: generate sustainable careers in the screen industry for women; identify gaps in career development pathways for female creatives; and support slates of projects and businesses that connect content to audiences.
Brilliant Stories is for projects that satisfy the ‘Three Tick Test’ – ensuring that three out of four creative positions of producer, writer, director, and protagonist are female. Brilliant Stories will provide up to $100,000 for feature films; up to $50,000 for teams to develop an inventive concept into a scripted television series of any genre or budget size; and up to $50,000 for scripted online and interactive projects.
“We want to be flooded with innovative, adventurous and interesting applications,” said Screen Australia’s Chief Operating Officer, Fiona Cameron. “We’re confident that by blowing open the eligibility for both funds, we’ll create opportunities for new voices and women who are trying to break back into the industry.”
Click here for more information and application guidelines for these programs.
