by FIlmInk Staff
Ballardong Whadjuk Noongar (Australia) producer and writer Brooke Collard has been selected to participate in the Toolbox Programme at the European Film Market (EFM), held alongside the Berlin International Film Festival. Collard was selected by the Winda Film Festival and will attend the programme with the support of the Indigenous Cinema Alliance (ICA), where she is also named a 2026 ICA Fellow.
Collard’s work champions authentic First Nations and LGBTQIA+ representation. Guided by the principle “No Stories About Us, Without Us,” her storytelling centers on community healing, agency, and ethical collaboration. In 2023, she won the AACTA Regional Pitch for Reclamation, a project currently in development.
The Toolbox Programme is an intensive, tailor-made initiative supporting underrepresented producers from around the world through direct access to the international film marketplace. The programme offers one-on-one mentorship with industry experts, alongside workshops, matchmaking events, and high-level networking opportunities. Participants are nominated by partner organisations rather than selected directly by the EFM.
Toolbox alumni include Leah Chen Baker (The President’s Cake, Caméra d’Or 2025; Iraq’s Academy Awards 2026 entry), as well as Gilbert Mirambeau and Gaethan Chancy (Kidnapping Inc., Sundance 2024).
One of the world’s leading film markets, the European Film Market brings together approximately 10,000 producers, distributors, sales agents, buyers, and financiers over eight days in Berlin. Closely linked with the Berlinale, the EFM serves as both a major marketplace for film and audiovisual content and a platform for innovation and exchange.
Founded in 2016, Winda Film Festival is an Indigenous-led festival based in Sydney that celebrates emerging and established Indigenous filmmakers while fostering opportunities for Indigenous voices across the screen industries.
An official partner of the EFM since 2015, the Indigenous Cinema Alliance showcases market-ready Indigenous feature films and supports Indigenous producers through initiatives including the ICA Fellows Programme. In 2024, ICA expanded its mandate to also operate as a world sales agent for Indigenous films.
Brooke Collard’s selection for the EFM Toolbox Programme marks a significant step in her growing international profile and underscores the impact of Indigenous-led pathways shaping the global film industry.
