Established in 2011 to recognise the unique contributions of screen industry pioneer Natalie Miller AO, the Fellowship is open to established women working in the Australian screen industry and aims to provide an annual grant to aspirational women in all sectors to pursue professional leadership through attachments, internships, secondments, travel and other means to reach their full leadership potential.
Proudly supported by co-sponsors Village Roadshow and independent sports and entertainment studio, KOJO, the Fellowship is the only grant of its kind in the country, with each partner providing $50,000 over five years. Offering up to $20,000 for a professional development program, the Fellowship delivers significant benefits to the applicant and the winder Australian screen community.
Since 2012, eleven Fellowships have been awarded to Rachel Okine (Head of Scripted, ABC); Harriet Pike (Chief Operating Officer, WildBear Entertainment); Rebecca Hammond (Former Post Production Manager and Manager of Strategic Partnerships at Deluxe); Courtney Botfield (Director of Industry Partnerships, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia); Sasha Close (Head of Programming, Brisbane International Film Festival and Gold Coast Film Festival); Kristy Matheson (Festivals Director, British Film Institute (BFI)); Miriam Katsambis (VP Business & Legal Affairs APAC, Entertainment One); Anna Kaplan (Producer/Co-founder, Regen Studios & Co-Founder/Co-Chair, Sustainable Screens Australia); Pauline Clague (First Nations Screen Strategy Executive, South Australian Film Corporation); Bridgette Graham (Screen Strategist and Founder, Path to Audience); and Dr Sian Mitchell (Lecturer, Deakin University & Festival Director, Melbourne Women in Film Festival).
The Natalie Miller Fellowship is unique in its role of passionately promoting female leaders across the spectrum of the Australian screen sector, but also as a support network for women in the industry and the respect and recognition of the Fellowship is palpable. Its vision is to achieve gender diversity in screen leadership, resulting in a greater breadth of storytelling, better company performances, innovation, and a more dynamic, inclusive, and robust industry for everyone.
President of the Fellowship, Sasha Close says, “The Natalie Miller Fellowship is unique in Australia and women in the screen industry have an amazing opportunity to accelerate their professional skills and development, which in turn, contributes to the broader industry ecosystem. I strongly encourage women working in the industry with leadership aspirations to apply.”
Applications for the 2023 Fellowship open Friday July 28, 2023. All applications for the current Natalie Miller Fellowship must be received by Friday September 22, 2023, with the recipient announced at the Australian International Movie Convention held on the Gold Coast between Tuesday October 31 – Thursday November 2, 2023.
For more information, Fellowship guidelines and to apply, visit the website: www.nataliemillerfellowship.com
