This week, State Member for Footscray Katie Hall MP officially launched a new studio facility in Footscray with funding support from the Victorian Government. Cinespace will deliver a quarterly production-in-residence program from this new studio space that gives a home, equipment and facilities, and other support to independent productions to help them get made.
Cinespace Acting President Steve RE Pereira says “the film maker residency program that this new facility provides offers a vital space for emerging screen practitioners from culturally diverse, POC and First Nations communities to develop skills, network and move into professional careers. The facility will help ensure Australia’s cultural diversity is represented on screen and behind the scenes. It also builds on the vibrant and dynamic creative arts precinct that is Footscray, and Melbourne’s West.”
Ms Hall said Cinespace would support the arts of Footscray.
“Melbourne’s inner west is bustling with creative talent and we’re proud to have supported this initiative which will give our budding film makers access to resources they need to pursue their dreams and forge connections with other artists across the state.”
Along with access to the production office space and equipment, residencies receive benefits such as the Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12K camera and Blackmagic Davinci Resolve post production facilities, thanks to the studio’s technology partner Blackmagic Design. There are also a range of other in-kind supports for residencies from industry partners including Media Mentors, PostLab, VA Digital hire, The Backlot Studios, Shaun Miller Lawyers, Lana Williams Safety Supervisor, The Prop Store, Jane Norris Casting and others. Also supporting is the Victorian College of the Arts at the University of Melbourne, the official Program Partner for Cinespace in 2022.
The first project to benefit from the new facility is Salma’s Season, a Screen Australia funded YouTube comedy web series by Cinespace alumni Writer-Director Kauthar Abdulalim (#Matched, The Ninth Tower) and Producer Sher Li Tan. Salma’s Season chronicles the Australian adventures of Salma, a 45-year-old Australian-Pakistani woman whose traditional world is turned upside-down when she rebels against her roles as a dutiful wife and doting mother to chase her dream of playing at the Australian Open grand slam tennis championship.
Upcoming residency projects include comedy pilot Lady Priest by Writer/Producers Natalia Bornay and Emily Davis, Director Eva Torkkola and DOP, Vanessa Cox. Lady Priest is a female-led comedy series about how to survive bonkers Lebanese-Australian family dynamics. Our show is inspired by Emily’s personal story, but it’s also universal for women caught between two worlds, trying to respect and honour where they came from while being able to live an authentic life.
This will be followed in the Summer residency by Pairing, an absurdist comedy short written by/starring Diane Vu, Written/Directed by Matt Burns and Produced by Pius Kung and Sarah Lewis. Pairing is an a-romantic comedy about a young woman who goes on a date with her childhood idol, the last remaining original member of the children’s music group, The Giggles.
The program will offer residencies each season, and people can apply via https://www.cinespace.org.au/residency. The next call out later this year will be for the Autumn 2023 residency.
