Screen Australia in Sydney is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its Indigenous Department.
Head of Indigenous at Screen Australia, Penny Smallacombe recalled that Wal Saunders set up the Department in 1993.
Ms Smallacombe said no-one expected back then that over the next quarter of a century more than 160 First Nations screen stories would be made.
“Twenty five years later, it’s unthinkable to imagine the Australian screen industry without our Indigenous stories and the people who tell them,” Ms Smallacombe said.
“This anniversary is an incredibly special moment in Australia’s cultural history, and one that Indigenous people can treasure.”
She said Warwick Thornton and Rachel Perkins were part of the very first short film series funded by the Indigenous Department.
“A quarter of century later Warwick is a Caméra d’Or-winning director and Rachel just helmed the most successful ABC iView drama in history — Mystery Road,” Ms Smallacombe said.
“Significantly, new names such as Dylan River and Tasia Zalar have worked on projects from both Warwick and Rachel, so we’re seeing generational and sustained change”
She said that since its inception, the Indigenous Department had provided more than $35 million in funding for development, production and talent escalation.
“The model has been so successful it has recently inspired the Canada Media Fund to create its own Indigenous Film Fund,” Ms Smallacombe said.
“A hallmark of the Department has been to put Indigenous people in control of their own stories, and the Indigenous Department has had a dramatic impact on the visibility of Indigenous characters on screen.”
