PUBLISHED09 Mar 2021

Documentary Australia Foundation’s Centralised Indigenous Fellowship

Now in its second year, this groundbreaking annual fellowship focused on the career advancement of early and mid career indigenous filmmakers from the Northern Territory and South Australia is open for applications.

Launched in August 2019 under the CENTRALISED banner, Documentary Australia Foundation’s new Centralised Indigenous Fellowship is a partnership with the South Australian Film Corporation, Screen Territory, NITV (National Indigenous Television) and AFTRS Indigenous (Australian Film Television and Radio School).
This initiative is supported by innovative philanthropic partners – Aesop Foundation, Fade To Black Foundation and Resolve Litigation Lawyers – who made the launch of this new initiative possible.

Inaugural Centralised Indigenous fellow Tamara Whyte. (Photo: Dylan River)

Open to early to mid-career Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander practitioners from the Northern Territory and South Australia, the Fellowship will run across three years with one Fellow selected annually.

The successful fellow will receive a grant of up to $30,000 towards professional and documentary project development, which can include mentorship, research and development, skills development and training, attendance at industry conferences, attachment to a relevant industry professional and more. In addition, they will receive up to $10,000 of-kind support to attend training opportunities at AFTRS.

Applications are open until Friday 12 March 2021 

This is an unparalleled opportunity for Indigenous filmmakers resident in the Northern Territory or South Australia to accelerate their career to a new level.

Inaugural Fellow, Northern Territory filmmaker Tamara Whyte, is currently undertaking professional development to further her documentary project Base 8, which explores the use of mathematics in Indigenous Culture.

“The DAF Centralised Indigenous Fellowship has been a total game-changer for my career. As a carer, parent and Aboriginal woman working in film and media, having the opportunity and the support to craft my own unique pathway for professional development and mentoring has been absolutely invaluable, and has allowed me to take my documentary project to the next level” – Tamara Whyte

The Fellowship is the latest announcement in a slate of opportunities being launched under the ground-breaking CENTRALISED initiative between the South Australian and Northern Territory governments to boost Indigenous filmmakers and screen creatives in Australia’s north, south and centre, with an emphasis on collaboration that crosses state borders.

CENTRALISED works to remove the state-territory border for the screen industry, linking creative communities and fostering collaborations to develop and uncover the stories, locations and new and existing talent through the very heart of Australia.

For application guidelines, and to apply online you can click here.