Screen Australia’s Indigenous Department is pleased to announce the first call out for the Indigenous Feature Documentary Initiative. In partnership with the Adelaide Film Festival, KOJOand the National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) this initiative is the first of its kind. Established Indigenous filmmakers, with a production-ready project, will have the chance to make a feature-length documentary that will premiere at the 2017 Adelaide Film Festival.

The initiative seeks documentaries with innovative observational and/or social justice themes with a strong creative vision such as The Tall Man (2011 Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund) or the 2014 Sundance Grand Jury Prize–winner, Rich Hill.

This is a rare opportunity for an Indigenous feature documentary to receive up to $738,000 in funding, which includes:

– $600,000 combined funding from Screen Australia and the Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund.

– in-kind post-production support from KOJO up to the value of $78,000

– access to the NFSA archives to the value of $60,000.

Marketplace commitment is not required, but the project must have an Indigenous writer and an Indigenous director attached.

Screen Australia’s Head of Indigenous, Penny Smallacombe said, “We are looking for big screen ideas of national interest that will provoke debate and that will have the ability to change people’s emotions and perspectives of the Indigenous Australian experience”.

Amanda Duthie, Adelaide Film Festival Director and CEO, said, “This is a rare and very precious opportunity to collaborate with master Indigenous screen storytellers and AFF is thrilled to be working alongside Penny Smallacombe at Screen Australia and partnering with KOJO and the NFSA in this exciting venture.”

“From Samson & Delilah and The Tall Man to Charlie’s Country and The Darkside, Adelaide Film Festival has a long history of supporting distinctive Australian screen stories.”

The deadline for Indigenous Feature Documentary Initiative applications is Friday 26 June 2015. For more information see the Screen Australia website.

Media enquiries

Annaliese Zuzarte T: 02 8113 5833; M: 0404 877 887