2023 Screen NSW Screenability Filmmaker Fund

Title: 14 in February (working title)

Length: 10-12 minutes

Producer: Lily Warland

Executive Producers: Philippa Smart, Anna Mannix

Production Company: Revolver

Writer: Victoria Singh-Thompson

Director: Victoria Singh-Thompson

Synopsis: Arabella, a hard-of-hearing student at a private all girls high school, cares deeply about her studies. Her sense of time and reality however begin to unravel the more time she spends time with Mr George Chapman on her essay. Feeling more isolated from her surroundings as George's grooming unfolds, Arabella must hold on to the good around her to get through the days.

About Victoria: Victoria Singh-Thompson graduated AFTRS in 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts (Screen). They have been awarded Best Short Drama at the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival 2019, Judge’s Choice Award at Focus on Ability 2019 and have been nominated for Young Filmmaker of the Year at Byron Bay Festival and was a finalist for the Sundance Ignite Program. Their films have screened at Melbourne International Film Festival, Outfest Fusion, Inside Out LGBT, and Flickerfest.

Title: Chum - A friend for life

Length: 10 minutes

Producers: John Larkin, Marisa Zamora, Aaron Bush

Production Company: Aurora Research

Writer: Eliza South

Director: Jason King

Synopsis: Mary, an independent mid-forties vision-impaired lady, lives alone with her dog, Girl. When Mary has an accident while walking home from the shops, she befriends Jacob, a mysterious stranger and they bond over tea and biscuits. When Jacob begins steeling from Mary, their relationship goes in a surprising direction.

About John Larkin and Eliza South: Chum - A friend for life is Eliza South’s first foray into creative writing, but her life journey also includes travelling to 52 countries, and despite being blind, hosting her own daily radio show and managing her own accommodation business in Broken Hill. John Larkin will produce Chum- A friend for life as his first short film. He has been working at the highest level of regional tourism, research, and business development for over 30 years. John has produced commercials in the advertising space creating content for the government and health care sector.  He’s had a life-long passion for film making particularly for a regional setting like Broken Hill.

Title: Fighting

Length: 10 minutes

Producer: Geraldine Coy

Production Company: The Full Box

Writer: Xavier Coy

Director: Xavier Coy

Synopsis: Xavier is a Bipolar man who wakes with the presence of a person in the corner of the room who is immediately goading him. He looks to another person who is also in the room for support. As he starts to get ready for his day these two people are constantly with him. He attempts to have a peaceful breakfast however the constant bickering triggers a flashback to a traumatic moment in his past. All is going downhill only for him to find a moment of solace but as he makes his way out into the world he is confronted with his constant reality.

Xavier Coy: Xavier is a neurodiverse Sydney based writer. Xavier wrote on Channel 10’s acclaimed television series Five Bedrooms and has completed a development room for The Full Box’s adaptation of their documentary into a drama series Opal Cove.

Xavier has staged six plays and has his play Fighting, of which this short film was adapted, preparing to be staged soon. Fighting recently took out the esteemed Silver Gull Play Award and was shortlisted for The Born Writer’s Award. His play Caught Out won the NIDA Award for Best Writer at the 2018 Sydney Fringe Festival and has selected by Squabbalogic Independent Musical Theatre Inc. to be developed into a musical, funded by Create NSW and a RISE grant.

Naomi Just, Mischief Media, Screenability Executive Producer

Naomi Just has established herself as one of Australia's most versatile and experienced screen producers with productions spanning comedy, drama, animation, and documentary. Her body of work has garnered recognition across AACTA, AIDC, SPA, and Logie awards and she has delivered more than a hundred hours of broadcast content

Her diverse credits include the family film Christmas Ransom, drama series The Unusual Suspects, stand-out children's adventure Born to Spy, and the hit comedies Sammy J & Randy in Ricketts Lane and Ronny Chieng: International Student. In addition Naomi's award-winning factual credits include Stackorama!, Life at 9, and Life at 7. 

With a focus on putting female stories and storytellers firmly in the frame, Naomi oversees a dynamic slate at Mischief Media championing new and diverse talent. Mischief in development includes feature film Safety Net, based on the successful short film Safety Net which screened at Sydney Film Festival, New Zealand International Film Festival, and Slamdance USA. 

Naomi is an active advocate for the screen industry and a member of Screen Producers Australia (SPA), the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA), and Screen Vixens.

Image L-R Executive Producer across Screenability films Naomi Just; Head of Screen NSW Kyas Hepworth;Chum producer John Larkin; CEO of Sydney Film Festival Frances Wallace; 14 in February (working title) writer and director Victoria Singh-Thompson; Fighting writer and director Xavier Coy; Sydney Film Festival Curator Screenability Program Rebecca McCormack