Screen NSW announces funding of 10 short productions from regional filmmakers

Screen NSW has announced funding for 10 new short form productions to be made by emerging regional NSW content creators.
 
A partnership with ABC Regional, SEED: REGIONAL SHORTS offers the 10 creative teams grants of up to $4,000 to create their shorts, which include drama, web series, comedies and factual programs.
 
The filmmakers represent regions across the State, coming from Ettalong and Lake Macquarie on the Central Coast, Shellharbour in the Illawarra, Bangalow and Lennox Heads in the Northern Rivers, Bega on the South Coast, Broken Hill in the Far West, Dubbo in the Orana region and Newcastle in the Hunter region.
 
The funding recipients and their projects are:

• Elizabeth McCarthy from Ettalong on the Central Coast who will write, direct and produce the stop motion adventure pilot I Dream of Gina;
• Nisrine Amine (writer) from western Sydney and Gia Frino (producer) from Shellharbour in the Illawarra for the comedy Apricot;
• Sophie Hexter (director) and Poppy Walker (producer) from Bangalow in the Northern Rivers for their documentary Drummer Girl;
• Lis Shelley, from Lochiel on the far south coast, who will write, direct and produce the pilot episode of a six-part series Backwards Man;
• Nick Crowhurst (director), Stephanie Jaclyn (writer) and producers Jason King and Jessica Byrne from Broken Hill for the drama thriller Lost Sheep;
• Gavin Banks (director) and Olivia Olley (writer and producer) from Newcastle in the Hunter Region for the first episode of their six-part comedy web series Table for One;
• Joseph J.U. Taylor (writer and producer) from Wangi Wangi, on Lake Macquarie on the Central Coast) with Alexandra McTavish (director and writer) for the neo noir thriller Dark Waters;
• Shane Salvador (writer/director) and Tatiana Velasco (producer) from Lennox Heads in the Northern Rivers for their comedy The Koorioke Machine.
• Coralie Tapper (producer) and Darius Devas (director/writer) from Byron Bay in the Northern Rivers for their documentary Clinton’s Walk For Justice to be filmed on the South Coast of NSW and Canberra.
• Kellie Jennar (writer/producer) and Alison Plasto (director/DOP) from Dubbo in the Orana region for their documentary Pride Out West, to be filmed in and around Dubbo.

 
In line with the Screen NSW gender equity target of 50/50 by 2020, announced in November 2015, to be eligible for SEED, projects were required to have at least one woman in a key creative role.
 
Teams will be partnered with the Screen NSW Development and Production Team and other screen industry experts, and, where suitable, a local ABC Regional producer, who together will offer production advice and feedback on the projects to the teams.
 
The finished projects will screen to a wide audience on ABC online screening platforms, which in 2015 had 7.4 million users per week.
 
SEED has been designed for early career creatives, aged over 18, from regional NSW. Applicants with feature film or television credits in their elected role were not eligible.

Image - Dark Waters - Lizz Vernon DOP - Wangi Point Jetty