NITV has opened applications from remote Indigenous filmmakers for 15-minute documentary submissions for its annual Spirit Initiative. Formerly titled the Spirit Award it includes a professional development opportunity and a $12,000 short-documentary production fund. The new-look initiative focuses on creating more awareness of Indigenous languages.
NITV Commissioning Editor, Jade Christian, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for an emerging remote Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander filmmaker to develop their skills and increase their understanding of a national broadcaster. We are excited with the extended offering and look forward to receiving a diverse range of ideas from across remote Australia.”
General Manager of the Indigenous Remote Communications Association (IRCA), Daniel Featherstone, said: “The Spirit Initiative is a really valuable investment from NITV in the remote Indigenous media sector, which is hugely important in maintaining Indigenous language and culture.”
Previous winners of the Spirit Award have included the Pilbara and Kimberley based PAKAM for their Marumpu Wangka (Kukatja Hand Signs) production and Central Australia’s PAW Media for Desert Yarns – ‘Yuendumu Early Days and First Contact.
The winner will join NITV’s central office in Sydney for a three-week placement where they will be mentored and trained by experienced staff across a range of departments. They will be commissioned to produce a short 15-minute Our Stories documentary in language, alongside a news story from their local community. They will also attend the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) in Melbourne in March 2017.
Applicants are required to submit a three minute reel showcase of their work and their 15 minute documentary submission. Applications close 31 August 2016, with the winner to be announced at the 18th National Remote Indigenous Media Festival in Yirrkala from 26 – 30 September 2016.
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