Introducing the Finalists for our Emerging Filmmakers Fund
We received a huge round and range of applications for our inaugural Emerging Filmmakers Fund. After many hours and much discussion - we are thrilled to introduce our finalists!
Tonight our Directors' Circle will hear pitches from the group below, and select THREE candidates to receive funding for their upcoming short film project.
We would like to extend a big thank you to all the applicants who submitted their ideas this year. We are inspired by your creativity, diverse stories and unique voices.
Tinaye Nyathi
Tinaye is a mixed race Afro-Black filmmaker living on unceded Wurundjeri lands. His work explores race, gender and sexuality through situating personal narratives as political. He is concerned with disrupting linear understandings of the trans body as ‘under transition’ or before / after transition, and exploring alternative ways of understanding trans experiences. He enjoys troubling the boundary between narrative and documentary film in order to make evident the place of storytelling and imagination in our daily lives. He is influenced by filmmakers such as Barry Jenkins, Warwick Thornton and Kelly Reichardt.
Alice Gilbert
Alice is a driven and versatile self-taught filmmaker. She has written, directed, produced, edited and acted/presented in a range of amateur short film and video projects. Alice has particular experience with creating comedy sketches, parody music videos and other comedic videos. She is also interested in building her skills in stop-motion animation. Alice identifies as Aboriginal and a member of the LGBTQIA+ community and is passionate about promoting and championing minority voices wherever possible.
Michelle Keating
Michelle (they/them) is a 22 year old filmmaker and actor based in Melbourne, who has recently graduated with a Bachelor of Film and Television with Honours at Swinburne University of Technology. They have been involved in screen media production for the last 6 years, beginning as a trained actor and currently splitting their focus between acting and crew roles, including most recently working in the art department of SBS’s New Gold Mountain. Their films typically focus on portraying the authenticity of the queer POC experience in the modern world, whilst exploring unique and experimental visual styles.
@snarky.mish | Facebook | Vimeo | IMDb
Emmett Aldred
Born from a desire to see more Australian stories critically engage with the transgender experience, Aldred’s directorial practice ardently celebrates and critiques notions of gender. Historically, Aldred’s gender transition had presented barriers in the local making industry, but this became the catalyst for his interest in platforming and curation. Emmett has taken on leadership roles at tilde - the Trans and Gender Diverse Film Festival (2016-21) and the Dead End Film Festival (2017-19).
Jacqueline Dixon
Jacqueline purchased her first camera when travelling to see family in Cambodia, not realising how valuable those images would later be to her. It wasn't until she was home, feeling the heartache of missing her family, that looking through these images brought so many feelings of comfort, nostalgia and joy. This is where her passion for capturing moments and stories was created, and this is a sentiment that has always inspired her work. Since then, Jacqueline has grown a career in photography and videography in Melbourne, and aims to capture emotion and human connection in all the work she creates.
Emerald MacGill
Emerald is drawn to film because of its power to communicate and the popularity of its consumption. Emerald believes wielding a camera gives you the ability to shape how people view the world. She finds purpose in immersing herself in communities with a story to tell, and becoming a part of that story telling. Emerald loves learning and being of service to different causes and creating an impact, all while making art.
Lucie McMahon
Lucie is a filmmaker, programmer and teacher based in Narrm (Melbourne). Lucie co founded the Dead End Film Festival, and Too Much World. Lucie is passionate about cinema that employs experimental or lo-fi techniques that offer marginalised members of the community access and affordability to tell underrepresented stories. She is interested in the aesthetics that emerge, when care is central to the filmmaking process. Lucie is currently teaching in media and communications at RMIT, and Collarts.
Website | Instagram
Michaela Mulenga
Michaela is an emerging Filmmaker based in Southeast Victoria. She is a 16-year-old high school student in the second year of pursuing her creative practice of filmmaking, participating in Darebin Speakeasy’s Lets Take Over 2021 program, where her debut short film ‘Pure and Utter’ premiered. She’s a big Cinephile and occasionally dabbles in photography too. Currently she works as a social media manager and content creator for multiple businesses in Southeast Victoria.
Jenn Tran
Jenn is an emerging experimental animator and artist from Naarm. She is a recent graduate of a BFA in Animation at The Victorian College of the Arts and considers her work the nexus between analogue animation and documentary film essays. She also takes huge pride to be in the linage of Vietnamese-Australian writers and filmmakers that work today.
Instagram | Vimeo | Website
