Adelaide-based actor Mia Foran is the inaugural recipient of the AACTA Young Stars: National Youth Casting Call, beating out nine other young finalists to top the nationwide initiative.
Run in collaboration with Casting Networks and the Casting Guild of Australia (CGA), the program aims to provide talent aged 13-18 with opportunities to realise their dream career.
As part of her prize, Foran will receive a $10,000 Flight Centre voucher and $2,500 cash in travel support to fly to the United States where she will have the opportunity to meet with an unnamed international casting director, network and participate in a week-long workshop at Howard Fine Acting Studio in Los Angeles.
The 17-year-old will also have access to The Studio by Casting Networks in Sydney for a full year, as well as the chance to meet with both Australian-based casting directors and agents.
Foran said she was “humbled and honoured” to be selected among “such a high calibre of talented individuals around Australia”.
“I hope that I am able to inspire others to continue striving and working hard to achieve their goals with sheer determination, commitment, and positive self-belief,” she said.
The announcement comes after ten finalists were chosen from the top 50, each of whom was invited to attend the AACTA Festival earlier this month on the Gold Coast, where they took part in workshops and mentoring opportunities with casting directors Thea McLeod, Anousha Zarkesh and Nikki Barrett, and recorded a casting tape.
The finalists presented a scripted scene to the panel of McLeod, Zarkesh and Barrett, receiving feedback from the trio to incorporate in their second take
The three casting directors then selected the winner alongside Liz Mullane, and actors Claudia Karven and Mark Coles Smith.
Joining Foran in the top ten were Stacy Clausen, Conor Colgan, Arwen Diamond, Chaydon Jay, Lokota Kayn, Giulia Modenese, Kayden Price, Matilda Ross and Sepi To’a.