Four young filmmaker teams from western Sydney and regional NSW will have the opportunity to begin professional careers in the screen industry following the announcement of the successful applicants in the most recent round of NSW Film and Television Office (FTO) Young Filmmaker Fund.
Round 23 of the Young Filmmaker Fund, which fosters the talent of emerging young filmmakers from the State, was, for the first time, open exclusively to applicants from western Sydney and regional NSW.
Two of the successful teams are from regional NSW and two from western Sydney.
Producer/Writer Sarah Jane Ford from Gulmarrad and Director Darius Devas from Byron Bay have been funded to make an 8-minute drama Tea. Producer Lien Aguilar from Quakers Hill, Director Johnny Tran from Bankstown and Writer Michael Mohammed Ahmed from Bankstown/Canterbury will make a 15-minute drama The Pizza. Producer Ian Thomson from Yass and Writer/Director Ariel Martin from Leonay have been funded to make their 15-minute drama Change Given. The fourth successful project is another 15-minute drama,The Distance Between, to be made by Producer Melissa Azizi from South Wentworthville and Writer/Director Michael Fahd from Doonside.
“The FTO set out to find new talent and engage with emerging filmmakers across the State and we were delighted with the quality and range of projects submitted in this special Young Filmmaker Fund round,” said Linda Tizard, Head of Development and Investment at the FTO. “The four projects selected represent an exciting mix of cultures, experiences and ideas and I’ll look forward to seeing the completed films.
“My thanks to the regional film offices across New South Wales who assisted the FTO with getting the news out about this round and encouraging their local filmmakers to apply.”
Since the inception of the program in 1995, the FTO has funded an exceptional range of 115 projects including short dramas, documentaries, animation and experimental films. Many have been acclaimed both nationally and internationally and have launched the successful careers of several NSW filmmakers.
[Release by TM Publicity]