The Australian Film Television & Radio School (AFTRS) has partnered with the Hoyts Group and Dylan Alcott Foundation (DAF) to establish two new scholarships targeted at students from under-represented groups.
The Hoyts Group First Nations Scholarship, designed to assist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples overcome the barriers to education, will cover the full tuition fee for the standard three-year Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production course (valued at $50,544 in 2025) plus a $2,000 travel bursary for the recipient and their family to cover the cost of travel to Sydney to attend the First Nations Graduation and Graduation.
Hoyts Group chief people officer Jodi Paton said the AFTRS partnership recognised its shared values with the institution in “bringing the very fabric of Australian storytelling to life, and the role of ensuring a First Nations narrative remains central to the arts”.
“The Hoyts Group launched its first Reconciliation Plan in 2024,” she said.
“Now we are very proud to support First Nations students studying a Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production through The HOYTS Group First Nations Scholarship.”
Also available from next year is the Dylan Alcott Foundation (DAF) Scholarship, which offers one participant living with a disability full tuition for the standard three-year Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production course at AFTRS. Valued at $50,544 in 2025, this scholarship will remove a significant financial hurdle and allow a talented student to focus on their studies and hone their filmmaking skills.
Dylan Alcott, whose organisation is also partnering with NIDA on a new scholarship, said the opportunity could “help shatter barriers in the film industry and empower a new wave of storytellers who can create a more representative and impactful screen culture”.
“We are deeply passionate about the transformative power of education and the importance of creating opportunities for young Australians with disability to pursue their creative passions,” he said.
The successful applicants for both scholarships will be selected based on creative excellence and the impact the scholarship would have on their education.
It comes as AFTRS unveiled the recipients of nine merit-based scholarships – Luke Hodge (First Nations Scholarship), Jennifer Johnson (CRA Regional Radio Scholarship), Ella Carter (Glenn Daniel Smooth FM Scholarship), Margaret (Maggie) Videan (Glenn Wheatley EON Innovation Scholarship), Rachael Bourke (ARN Radio and Podcasting Scholarship), Sarah Whyte (Craft Excellence Scholarship), Tin Win Hlaing (Onbass Giant Steps Scholarship), and Melika Azimi and Keira D’Arcy, both for the Women in Cinematography Scholarship.
Applications for AFTRS 2025 award courses, including the Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production, are now open. Find out more about how to apply for scholarships at the school here.