Deborah Mailman.
Deborah Mailman has been appointed to the Screen Australia board for three years, the second Indigenous person to serve in that role following Rachel Perkins.
The stage and screen actor currently serves on Screen Australia’s Gender Matters task force and has been a member of the Sydney Opera House Trust since 2015.
In 2017 she received an Order of Australia Medal for her services to the performing arts and as a role model for Indigenous performers.
Currently she is starring in Blackfella Films’ Black B*tch (working title), a six-part drama for the ABC directed by Rachel Perkins.
She plays Alex Irving, a charismatic and contradictory Indigenous woman who is thrust into the national limelight after a horrific event. Rachel Griffiths co-stars as Australia’s embattled Prime Minister Rachel Anderson, who, seeing a publicity goldmine for her party, makes Alex a captain’s pick for the Senate.
In Seth Larney’s upcoming dystopian sci-fi mystery thriller 2067 she plays a corporate powerhouse who believes there is a future for humanity.
Her recent credits include Jack Irish, Bite Club, Mystery Road and Get Krack!n.
“2018 was such an wonderful milestone for Australia’s Indigenous screen creators as we celebrated 25 years of being in control of our stories,” she said. “Screen Australia has been a constant collaborator, partner and, of course, investor.
“It is essential all Australians see themselves on screen and we are able to hear our stories told in our voice, from our unique perspective. I am excited to be joining the board at this time when the industry is energised and the demand for our work both locally and abroad is growing.”
The Morrison government also extended the terms of Screen Australia board members Michael Hawkins, Claudia Karvan and Richard King for three years. Their terms were due to expire in August.
The other members of the board chaired by Nicholas Moore are Megan Brownlow (deputy chair), Jenny Taing and Joanna Werner.