PRESS RELEASE
Applications for the 2014 Natalie Miller Fellowship grant of $10,000 are now open.
Founded in 2011 the Natalie Miller Fellowship (NMF) was created to recognise and nurture the next generation of female leaders in the Australian Film and Television industry and inspire them to achieve outstanding success at the most senior levels of the business.
Open to all women working in the Australian screen industry and the only grant of its kind in the country; the principles of the Fellowship have the support of some of Australia’s most esteemed female figures including NMF Patrons Claudia Karvan, Carol Schwartz AM and Ambassadors Kerry Gardner and Ricci Swart.
Producers, distributors, exhibitors, businesswomen, entrepreneurs and other industry professionals are encouraged to apply for financial assistance in pursuing professional development. Proposals should outline how the grant would assist the applicant to reach their full potential and benefit the wider screen community whether this is through attachments, internships, secondments travel and other means.*
Previous winners who have represented the NMF’s call to develop, inspire and provide leadership include Rachel Okine (Head of Development, Hopscotch Features and Acquisitions Executive, Entertainment One) and most recently Harriet Pike from WildBear Entertainment. Harriet’s winning proposal included travel to the University of Oxford to attend the intensive High Performance Leadership Programme at the Said Business School.
“Thanks to the NMF my attendance not only gave me an unprecedented opportunity to gain world class knowledge and expertise, it also gave me the confidence and the vision to see my own career and our industry in a completely different light. I would encourage all women striving to reach the top and make a difference to apply – you just never know where your journey will end up taking you!”
Natalie Miller one of the screen community’s most admired and accomplished leaders and after whom the Fellowship is named in honour reflected on the annual application opening “It is so important to raise the idea of women progressing with leadership roles in our industry which is mainly dominated by men at the top. I think many woman need to have confidence in themselves to take the next step. To this end the activities of the Fellowship are very encouraging”.
All applications for the Natalie Miller Fellowship must be received by Tuesday 15 September, 2014 and the recipient will be announced in mid-November, 2014.
For guidelines and to apply visit the website: www.nataliemillerfellowship.com
* Applications for script development or production investment are not eligible
ABOUT NATALIE MILLER AO
Natalie is a pioneer of Australian art house cinema and a visionary distributor. In 1984 Natalie took over the Longford cinema in Melbourne’s South Yarra and established it as one of the first art house cinemas in Australia. She is best known as the co-founder of the iconic Cinema Nova in Melbourne and as the founder of distribution house Sharmill Films.
Natalie has made valuable and long-term contributions as a board/committee member of a number of key film industry and cultural organisations, including the Women’s Film Fund of the Australian Film Commission, Film Victoria, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, the Australian Film Institute, Women in Film and Television, the National Association of Cinema Operators, and the Swinburne and VCA Schools of Film and Television.