Screenwriter Sarah Chahine is the inaugural recipient of AFTRS Alumni & Industry Scholarship, which offers $25,000 to support a student for the Master of Arts Screen Course.
A graduate of AFTRS’ Bachelor of Screen: Production (2021) enrolled in the Master of Screen Arts: Screenwriting program, Chahine migrated to Australia from Lebanon with her parents when she was 7.
At 16, she won a writing competition, was published in an anthology, and was invited to read at the Melbourne Writers Festival, something she attributes to giving her the confidence to follow her dream of becoming a writer.
In receiving the scholarship, Chahine said she was “eternally grateful” to the school for the opportunity.
“It never ceases to amaze me how much support there really is in the world when you open yourself up to the people and opportunities around you,” she said.
“My writing journey, since high school, has been championed by wonderful mentors and people who have helped me achieve things that my younger self only ever dreamed of, and to be the recipient of this incredible scholarship and be studying the MA in Screenwriting at the best film school in Australia is nothing short of a dream.”
AFTRS Alumni Advisory Group member Pariya Taherzadeh-Desovski said Chihane was a worthy scholarship recipient.
“Announced in 2023, AFTRS’ 50th anniversary year, the Alumni and Industry Scholarship Fund emphasises AFTRS’ goal to focus its next 50 years on access, making sure the school, and in turn the greater industry, represents a wide range of diverse lived experiences for all Australians,” she said.
“Sarah Chahine is a talented recipient, showing great potential as a screenwriter.”
The scholarship was awarded by council chair Rachel Perkins, a fellow screenwriter, scholarship recipient, and alumna.