Emerging screen practitioners Maya Johnson and Mimo Mukii have begun 12-month journeys gaining experience across ABC, Blackfella Films, and GoodThing Productions after being selected for VicScreen Victorian Screen Internships.
A graduate of RMIT, Mukii has produced several short films and has experience in screen production, accounting, and casting. Together with fellow producer Ivy Mutuku and writer/director Kalu Oji, they developed and produced feature film Pasa Faho, through VicScreen’s Originate Features initiative.
Johnson is a proud Wulgurukaba woman from Yunbenun (Magnetic Island) in Queensland who studied journalism at Bond University, before working in communications at CSIRO and Melbourne Fashion Festival and eventually joining the ABC as a social media coordinator, creating content and campaigns for ABC Indigenous. She has also produced content for the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair Foundation and Creative Australia and worked in production roles.
Now entering its fourth year, the Screen Internship program is designed to overcome traditional barriers to entering the screen industry and support emerging screen creatives to fast-track their careers.
Johnson said she looked forward to learning and establishing relationships as part of the initiative.
“I’ve always wanted to share First Nations stories, and the Screen Internship will solidify my knowledge and strengthen my industry networks to share important First Nations stories on screen and, be of assistance to storytellers and creators to help amplify their projects,” she said.
Mukii said they was also pleased with the chance to take her skills to the next level.
“I’m grateful for this opportunity to learn and connect to people from many different areas of the screen industry, and I’m very excited to take this experience and apply everything I learn to my practice as a producer,” they said.
Victorian Creative Industries Minister Colin Brooks said the internship program not only helped to grow the stated screen workforce and talent pool, but “ensured the stories on our screens, and the workforce behind the scenes, reflect our diverse communities”.