Women in Film and Television Australia (WIFT) will deliver a series of workshops, screenings, panel discussions, and networking events over the coming weeks as part of a new program designed to break down geographic barriers faced by regionally-based female and gender diverse filmmakers.
Set to launch at this month’s Vision Splendid Outback Film Festival in Winton, Post Code Doesn’t Matter aims to ensure aspiring and emerging creatives can access industry opportunities regardless of where they live.
The national initiative was inspired by WIFT Australia member Annisa Belonogoff’s experience making Instagram series Not Russian Anywhere.
Written and produced by Belonogoff with the backing of both Screen Australia and Screen Queensland, Not Russian Anywhere follows Natalya Ivanov (Belonogoff), who moves back to her rural hometown to live with her eccentric Russian family, all while battling chronic illness.
The cast includes Reagan Mannix, Felicity Jurd, Mirko Grillini, and newcomers Inga Romantsova, Johnny Norris, and Bronte Bailey. Aimée-Lee Xu Hsien directed the series, also writing alongside Nicole Scharf and Belongoff, with Scharf and Lucinda Bruce producing for Anakie Street.
Despite filming the pilot episode in just five days, the 8 x 3-minute series took five years to make, including delays due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and navigating multiple time zones and postcodes during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Belonogoff said Not Russian Anywhere proved that your location doesn’t need to limit your voice being heard.
“As someone who grew up in regional Queensland, I know how isolating it can be when the industry seems centred somewhere else,” she said.
Not Russian Anywhere will have a Q&A screening at the Vision Splendid Outback Film Festival at 10am on Sunday, June 29. There will be a free Post Code Doesn’t Matter workshop the following day at 2.30pm at The Lost Poet Cafe in Winton. Future regional events will be announced in the coming months. Find out more information here.