The Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) and Netflix have today announced the Netflix Indigenous Scholarship Fund.
Netflix will provide $515,000 (USD$400,000) to the Netflix Indigenous Scholarship Fund for a range of initiatives to elevate Indigenous creatives and voices in the Australian screen and broadcast industries and support Australia’s First Nations communities and storytellers.
AFTRS will administer the scholarship working with community stakeholders and partners to identify, train and guide a new and ongoing generation of Indigenous screen and broadcast professionals.
AFTRS’ administration of the scholarship will be guided by the principles of the School’s First Nations strategy, led by the Director of First Nations and Outreach, Dr Romaine Moreton. AFTRS’ commitment to the embedding of First Nations values throughout the school will be paramount to the authentic and effective implementation of this scholarship.
AFTRS will convene a selection panel chaired by AFTRS Council member Tanya Hosch, which will include representatives from Netflix and Indigenous leaders from several educational institutions to ensure fellowship funds are best allocated to support Indigenous talent and communities across the country.
The range and number of scholarships over the two-year period will be determined by the selection panel and will be designed to offer both longer-term support and short-term opportunities for practitioners, particularly those working below the line.
AFTRS Council member and Chair of the selection panel, Tanya Hosch, said: “AFTRS is passionate about providing the highest quality learning experiences to people across the country and couldn’t be more excited to partner with Netflix on this initiative. Guided by the expertise of AFTRS First Nations leaders, this very generous scholarship fund from Netflix has the potential to transform both individual careers and improve the inclusion and cultural capacity of our industry. The offering of scholarships, fellowships and training will also give First Nations peoples the option of learning on Country and create opportunities for AFTRS to respond to the challenges of designing new and innovative ways of teaching, learning, and training with and within First Nations communities.”
Dr Romaine Moreton, Director of First Nations & Outreach at AFTRS, said: “The Netflix Indigenous Scholarship Fund is a great opportunity for AFTRS and Netflix to work with First Nations communities to support and develop their media-making capacities. It will create pathways into industry, driven by First Nations values that are self-determining, advance Indigenous cultural revitalisation practices and promote storytelling autonomy.”
