Screen Australia, ABC TV Arts launch LGBTQI content competition
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Rebecca Hawkes
| 27 June 2017

Screen Australia and ABC TV Arts are running a new a documentary initiative for LGBTQI filmmakers called Love Bites.

Filmmakers are being invited to contribute to a series of 10x5-minute short documentaries providing an “accessible, engaging and entertaining insight into the lives and interests of the LGBTQI community,” said Screen Australia in a statement.

All proposals will be assessed against the ABC TV Arts vision statement Where Life and Culture Colide, with ABC TV and Screen Australia offering ten filmmakers A$10,000 each to make the short film for delivery in January 2018. A Screen Australia investment manager and an ABC Digital Arts commissioning editor will support each selected team. The winning shorts will be aired on ABC Arts channel on iview during Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in March 2018.

“ABC Arts on iview seeks to reflect the great diversity of stories and storytellers that exist across the country. Love Bites is a great opportunity for us to work with LGBTQI filmmakers in a pan
ABC celebration of the 40th anniversary of Mardi Gras,” said Mandy Chang, head of ABC TV Arts.

Liz Stevens, senior manager of documentary at Screen Australia, said: “Last year’s milestone study Seeing Ourselves showed that we need to see Australians from all parts of our community both on screen and behind the camera. Our documentary unit is proud to partner with ABC TV Arts to offer LGTBQI filmmakers an opportunity to create short-form content for a premier online platform and work with a major Australian broadcaster.”

Terese Casu, CEO of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, welcomed the move, saying: “We can’t wait to see what these diverse filmmakers will produce in support of the LBTQI community in our big 40th year.”

To qualify for entry, teams must include – at least – a director and a producer, one of whom identifies as part of the LGBTQI community and one of whom has at least one screen credit in their respective roles on a project that has already been publicly released.