Creative Plus Business has announced 19 screen practitioners and organizations to participate in its first Social Enterprise for Screen program.
Supported by the Screenrights Cultural Fund, the MasterClass program is designed to empower underrated filmmakers to use the power of screens to make the world a better place.
Throughout the program, participants will develop a social enterprise strategic plan and guide the next stage of their project or business, including systems that measure social impact and how to use screen enterprises to showcase engaging stories that contribute to social change as well as on-screen.
Among the initiatives participants want to pursue is the Gold Coast co-screen hub, focusing on virtual screen production technology. Development of the next stage of West Sydney Film Ecology Enterprise. Major Peak Body Enlargement for Female Filmmakers. Established a locally based Latinx screen production company. A new project from storytellers from Māori, Pacifica and First Nations.
Of the selected participants, 55% are identified as women, 15% are representing First Nations Screen Practitioners, 45% are people of color, and 35% representing the LGBTQIA+ community. More than half are culturally and linguistically diverse filmmakers, a quarter is local or remote, and 35% have disabilities and/or neurodiversity.
The 19 participants included:
●Clarice wants words (SA)
●Dingo Drama (SA)
●Eva JustineTorkkola (Vic)
● Generate a crew (NSW)
●Gold Coast Screen Hub/Crysar (QLD)
●Gunibina (NSW)
●Henry Simmons and Geneva Gilmore (NSW)
●Joy House Production (NSW)
●Liquid Heart – Kevin Luk (Vic)
●Made in the West Creative (NSW)
●Mount Lofty Studio – Yogi Devgan (SA)
●Mana Film Production (QLD)
●Nastasha Henry (NSW)
●Rebecca Kill One (NSW)
●Great Aboriginal People (QLD)
●Tuldi Media (SA)
●Two Dog Movies (NSW)
●Ver Mas Media (QLD)
●Warrior Tribe Films (Vic)
For over 13 weeks, they will implement an online program designed to equip them with the skills and knowledge they need to build sustainable screen organizations using an organizational model of social entrepreneurship.
They are led by Monica Davidson, Business Director and Program Designer at Creative Plus. Monica Davidson brings over 30 years of screen industry and business education experience to the program. Participants will also be personally coached by the organization’s mentor and advisor network and have the opportunity to learn from industry leaders such as Tracy Corbin Matsett (Bus Stop Film), Pollin Lag (Winder Film Festival), Kate Closer (Screen Diversity and Inclusion Network), Ben Steel (Screen Well), Ben Steel (Screen Well), Georgia Kohen (Georgin Media), and Georgia (cultis blaka). Rosie Lourde (gender is Task Force).
“We are delighted with the incredible response to the program, and many applicants are really showing the growing need for a new and innovative approach to the screen sector. We look forward to working with the final 19 selected group of participants and looking forward to what the incredible and influential projects and businesses they create will do,” Davidson said.
At the end of the August programme, a screening of participants’ project pitches will be held online and shared to the public via the Creative Plus Business website and a dedicated Vimeo channel.
