RIDE Shorts offering $35,000 to under-represented filmmakers

RIDE Shorts

• Up to four successful documentary shorts will premiere at the Brisbane International Film Festival

Screen Queensland has announced that they will be releasing the second iteration of RIDE Shorts, an opportunity to secure $35 thousand to create a nonfiction short film. 

They are calling all Queensland-based filmmakers from under-represented backgrounds to apply for the program.

The RIDE Shorts Initiative – standing for Respect, Inclusivity, Diversity and Equality, supports the creation of up to four documentary shorts, following last year’s inaugural program, which was highly successful. 

Screen Queensland CEO Kylie Munnich said that this year’s RIDE Shorts Initiative aims to uncover and champion exciting creative talent in Queensland, as well as support the agency’s commitment to diverse storytelling.

“The 2021 program produced four truly captivating, scripted short films, and we’re excited to see what Queensland’s breadth of screen talent will produce in the documentary space,” Munnich said. 

“This program enables practitioners to accelerate their career and skills development while providing a platform for diverse filmmakers to bring their distinctive voices and fresh ideas to the screen.”

Brisbane International Film Festival CEO Josh Martin said the inaugural RIDE Shorts Gala at BIFF 2021 was a tremendous success, with a sold-out screening, calling for an encore session. 

“The filmmaking quality at last year’s Gala was truly excellent and we are delighted to be hosting the second year of RIDE Shorts at our festival,” said Martin.  

“I commend Screen Queensland’s efforts on this wonderful inclusion initiative that forms an important part of the fabric of our festival.” 

Each successful filmmaker will receive up to $35,000 to create the shorts. Alongside this, they will receive creative feedback and guidance from Screen Queensland and other industry experts at all stages of development, production, post, delivery and distribution. 

Screen Queensland has been supporting diverse documentary series and feature films for years, including recent projects Hating Peter Tatchell, Incarceration Nation, PUFF: Wonders of the Reef, Bowled Over: A Dragumentary, Strait to the Plate (Seasons 1 and 2), Muster Dogs and upcoming theatrical release Ford Vs Holden.  

They also supported the documentary David Attenborough’s Life in Colour, which was partly filmed in Far North Queensland, and nominated for Best Documentary/Factual series at the inaugural AIDC Awards, of which Screen Queensland is a proud partner. 

Applications for RIDE Shorts are open now for diverse screen practitioners identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, culturally and linguistically diverse, female, non-binary, LGBTQIA+, person living with disability, regional or remotely based, under-represented age and socio-economic status.

Up to four successful documentary shorts will premiere at the Brisbane International Film Festival (BIFF) in October.  

Top image: 2021 RIDE Shorts film Sunshine. Written by Genevieve Clay-Smith and the Bus Stop Films QLD team

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