PRESS RELEASE
Announced today, the ground-breaking new program ‘Screen Warriors’, inaugurated this year by the Veterans Film Festival (VFF) in partnership with the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS), has been provided a significant $50,000 grant from Screen Australia, to extend and develop the program to support Australian Defence Force Veterans and deliver new skilled talent to the film sector.
Screen Warriors is a vital new program created through the Veterans Film Festival, providing training and screen career development for current and ex-serving Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel, leveraging their unique transferable skills to provide pathways into the Australian Film and Television Industry. The new funding will help deliver a scale-up in the number of applicants the program can attract as well as serve dozens of currently registered participants through an introductory film & TV course tailored to address key high-demand, below-the-line (BTL) crew roles.
It will also provide follow-up courses for those who wish to enter more specialised BTL roles and enable marketing of the graduates to production companies and Heads of Departments for employment opportunities.
The first intake of participants undertook a course at the AFTRS campus in Sydney’s Entertainment Quarter in March this year and new entry courses and specialised extensions will be offered to applicants in the coming months. Participants of the program will develop a strong foundational knowledge of the screen industry, receive presentations from industry experts, undertake practical filming exercises and tour a working film set or studio.
Applicants can apply by email at screenwarriors@veteransfilmfestival.com or learn more at www.veteransfilmfestival.com/screenwarriors/
The initiative is delivered in an official partnership with AFTRS and now additionally through Screen Australia’s Transferable Skills & Returning Crew Training Fund.
VFF Chairman Warwick Young CSC, OAM welcomed the significant grant for such a new initiative saying ‘It was testimony to the strength of the concept and the very early and immediate success it has enjoyed in attracting strong candidates and creating exceptional benefits for both the Veteran community and the film sector’.
Screen Australia’s Head of Industry Development, Ken Crouch, expressed excitement about supporting Veterans Film Festival with its Screen Warriors initiative and emphasized the integral role the program would play in sustaining the industry’s growth.
“With the ongoing production boom in Australia, we’re excited to partner with dynamic screen businesses including Veterans Film Festival as part of our industry Development initiatives. The success of programs like ‘Screen Warriors’ are integral to sustaining the growth of our vibrant screen industry.
“We look forward to seeing the positive impact this program has on the developing the skills and talent of below-the-line crew and ensuring the continued success of our world-class screen industry.”
About Veterans Film Festival
The Veterans Film Festival is Australia’s premier international film festival devoted to screening films about, for and by veterans, offering screenings, masterclasses, Q&As, workshops, art exhibitions and performances.
Through the new Screen Warriors program, the Veterans Film Festival provides skills training, placement opportunities, scholarships as well as project development within the screen industry in partnership with the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS). By these means, it will broaden the diversity and inclusiveness of the Australian screen industry, whilst simultaneously supporting and improving the lives of veterans and their families.
Their Excellencies General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd), Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia and Mrs Linda Hurley are VFF Co-Patrons.
