Image: Caption: $15,000 has been awarded to independent filmmakers in the midst of various state lockdowns
By ELYSIA COOK
Queer Screen’s Completion Fund awarded $15,000 across three different screen projects last Friday and the timing couldn’t have been better. The additional round of the Completion Fund was announced on the Closing Night of the Mardi Gras Film Festival in March, in light of the devastating effects of COVID-19 on the independent filmmaking industry.
The seventh round of the Completion Fund attracted seven applicants. The three winning projects include Closing Night, Lonesome and Scattered, taking home $8,000, $5,000 and $2,000 respectively.
Recipients of the fund were selected by an independent panel of professionals.
The Queer Screen Completion Fund is an industry initiative established in 2016 which provides financial support to Australian LGBTQI filmmakers. Thus far, it has awarded $102,000 to 20 different screen projects.
Queer Screen Festival Director Lisa Rose said that this wouldn’t have been possible without the support of donors, members, filmmakers and the LGBTQI community.
“Funding for LGBTIQ+ films is always a challenge and with so much of the industry having to shut down productions last year due to the pandemic it just adds to the complexity and stress of independent filmmaking.
Filmmakers can use the money to finish up post-production or use it towards marketing funds for their release.”
During the announcements, Lonesome Producer Dean Francis said that the shoot had wrapped three weeks before Sydney was plunged into its second lockdown.
“We feel like we dodged a huge bullet. Thanks to this fantastic support from Queer Screen, we are one step closer to sound mix, picture grade and release.”
Narrative feature film Closing Night is also in post-production. Producer Bec Dakin said that the $8,000 is huge for the film, seeing as it was on such a lean budget.
Producer Michelle Melky echoed this sentiment of her narrative vertical web series Scattered, which is already being screened on TikTok.
“We’re going to be able to use this funding to get it into more festivals and get it seen by more eyes.”
