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Three First Nations SA writer/directors go into production under the SAFC’s First Nations Short Film program
03 June 2025
Three bold and original short films from First Nations South Australian writer/directors have gone into production in the state, funded through round two of the South Australian Film Corporation’s (SAFC) First Nations Short Film Program.
Digital Abyss from writer/director Joshua Barbo, The Secret from writer/director Lilla Berry, and Catchin’ Mumoo from writer/director Dylan Coleman were all developed through the first phase of the initiative in 2024, which saw seven writers participate in a script development workshop, mentoring and one-on-one feedback sessions with industry experts to develop their short film concepts into polished final scripts.
Now the three writer/directors and their teams – comprising producers Travis Akbar (for Digital Abyss), Piri Eddy (for The Secret) and Gregory Read (for Catchin’ Mumoo) – have all gone into production supported by $45,000 each in production funding from the SAFC.
The inaugural round of the First Nations Short Film Program in 2023 boosted the careers of five talented First Nations South Australian creatives who gained new short film credits as writers, directors and producers– writer/producer Tammy Coleman-Zweck and director Edoardo Crismani for Black Time, White Time; writer/director Adam Jenkins for The Getaway; and writer/director Travis Akbar and producer Wayne Campbell for Tambo. Their short films were selected to premiere at SXSW Sydney 2023, and screened at the 2023 Adelaide Film Festival as a true showcase of up-and-coming First Nations South Australian talent.
Arts Minister Andrea Michaels said: “The Malinauskas Government is proud to empower South Australian First Nations creatives to share their voices, stories and culture through film, supported by the South Australian Film Corporation. I look forward to seeing the final films from these talented filmmaking teams.”
SAFC Head of First Nations Kirstie Parker said: “How thrilling it is to see Joshua Barbo, Dylan Coleman, Lilla Berry and their teams take their short films from concept to script and now into production. As they journey on, all three can be assured that their fellow First Nations creatives, the SAFC and the broader screen sector are cheering them on, and their films will be important additions to the national wellspring of story and inspiration. We look forward to working with these incredible emerging filmmakers to help facilitate the next steps for their exciting new short films, which are all currently in the final stages of production.”
South Australian Film Corporation CEO Kate Croser said: “Congratulations to these talented emerging filmmakers and their teams. We know that the most important thing for writers, directors and producers to get their shot at working professionally in the industry is through gaining credits and developing their craft through short films. The SAFC is proud to support these exciting First Nations South Australian filmmakers to develop their distinctive voices, stories and industry skills.”
SAFC First Nations Short Film Program 2025 – selected projects
Catchin’ Mumoo
Writer/Director: Dylan Coleman
Producer: Gregory Read
The filmmakers say: “When a Great White shark keeps taking a fisherman’s catch his seven-year-old son takes it upon himself to row out to sea and catch it.”
- Dylan Coleman is an Aboriginal Kokatha/Greek emerging writer/director from South Australia. Dylan has written and directed a number of short films from Aboriginal positionings, working with her brother Staurme Glastonbury, including Spin Out, which won honours at the 2017 South Australian Screen Awards and 2018 Fleurieu Film Festival, and Secret Pretty Things, which won the 2021 Australian Cinematographers Society (NT) Gold Award for DoP Allan Collins. She has co-written feature film Desert Ice with Gregory Read of Paper Bark films, and is currently working on a feature length script inspired by her father’s story. Dylan also lectures in Indigenous Health at Yaitya Purruna Indigenous Health Unit in the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Adelaide.
- Gregory Read, founder of Paper Bark Films, is a filmmaker whose work spans diverse, award-winning drama and documentary. His credits include writing and directing Like Minds (Toni Collette, Eddie Redmayne), producing The Eye of the Storm (dir. Fred Schepisi), and writing and directing the AWGIE-winning documentary Own the Sky. Read also established AFA, an aerial cinematography company that has contributed to over 100 productions including Unbroken, Alien: Covenant, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Limitless with Chris Hemsworth and Lion.
Digital Abyss
Writer/Director: Joshua Barbo
Producers: Travis Akbar
The filmmakers say: “A grieving mother haunted by the death of her son clings to his memory through mysterious late-night calls, only to discover that her desire to reconnect may lead her deeper into an eerie and dangerous deception.”
- Joshua Barbo is a Whadjuk Noongar screen practitioner from South Australia.
- Travis Akbar is a Wongutha man based on Peramangk country. He has been selected for numerous programs with prestigious organisations such as AFTRS, Documentary Australia, Australians in Film, Adelaide Film Festival, Screen Australia and the South Australian Film Corporation. In 2024 he was awarded Best Emerging First Nations Practitioner at the SASA Awards, and his 2023 short film Tambo won or was nominated for various other film awards. He has written for producers across five countries and currently works with Dicentium Films as a Development Executive and continues to produce short and corporate films.
The Secret
Writer/Director: Lilla Berry
Producer: Piri Eddy
The filmmakers say: “Alone and ashamed, Sadie grapples with the weight of her choice as she endures an abortion at home.”
- Lilla Berry is a Yankunytjatjara woman, artist, film maker, and producer. She has produced documentary work for SBS/NITV and ABC iView, and has a slate of narrative shorts and features currently in development, including art horror The Debt as part of the SAFC’s Film Lab: New Voices program, supported by Adelaide Film Festival and Screen Australia, and an option for Tim Winton’s Signs of Life. Lilla has won a SASA Emerging Producer Award, a Ruby Award, and is a current Screen Producers Australia Ones to Watch. The Secret is her directorial debut.
- Piri Eddy is an award-winning screenwriter, playwright, and producer based in South Australia. He wrote and produced The Last Elephant on Earth, which premiered internationally at Sitges Film Festival, and won an AWGIE for best short film. Other credits as writer and producer include BLACK EMPIRE and experimental art film Cycles. He was a Film Lab: New Visions participant and is currently developing art horror feature The Debt with production company Dinosaur Disco Films.
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