METRO SCREEN Multicultural Mentor Scheme

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Metro Screen MULTICULTURAL MENTOR SCHEME

What is the Multicultural Mentor Scheme about?

The aim of the scheme is to encourage new multicultural filmmakers to present ideas and develop their skills and experience in television and video production and to increase their prospects for employment in the film and television industry.
Metro will assist the projects by providing access to equipment, facilities support and stock. Metro will also conduct an orientation evening and training for the successful applicants. A mentor/producer will assist each film maker through the development, production and post production of their project.

Metro Screen Multicultural Mentor Scheme 2004

Five places will be available for the 2004 Multicultural Mentor Scheme. Dates to note are as follows:

OFFICIAL CALL FOR ENTRIES: OPEN 21 May 2004
APPLICATION DEADLINE: CLOSE 25 June 2004
FINALISTS ANNOUNCED: 16 July 2004
ORIENTATION + TRAINING: 30, 31 July, 1 August 2004

Check back for further information + application forms on Friday 21 May 2004.

Metro Screen Multicultural Mentor Scheme Screening 2003

Metro Screen Multicultural Mentor Scheme Productions 2002

		About the films + the filmmakers
	------	*Fish Sauce Breath -* Thao Nguyen Van, a young Vietnamese Australian man is in love with an Anglo Australian girl + it is time to meet the parents. However, there is one problem: FISH SAUCE BREATH. The film details his desperate quest to rid himself of his fish sauce breath before the meeting. What results, is a comedy of cultural conflict + a drama of stereotypes. Thao Nguyen - is a young Vietnamese Australian, born in a Thai refugee camp in 1980. She co-curated the first art exhibition on second generation Vietnamese Australians + was given a grant to co-produce a photography + writing anthology. She is completing a law degree at Sydney Uni + has performed her writing + poetry at such venues as the Museum of Sydney. Since the MMS scheme, she has initiated + is coordinating the first ethnic youth film festival in Australia + has been a video artist.
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		*Land of Honey* - Mark Bolotin A short documentary about honey, Russian culture + a filmmakers procrastination! Mark Began making films from an interest in music, visuals + more importantly how they can be most effectively combined. Mark has made several short films, documentaries + animations that have been screened in different theatres + festivals around Australia. Most recently, he is focusing on live audio-visual performance + how a cinematic event can be made both interactive + immersive.
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		*Wrought Iron Proxy -* Michelle Kotevski Wrought Iron Proxy - Valentina is stone cold + single but then she finds god. Michelle Kotevski is currently with the Community Cultural Development Board of the Australia Council. Previous lives have included One Extra Dance Company, Theatre Hydra, Carnivale, Shopfront Theatre + Xtext Journal. Things she has made include festivals, books, performances + songs. This is her first film.
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		*Nina* - Rolmar Baldonado Nina yearns to be a special girl + to meet the man of her dreams. But life for this Filipino transsexual in Sydney is filled with isolation + displacement. A truly courageous and moving portrait. Rolmar Baldonado took his Diploma in Film + TV majoring in Editing from TAFE North Sydney which he finished by end of 2002. During his three-year study, he was working + is still employed as a Presentation Co-ordinator with the TV + Radio Broadcasting Services (TARBS). Although he has made films in TAFE as both editor + director, NINA is Rolmar's directorial debut outside his school.

Metro Screen Multicultural Mentor Scheme Productions 2001

About the films + the filmmakers

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Casualty - Fadia Abboud
The film explores the points of convergence between marginalized cultures, specifically Arab and Indigenous, when this happens there is a divergence. Centring ones own narrative at the deferment of the Indigenous narrative, but in the face of the white dominant power structure, both are united. Fadia Abboud is completing a BA.Communications at UTS whilst working on an Arabic Heritige project called "Jirrin Journey" as video artist.

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Machinations of a Colour Wash - Elhadji Yade
"Machinations of a Colour Wash" deals with the treatment of people of colour under the justice system in the western world. The drama is set in a closed jury room where the 12 jurors debate the culpability of a black man where stereo-types and prejudices abound. Elhadji Yade is a first time film maker with an interest in issues of social justice. ElHadji has studied law and communications, and is fluent in Italian, French and Wolof.

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Thawra - Lisa Faddoul
Thawa is about an emergency that existed way before 911 was dialled. Thawra reaches through the invisible centre of power to pull out the white terror of the everyday. Lisa Faddoul is a video installation artist. 'Thawra' is
Lisa's second experimental video, having previously made 'White/Out' which screened at Toronto's 'Asia Reel' International Film Festival in 2000. As an artists, Lisa is interested in creating spaces that challenge
people's socially constructed beliefs and notions of 'truth', history and memory.

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Wash Dark Colours Separately - Chee Lam
"Wash Dark Colours Separately" explores issues surrounding sexual attraction between gay white men and men of colour, and exposes the cultural differences and subtleties of racism. This is Chee Lam's first short film, having previously worked in design and production management capacities on numerous other short films. "Wash Dark Colours Separately" has already premiered at the Austin Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival in Texas, the Hamburg Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival in Germany, and the Canberra Short Film Festival.

Interview with Chee Lam by Karen Telfer

Q. How did you hear about the MMS and what made you decide to apply ?
Through Barry Gamba. I had worked on 2 of the shorts in the first MMS - Paula Abood's and Eugene Hoh's so the experience had given me a good taste and I wanted the challenge.
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Q. We should explain that lasts years MMS had a theme called 'Rinse Cycle' - your film was called "Wash Dark Colours Separately " explain what it's about?
Set in a gay men's sex club, 2 guys cruise each other and end up having sex in a cubicle. Post-fuck, the 2 guys get to know one another. In our search of the elusive partner, how often have we had to try someone on for size? Do you like them "large"? Or would you prefer an "extra-small" for that snug fit?
Written from an Asian-Australian perspective, the film sets out to explore the issues surrounding sexual attraction between white men and men of colour as well as exposing cultural differences and the subtleties of racism. Is this the state of contemporary multicultural Australia? Maybe we should just stick to separating our coloureds from our whites.
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Q. Metro Screen provides an agreed amount of equipment and post production facilities, however everyone has to work to a very tight budget and shooting schedule -how did you cope with that ?
Everyone in the crew knew about the tight budget and thankfully were still willing to work on it. I believe I ended up managing the funds quite well including the tight schedule and actually had more time on the shoot and finished earlier. If anything, I would have liked a little more to spend towards marketing the film after finishing it. As it has turned out, I've ended up footing the bill (quite substantial) for the marketing but at the same time, it's success at festivals means I have absolutely no regrets with that outlay.
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Q. Who was your mentor and how did they contribute to your film ?
My mentor was Michael McMahon who's a producer and friend. I approached him because I knew him very well and thought he would be perfect with my theme/ideas as well. He was great because he gave me a lot of space to be creative, gave heaps of advice about the process and ultimately left all decisions to me.
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Q. What was the biggest challenge for you in making the film?
Writing the script and making sure that I didnt lose the ideas that I initially had....oh, and shooting the sex scenes!
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Q. You must be incredibly pleased that it has done so well on the international and national film festival circuit, what are your plans for the future ?
Austin G+L Int Film Fest
Hamburg G+L Int Film Fest
Canberra Short Film Fest
Sydney G+L Mardi Gras Int Film Fest
Melbourne Int Queer Film Fest
Brisbane Queer Film Fest
St. Kilda Short Film Fest
San Francisco Int Asian American Film Fest
San Francisco Int G+L Film Fest
I'll be trying for the next round of the Young Filmmakers Fund in November, and hopefully also pursue more Art/Production Design as well. I'll definitely be keeping my finger in the film pie... :)

Previous filmmakers involved in this scheme have gone on to win awards and have had their films screened at a number of film festivals!
"In providing opportunities and support to new and emerging filmmakers from culturally diverse backgrounds, I think Metro Screen's Multicultural Mentorship Scheme (MMS) represents a commitment to changing the monocultural and monolingual state of film in Australia. The MMS has the potential both to create the seedbeds for tomorrow's filmmakers as well as to respond to and sustain diversity in all its complexities. I have found this scheme to be an excellent model in terms of both training and practical application. " Paula Abood,
Paula Abood made her critically acclaimed film "Of Middle Eastern Appearance" through the MMS Scheme.

Multicultural Mentor Scheme 2000 Update + Profile

"OF MIDDLE EASTERN APPEARANCE" : Produced and Directed by Paula Abood
'Of Middle Eastern Appearance' has been shown at the following events:
Sydney Arab Film Festival, April 6 - 8, 2001
[Opening Night and during the showcase of local Arab Australian filmmakers session]
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The film in the context of the Festival received the following publicity:
Daily Telegraph, article
Radio National, AM and 2Bl, interviews
Sydney Morning Herald, page 5 article
next day, 2 letters in the Letters to The Editor
2SM, interview with Howard Sattler
SBS Radio, interview on the French Program
Lateline, ABC TV, interview
Stateline, ABC TV, interview
World View, SBS Radio, interview
The Express, Bankstown/Lakemba local paper, article
Broadcast on Channel 31
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Request to screen the film have come from:
3 Western Sydney Schools
2 National Conferences ('Wattam National Forum' Powerhouse Museum, Sydney; and Institute of Criminology, Uni of Sydney, Faculty of Law)
Youth Action Policy Association (YAPA)
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Requests for the film to be included in the curriculum of the following educational instititions:
Macquarie Uni (cultural studies)
UNSW (English Dept)
UTS and UWS (Journalism)
Copies of the film have also gone to:
The Australian Arabic Council
Student's Union at Uni of Tasmania
NSW Dept for Women
Powerhouse Museum
Information and Cultural Exchange (ICE), Parramatta

Metro Screen

Metro Screen is a community-based, non-profit organisation with a long-standing commitment to providing training and support for the development of Multicultural screen media.

Metro Screen 02. 9361.5318 or metro@metroscreen.org.au

If you require further information about the Multicultural Mentor Scheme, please contact:
Metro Screen
PO Box 299 Paddington NSW 2021
P: 02.9361.5318 | F: 02.9361.5320 | E: metro@metroscreen.org.au

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