Be mesmerised by stunning films made by women, see epic photography adorn city streets, and unleash your inner author thanks to arts organisations we’re supporting with two-year funding.
Our Arts and Creative Investment Partnership program backs small to medium arts organisations presenting diverse creative projects that attract visitors to the city.
We’ve allocated more than $1.2 million for the 2023–24 program, supporting 17 organisations, including Photo Australia, the Emerging Writers’ Festival, Songlines Music Aboriginal Corporation and Polyglot Theatre.
Among the recipients is the Melbourne Women in Film Festival, which has gained momentum over seven years to include feature screenings, short films, panels, workshops and an educational program.
This year’s festival will take place at ACMI from 23 to 27 February. The packed program includes a partnership with Texas-based Femma Frontera festival, exceptional work from Deaf and Disabled artists, and a mentorship lab for emerging critics and writers.
Sian Mitchell, Director of the Melbourne Women in Film Festival, said the two-year Arts and Creative Investment Partnership funding gives her team confidence to plan ahead.
“It’s really great to know that we have the funding support to run the festival across the two years,” Sian said.
“It absolutely provides us certainty in the knowledge that we can continue to do the work we do in 2024 as well and frees us up to focus on the festival programming earlier.”
Sian said she’s looking forward to everything about this year’s Melbourne Women in Film Festival, but mostly the energy and atmosphere of the festival experience, which brings audiences and filmmakers together.
“We want to be the festival that audiences and the screen industry come to, to see and engage with the work of emerging women and gender diverse talent from our region,” Sian said.
“Our festival showcases film and filmmakers that may be hidden or invisible in other spaces, so we want to continue building our influence and reputation in this area.
“While we are a women’s and gender diverse film festival, we are an event that welcomes everyone to come and see the films and experience something different in Melbourne’s rich screen culture landscape.”
For more information, visit Arts and Creative Investment Partnership program.
Image: A still from ‘Sweet As’, which will be screened on the opening night of the Melbourne Women in Film Festival
