The American Australian Association and the Australian International Screen Forum presented the inaugural Screen Scholarship, a placement with an American director on a US film, to Australian indigenous filmmaker Darlene Johnson.

 

She will receive $10,000 and to take part in a three-month custom program supporting her career and project objectives in the United States.

 

After a competitive process, the award was presented by the AAA chief operating officer Debbie Chappel and the Screen Forum chairman Chris Beale, who said: “Darlene is an award-winning documentarian who is moving to narrative filmmaking. She came to our attention through our short film program, Australian Short Film Today. We showed her narrative short BLUEY in eight cities around the world, where it won two audience awards. Darlene has an important voice that needs to be heard.”

Johnson won Best Direction in a Short Film for BLUEY at the Australian Directors' Guild Awards. 

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Johnson made the documentary film FOLLOWING THE RABBIT PROOF FENCE after working alongside Phillip Noyce as the director’s attachment on the feature film RABBIT PROOF FENCE, and she wrote and directed the documentaries THE REDFERN STORY, RIVER OF NO RETURN, GAMES PEOPLE PLAY, GULPILIL: ONE RED BLOOD, THE NATIONAL THEATRE, STRANGER IN MY SKIN and STOLEN GENERATIONS. 

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The American Australian Association and the Australian International Screen Forum created the scholarship to foster international-based learning and career development opportunities for the next generation of Australian filmmakers.