Courtney Botfield, Rebecca Hammond and Sasha Close at the NMF Brilliant Careers Leadership Conference 2017
Katrine Elliott (2024)
Katrine Elliott has been immersed in the cinema industry for over 25 years, driven by a passion for storytelling and a commitment to showcasing independent films and unique events. For over 20 years, she was the General Manager of Cmax Cinemas, where she curated a diverse selection of Hollywood blockbusters, indie titles, and alternative content.
Now, as the founder of Art Screen Events, Katrine presents local and international fine-art films, Australian films and documentaries, film festivals, and special theatrical and concert events throughout Tasmania. Focusing on independent filmmakers and world-class alternative products, she travels across the state with portable cinema equipment, bringing films to life in non-traditional spaces.
Katrine is on the board of Independent Cinemas Australia and is a member of the Screen Tasmania Expert Advisory Group.
With the grant, Elliott will travel to the UK to study the best industry practices and share strategies to boost the success of the Australian cinema experience with the local industry through collaborations with organisations such as ICA, AIMC and the Australian Feature Film Forum. Elliott’s research will focus on innovative strategies that go beyond traditional advertising to entice audiences and create dynamic cinema experiences, with a focus on grassroots efforts and cinema offerings for audiences in regional and remote areas.
Genevieve Grieves (2023)
A proud Worimi woman with over two decades of experience in interdisciplinary content creation, Grieves is the Co-Creator of GARUWA, a storytelling agency with First Nations knowledge and culture at its core. A leading Australian practitioner in decolonising and collaborative methodologies, she holds extensive experience as a filmmaker, artist and oral historian across numerous community-centred and award winning film projects and museum experiences, including “Lani’s Story” (SBS) and “Power to Country” (ABC), and the “First Peoples” permanent exhibition at Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre, Melbourne Museum. Her work has earned many accolades, including recognition from the United Nations of Australia Media Peace Awards, IF Awards and the State Library of Victoria’s Creative Fellowship. In collaboration with Doc Society, Greives recently delivered the inaugural First Nations Impact Lab, which brought together changemakers with projects at the intersection of documentary storytelling and impact campaigning.
Genevieve’s proposal looked at building an ethical framework for sovereign and community storytelling, with the view this would be shared with the screen sector as a best-practice model. Genevieve’s proposal also involved collaborating with Doc Society and travelling to regions and different countries to view best practice in storytelling to fulfil this.
Sian Mitchell (2022)
Sian Mitchell is the co-founder and Festival Director of the Melbourne Women in Film
Festival (MWFF). Since its establishment in 2016, Sian has driven the artistic direction and operations of the festival with a dedicated and diverse team of festival coordinators and programmers to deliver an annual event that showcases the work and creates visibility for talented Australian, Aotearoa New Zealand and Pasifika women and gender diverse screen practitioners at all levels of their career.
Sian holds a PhD in Film Studies, a Masters in Cultural Heritage and her work has been published in various journals and on industry sites. Sian is a member of the International Advisory Committee for the Seoul International Women’s Film Festival in South Korea and was on its festival jury in 2019.
Drawing on her extensive 16-year career in screen production education, Sian is a passionate advocate for supporting others to build their careers in the screen industry. Sian continues this work through the festival which creates a platform for underrepresented communities of filmmakers and connecting their stories on screen with Australian audiences.
Sian’s proposal focused on two elements. Firstly a mentorship program and secondly a travel and festival attendance schedule of key overseas women’s film festivals to view and network with festival organisations on best practice for women and emerging filmmakers.
Bridgette Graham (2021)
Bridgette Graham is an entertainment marketer and the founder of her new venture, Path to Audience. Formerly a Product Marketing Manager for Roadshow Films, she specialised in locally produced Australian features. For 15 years Bridgette has built a diverse career in the Australian film industry, working with leaders from exhibition, distribution and production to create meaningful integrated marketing platforms for modern box office classics and beloved entertainment brands.
A champion of the creative application of data and technology paired with meaningful sociological insights to reach new audiences, Bridgette has most recently delivered campaign strategy for The Dry, Penguin Bloom and RAMS. Bridgette holds an MBA from RMIT and was a recipient of the Film Victoria Women in Leadership and Development Fellowship in 2018. Prior to her role with Roadshow Films, Bridgette was the Marketing Manager for Moving Story Entertainment and has been the General Manager – Sydney for Dendy Cinemas.
Bridgette’s fellowship program involves developing her entrepreneurship and thought leadership skills through exploring disruptive business models and new technologies within the Australian screen industry.
The 2021 Natalie Miller Fellowship was awarded to Bridgette by Natalie Miller AO at the 2021 AIDA Conference (Online). Read the full announcement
Pauline Clague (2020)
Pauline Clague has been a driving force in the creation and sustainability of the Indigenous voice in Australian screen and television. A Yaegl woman from North Coast NSW she has worked as a storyteller and producer in film and TV for 25 years. She is founder and Artistic Director of Winda Film Festival in Sydney, was a programmer for imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival in Toronto and is co-creator of The NATIVE Slam, a 72-hour Indigenous film challenge held at Maoriland Film Festival in Otaki. As Associate Professor, Manager of Cultural Resilience Hub, Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education & Research at the UTS, Clague has lead communities to strengthen their voice through the medium of screen and story and shared her wisdom, industry experience and integrity with emerging creative entrepreneurs through Creative Plus Business. In her role as an NSW Treasury-endorsed Creative Specialist, she also helps independent filmmakers and other creative people to strengthen their financial sustainability.
Pauline’s fellowship program involved creating resources to empower and support Aboriginal storytellers to find pathways to digital spaces.
The 2020 Natalie Miller Fellowship was awarded to Pauline by Natalie Miller AO at the 2020 AIDA Conference (Online). Read the full announcement
Anna Kaplan (2019)
Anna Kaplan is Co-Founder and Head of Impact Production at Regen Studios. With two decades of experience as a screen producer and impact strategist, she has worked extensively in production and distribution in the UK and Australia, including roles at BBC Documentaries, ITV Factual, Granada Productions, VicScreen and Madman. In 2020, Anna co-founded Regen Studios with writer/director Damon Gameau to focus on storytelling that inspires and activates audiences. Recent credits include producing Regenerating Australia, a high-end short film created in partnership with WWF-Australia and executive producing Rachel’s Farm, a new feature documentary by Rachel Ward.
Anna’s fellowship program involved conducting deep research into upskilling and creating networks to help create an industry-wide framework for better environmental practices for Australian screen productions.
The 2019 Natalie Miller Fellowship was awarded to Anna by Natalie Miller AO at the 2019 Screen Forever Conference. Read the full announcement
Miriam Katsambis (2018)
Miriam Katsambis is Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs at APAC, Film & TV Distribution at Entertainment One. Miriam has extensive experience in the Australian screen industry, having worked for over a decade in various legal, advocacy and policy development roles across state and federal government screen agencies, guilds and industry bodies. Her professional development proposal included undertaking the 2019 Asialink Leaders Program, alongside further mentorship.
The 2018 Natalie Miller Fellowship was awarded to Miriam by Natalie Miller AO at the 2018 Screen Forever Conference. Read the full announcement
Kristy Matheson (2017)
Kristy Matheson is the Director of BFI London Film Festival. Most recently she was Creative Director of the 2022 Edinburgh International Film Festival and prior to moving to the UK in 2021, Kristy was Director of Film at ACMI, Australia’s national museum of screen culture. Before her role on the Executive Team at ACMI, Kristy worked at the Sydney Film Festival, Dendy Films and Brisbane International Film Festival. She served on Screen Australia’s Gender Matters Taskforce, is a recipient of the Natalie Miller Fellowship and jury member for BAFTA’s Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer.
The 2017 Natalie Miller Fellowship was awarded to Kristy by Natalie Miller AO at the Australian International Movie Convention (AIMC) during Jo Bladen’s opening address. Read the full announcement.
Sasha Close (2016)
Sasha Close is currently Head of Programming for the Gold Coast Film Festival and Brisbane International Film Festival along with consulting to screen, cinema, and content businesses across the Australian screen sector. Sasha sat on the Board of the Independent Cinemas Association (2016-19) and has been a regular contributor at conferences and festivals and judged AACTA film categories. Sasha was a member of Screen Australia’s Gender Matters Taskforce and is a current member of the Australian Feature Film working group. Sasha is now the current President of the Natalie Miller Fellowship.
Formerly, Program Manager of Wallis Cinemas, her professional development proposal included an overseas secondment and mentorship. Read the full announcement.
Courtney Botfield (2015)
Courtney Botfield is a distribution specialist with over 15 years experience in independent film. Formerly General Manager at Transmission Films, she then joined with Tracey Mair to found Goodship, and now works at Bunya Productions as Head of Distribution & Sales.
The 2015 Natalie Miller Fellowship was announced at the Australian International Movie Convention (AIMC) by Natalie Miller. Read the full announcement.
Courtney’s professional development proposal saw her travel overseas to meet with leading practitioners in the emerging space of impact production. Read Courtney’s report on her experience
Rebecca Hammond (2014)
Rebecca Hammond is the Post Production Manager at Beyond Productions. Formerly the Manager of Strategic Partnerships for Asia-Pacific at Deluxe Entertainment Services Group, she has over 20 years’ experience in the media and entertainment industry.
Rebecca was awarded the 2014 Natalie Miller Fellowship at the Screen Producers Association (SPA) Screen Forever conference by our Ambassador Kerry Gardner. Read the full announcement.
Rebecca attended the Women in Leadership Program at the University of New South Wales’ Australian Graduate School of Management. This program was tailored specifically for women and addresses authentic reflective leadership. Read Rebecca’s report of her experience.
Harriet Pike (2013)
Harriet Pike is currently the Chief Operating Officer (COO) at WildBear Entertainment, with experience in acquisitions and distribution. The 2013 Natalie Miller Fellowship was announced at the Screen Producers Association of Australia conference by Natalie Miller. Read the full announcement.
Harriet attended the High-Performance Leadership Programme at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School in the UK. The course combined personalised coaching sessions with lectures and group work addressing individual’s leadership challenges. Read Harriet’s report on her experience.
Rachel Okine (2012)
Rachel Okine is the Head of Scripted at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). She was formerly the Head of Features and Development Executive at Stan. Previously, she served as the Vice President of Acquisitions at STXinternational and the Vice President of International Production and Acquisitions for StudioCanal in Paris. Rachel was awarded the inaugural Natalie Miller Fellowship at the Screen Producers Association of Australia conference in 2012 by Natalie Miller. Read the full announcement.
Rachel attended The Women’s Leadership Forum: Innovation Strategies for a Changing World at the Harvard Business School in Boston. The course used case studies as a way to address issues of personal leadership style, effecting corporate culture, the importance of mentorship and many more. Read Rachel’s report on her experience.