Screenrights awards $293,400 to six cultural projects

Screenrights has announced the recipients of its 2026 Cultural Fund, distributing $293,400 across six projects under the theme ‘Learning Through Story’. The funding supports initiatives in Australia and New Zealand aimed at enhancing diversity and education within the screen industry.

In Australia, Young Yarnz will receive $50,000 to develop a digital classroom platform featuring First Nations knowledge holders. Studio Gilay has been awarded $50,000 for ‘Animation as Living Story’ to address Indigenous underrepresentation in animation, while Brock Casting Services will receive $49,400 for a disability-led training initiative titled ‘Lights On: Story-Led Learning for Disabled Creatives’.

New Zealand initiatives include Nine Islands Media, which received $50,000 for a Māori and Pasifika Impact Producing Lab, and Film Bay of Plenty, which was granted $44,000 for ‘He Kōrero Tuku Iho – Stories Carried Forward’ to support community storytelling. Additionally, $50,000 will fund ‘The Writers Lab’, a script development intensive for female and non-binary screenwriters over the age of 40 from both Australia and New Zealand.