Filming begins today on a new Indigenous movie Goldstone in the Winton Shire region of Queensland with the support of the Australian Government.

The film is the work of award-winning writer and director Ivan Sen who received critical acclaim for feature Mystery Road, and highly regarded filmmaker David Jowsey will produce the film.

The film has received direct funding support of $1.2 million through Screen Australia's Indigenous Department. The feature film will generate production of over $3 million which will contribute to jobs for the screen sector and boost the broader economy.

The regional landscape of Middleton will provide a stunning backdrop for the western thriller and will feature a stellar Australian cast including Aaron Pedersen, David Gulpilil, Academy Award nominee, Jacki Weaver and David Wenham.

Screen Australia's Indigenous Department provides a range of support to Indigenous filmmakers and has now launched the new Indigenous Producers Initiative, which will give aspiring Indigenous filmmakers with great story-telling skills the chance to develop their filmmaking skills.

The initiative will assist emerging Indigenous filmmakers to develop comprehensive producing skills. Over 12 months up to eight applicants will have access to:

• Four workshops for promising producers to develop production skills from story development to creating a finance plan.
• Highly coveted producer-attachment placement internships with esteemed film and television practitioners.
• Support to attend the 2015 Screen Forever Conference and the 2016 Australian International Documentary Conference.

Previous filmmakers who have benefitted from similar development initiatives include producers Ryan Griffin (Cleverman) and John Harvey (Brown Cabs Productions).

Applications for the Indigenous Producers Initiative close on Friday 5 June 2015. For more information please visit the Screen Australia website.