The Hanlon Larsen Screen Fellowship

_{From left to right above: Cole Larsen, Lýður Valgeir Jóhannesson, Atli Freyr Guðmundsson, Peter Hanlon and Atli Geir Jóhannsson during the filming of Atlantis, Iceland.}

The Hanlon Larsen Screen Fellowship supports an outstanding South Australian artist working in screen/moving image, by awarding a $35,000 a year (cash and in kind) grant that will assist the creation or delivery of an ambitious avant-garde screen-based work.

What is the Hanlon Larsen Screen Fellowship?

The annual Hanlon Larsen Screen Fellowship will support a South Australian screen-practitioner who embodies the creative spirit of the late Cole Larsen, with funding to create an avant-garde screen-based work.

The initial five-year screen fellowship has been established by SA Film Corp chairman Peter Hanlon

This Fellowship is supported with $25,000 of cash funding by Peter Hanlon with Flinders University, and $10,000 of direct production support from Mercury CX. The successful awardee’s project will be eligible for an Adelaide Film Festival screening.

Cole Larsen was a screen production lecturer at the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at Flinders University, but this title belies the broad range of experiences Cole enjoyed through his lifetime. As well as being a loving husband, father, son, brother and uncle, Cole has worked, among other things (!), as a research and photo-journalist, director in children's television, corporate, community and medical documentary, a film Producer and Director and an artist.

Through his active participation in South Australia’s film industry, both via Flinders University and more broadly, Cole inspired a generation (or three) of South Australian screenmakers, artists and creators. Cole loved many different types of films but had a particular love of surreal and experimental film.

Over the years he challenged his students and fellow filmmakers to push every boundary they came across. Cole’s impact on South Australia’s film industry cannot be underestimated.

The Hanlon Larsen Screen Fellowship has been established to inspire and enable aspiring experimental and surreal screenmakers to develop their distinctive voice and create bold work for the screen and will ensure that Cole’s commitment to think (and do) outside the square will live on.

What is on offer?

How are projects assessed?

How do I apply?

What is on offer?

The successful Fellow will receive a cash grant of $25,000 as well as in-kind support to the value of $10,000 courtesy of Mercury CX, which includes production mentoring, production forms template kit, public liability insurance, production equipment hire, and test screenings in the Iris Cinema (if relevant).

The Fellow may use part of the funds towards professional development, which can include mentorship, research and development, skills development and training, international travel, attendance at industry conferences, attachment to a relevant industry professional and more. Bold and ambitious plans are encouraged!

The screen work created by the Fellow will screen as part of the Adelaide Film Festival.

The Hanlon Larsen Screen Fellowship will be an annual grant, and at present has committed funds until 2024.

Applicants must submit application materials by the deadline.

Applicants must submit application materials by the deadline.

A panel of assessors will consider the submissions against the selection criteria outlined below.The panel of assessors will include:

Dr Tom Young, Screen Production Lecturer, Flinders University
Emma Fey, CEO Guildhouse
Flinders University Alumni and student of the late Cole Larsen
Representative of Mercury CX
Representative of Adelaide Film Festival

The successful fellow will be announced by Flinders University in July 2021.

2021 application FAQs

Who can apply?

Any South Australian artist is welcome to apply. There are no prerequisites in regard to University alumni or other educational status. The Fellowship is intended to foster non-traditional and innovative screen art of any kind.
Open to any South Australian resident with an existing body of work that speaks to the Fellowship aims.
The principle creative must be based in South Australia. Contributing work or other production support can be sourced interstate, but this must be identified in the submission.
Emerging and mid-career screen and arts practitioners from South Australia.

What projects are eligible?

Group projects are eligible.
Pre-existing works are not eligible. The Fellowship is intended for original works, not extensions of near completion of existing works.
Bold and distinctive works in any screen-based medium including (VR, AR, interactive game or screen-based work).
There is no duration limitation however the applicant will need to demonstrate that the work is able to be achieved within budget limitations.
There is no requirement for an end-user in the form of a broadcaster or streaming platform, publisher etc, as this initiative is designed to break free of commercially driven parameters.
Projects that are experimental in nature and don’t necessarily comply with narrative, genre, format, ratings classifications or conventions are encouraged. The final format, however, must be a self-contained screen experience and not rely on installations, live performance or other components to be exhibited.

Criteria for assessment

The application will be assessed on:

The distinctiveness and imagination of the proposed work
The creative and cultural impact of the proposed work
The likelihood that the work will find an audience
The perceived viability of the work in relation to the budget
The ability of the work to be completed in 12 months from receipt of funds
The career benefits for the applicant and for the broader SA screen industry
The ability of the applicant to undertake the work, based on or building upon prior experience

Note that works that are discriminatory will not be eligible.

Applicants will need to comply with industry standards with regard to the use and employment of children under the age of eighteen.

Projects will need to comply with Indigenous protocols, should there be any Indigenous content created – see information below.

What materials do you need to submit?

As part of your application you will need to submit:

A short bio (up to 200 words)
A project synopsis (100-150 words) – Briefly outlining your project
Creative Response to the Criteria (can be either a document, visual video or audio response) - must be less than 5 pages, 1500 words or 5 minutes (depending on the chosen format).

When is the deadline?

Applicants must complete the online application form before the deadline.
Applications close on 1 May 2021
No extensions will be granted.

How do I submit my application?

After reading the Screen Fellowship Guidelines and considering eligibility, applications and support materials can be submitted online using the link below.

Apply online