FTI Di Coleman Scholarship Winner Announced

30 July 2008

Organisation

Deeva Rani Muir of Leonora has won the 2008 Di Coleman Scholarship to study digital filmmaking at the Film & Television Institute (FTI) in Fremantle.

The annual scholarship provides an opportunity for women to enter the national film & television industry through studying the intensive eight-month Advanced Diploma in Screen (Video Production) course at FTI and is sponsored to the value of $6,500.

This is the sixth year the scholarship has been offered, which is named after FTI’s longest serving staff member, Di Coleman, who completes 31 years of employment at the Institute in 2008.

Ms Muir has been a professional visual artist for the past 15 years and an independent self-taught filmmaker. Born in Sri Lanka and schooled in Malaysia, Ms Muir has lived in Leonora for the past 20 years working closely with the local community.

She is on the Executive Committee of the Tjupan Ngalia Tribal Land Council and has a strong passion for filmmaking, which she uses to document local culture and for a teaching resource.

She is currently moving to Perth to study at FTI and hopes in the future to be able to share her new filmmaking skills with others in the Leonora community.

“I am very excited about the opportunity for me to not only learn more about the medium of filmmaking, but also the opportunity to challenge and expand my potential with the medium,” she said.

“I would like to improve my skills in documenting culture and explore dramatic storytelling. My focus is engaging with all generations, especially youth and I find making films is a way of focussing the whole community to process ideas such as identity, goals and culture,” she said.

The Advanced Diploma in Screen (Video Production) is FTI’s most comprehensive digital filmmaking course that provides hands-on training in all aspects of the film production process taught by practicing industry professionals.

The next course starts on 25 August 2008. Further information