Film Lab: New Voices – Monolith Screening + Q&A
Description
South Australia’s flagship low-budget feature film development initiative Film Lab: New Voices is back for a fourth intake, with applications open now for the development of bold, authentic and original feature film projects from first-time SA filmmakers.
Film Lab: New Voices offers three up-and-coming SA filmmaking teams the chance to develop their first low-budget feature film through a 12-month development program funded by the South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC) with financial assistance from Screen Australia. At the completion of the Lab one team will be selected to receive $600,000 in screen production grant funding for their film.
To help potential applicants learn more about the program, and the principles of low-budget film methodology, the SAFC is hosting a series of free screenings of Film Lab: New Voices films Monolith and Lesbian Space Princess in February, featuring filmmaker Q&A sessions.
This screening of Monolith will be followed by a Q&A with director Matt Vesely, writer Lucy Campbell and producer Bettina Hamilton.
Lineup
Matt Vesely
Matt Vesely is a South Australian writer and director, working across TV & Film. Matt works as a story producer, writer and development executive with award-winning South Australian collective Closer Productions. Matt’s latest short, SYSTEM ERROR, was selected for the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival and opened the 2021 St Kilda Film Festival. His debut feature film as a director, the science fiction thriller MONOLITH, was selected to have its international premiere at South By South West in 2023. He is represented by XYZ Films in the US and HLA Management Australia.
Lucy Campbell
Lucy Campbell is an Australian writer and director. Her debut feature screenplay MONOLITH was directed by Matt Vesely and had its international premiere at SXSW Film Festival. Her script won the Australian Writers Guild John Hinde Award, and the film was nominated for Best Indie Film at the AACTAs, the film prize at Cinefest Oz, and played at festivals throughout the world. As a writer/director, her short films and online series have screened at festivals around the world and her co-created sci fi series THE BIG NOTHING has over 1.5M views on DUST. She is currently developing her directorial debut feature DOG, which was on Hollywood's prestigious 2024 Blacklist and is produced by Vincent Sheehan, David Michod and Brad Zimmerman.
Bettina Hamilton
Bettina has been working as a Production Manager and Line Producer in South Australia and Western Australia for several years managing budgets for low- to high-end projects across both film and television. Bettina produced her first narrative feature film in 2022 through the Film Lab: New Voices program. The initiative, run by the South Australian Film Corporation and Adelaide Film Festival, is targeted at developing filmmakers to make their first feature films. “Monolith” the sci-fi mystery thriller generated in that program, made its international debut at SXSW 2023. Its yearlong festival run enjoyed several highlights, including being one of the four films nominated for the coveted Best Film Award at CinefestOz and being selected for the Noves Visions category at Sitges 2023. The film was released in the USA, the UK and most of Europe and is currently available on Prime in Australia. Bettina most recently produced the dramedy “Kangaroo Island” with producers Peter Hanlon, Tim Piper and Daniel Rosenberg. The film, starring Rebecca Breeds and Erik Thomson, premiered at Adelaide Film Festival in 2024 and was released in Australian cinemas last year to box office success. She is currently in development on a new film with the creative team behind “Monolith” and she also continues to work as a freelance Line Producer for film and TV. She also recently launched and oversees the Hamilton Health & Safety Fund, an open round fund for short films designed to increase safety and wellbeing in the South Australian film industry.
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