The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced that Julia Corcoran will be the 2022 recipient of the Screen Australia-AAA-Onbass Fellowship, a full tuition scholarship to the AFI Conservatory. Corcoran is an emerging film and television producer from Sydney, Australia, and will enter the Master of Fine Arts producing program at AFI in the fall as part of the Class of 2024.
The Screen Australia-AAA-Onbass Fellowship at AFI was created in partnership with Screen Australia and the Onbass Family Trust, formed by Gentle Giant Media Group CEO Greg Basser and his wife Kiera O'Neill, and provides full tuition and fees, as well as some support for living expenses. The American Australian Association (AAA) joins as a continuing sponsor of the fellowship. As part of receiving the fellowship, Corcoran was recognized at the G'Day AAA Arts Gala, a celebration of the diverse contributions made by artists in advancing the friendship between America and Australia. The event raises money for the American Australian Association Arts Fund, which supports American, Australian, Native American and Indigenous Australian emerging artists undertake career development and cultural exchange.
"The Australian screen industry continues to show its prowess to the global industry. We are thrilled that Julia has been selected as the 2022 Fellow taking this unique opportunity to hone her already fine producing skills by studying in Hollywood's backyard with the best of the best at the AFI Conservatory," said Greg Basser.
Corcoran graduated from the University of Technology, Sydney with honors in Communications (Media Arts and Productions) in 2015. She has since worked in-house at Sydney based production company, Jungle Entertainment, and freelanced in varying producing capacities on titles including Mr Inbetween (2018 – 2021), Judy & Punch (2019), Top End Wedding (2019), Location Scouts (2019) and Dom & Adrian 2020 (2020). Corcoran recently began producing her own projects under the name Ripple Pictures working with a variety of exciting new talent.
"My passion to produce film and television is driven by the need to create characters that don't fit into stereotypical boxes and bring them to the mainstream screens," said Corcoran. "Studying producing at the AFI will enable me to further my education and broaden my creative and professional horizons."
Previous recipients of the fellowship include cinematographer Meg White (AFI Class of 2021) and production designer Eleanora Steiner (AFI Class of 2023).
"Continuing to provide pathways for gifted filmmakers from around the world to study at the AFI Conservatory is more important than ever," said Susan Ruskin, Dean of the AFI Conservatory and EVP of the American Film Institute. "Thank you to our partners at Screen Australia, the Onbass Family Trust and the American Australian Association for their dedication to expanding opportunities for Australian filmmakers to pursue their craft and artistry here at AFI. Partnerships like these are vital to ensure that storytellers from diverse backgrounds become the next generation of artists who define the art form."
To learn more about the AFI Conservatory, visit AFI.edu.
