Four WA Screen Producers Supported to Break the Celluloid Ceiling
Kate Separovich, Cody Greenwood, Kate Neylon and Hannah Ngo have been selected as the successful recipients of the Breaking the Celluloid Ceiling initiative.
The initiative was created to connect emerging producers of a female or non-binary orientation with successful industry mentors, and to keep them working within Western Australia. The professional mentorship program was made possible with the support of Lotterywest, aiming to further develop the skills of the practitioners, and hopefully position them to one day be mentors themselves.
“Western Australia has outstanding female and non-binary screen creatives and this opportunity was designed to help propel four, accomplished screen producers to develop their slate of projects and take their careers to the next level. Kate, Cody, Kate and Hannah are four of our brightest producers and I look forward to seeing these professional mentorships equip them with vital industry knowledge and propel them to take on that next big project .” said Rikki Lea Bestall, CEO of Screenwest.
Kate Separovich of Lake Martin Films is engaging with two consultants, executive coach Ellenor Cox and media and communication specialist Karen Eck of eckfactor. “It’s a delight to be included in such a great group of women being empowered to grow successful brands and businesses’ here in Western Australia. Producing for a global audience from the world’s most isolated city has its challenges but this belief that we can succeed, by activating funds to strategise and grow will enable producers like me to stay here in Western Australia to employ crew and tell our stories.” said Kate.
Cody Greenwood of Rush Films will be mentored by industry heavyweight Liz Watts (Animal Kingdom, The King). “Liz has a successful track record of producing high quality, distinctive and international films. I’m looking forward to working alongside her and developing new scripted projects for the West Australian industry.” said Cody.
Kate Neylon of Wee Beastie Productions will work closely with a soon-to-be-announced experienced producer. “The Breaking the Celluloid programme is a really timely opportunity for me in terms of my experience and goals. My current slate is entirely comprised of glorious challenges, many of which I have yet to attempt, and so having such an experienced, aligned and connected mentor to support this is immensely valuable. I am very grateful to the team at Screenwest who have supported me warmly and consistently over so many years.” said Kate.
Hannah Ngo has commenced working with Tess Novak of Lingo Pictures (Upright, The Secrets She Keeps). “Thank you Screenwest for this opportunity. Partnering up with Tess Novak from Lingo has been such a lucky match and I’m looking forward to working with such a kind and generous person. I can’t wait to see what the next 12 months will bring with her guidance and I’m grateful for the support that the Celluloid Ceiling initiative has been able to provide.” said Hannah.
For more information regarding the Breaking the Celluloid Ceiling funding initiative, please visit the Screenwest website screenwest.com.au
Contact Screenwest
T: +61 8 6169 2100
E: info@screenwest.com.au
Producer Bios
Kate Separovich
Kate Separovich heads up Lake Martin Films, based in Lake Coogee, Western Australian Producer. She co-produced Girt by Sea a cinematic love letter to the coastline of Australia, commissioned by ABC with the Perth International Arts Festival, NFSA, and Screenwest, and was select for Sheffield Doc Fest. Kate’s fiction projects include the soon to be released outback dinosaur thriller Evie (@aussiedinofilm). In addition to her producing credits Kate is a production co-ordinator and manager with more than 10 years of experience in the industry working for the likes of MTV, Cordell Jigsaw Zapruder, Prospero Pictures, Electric Pictures, Essential Media and Entertainment as well as many iconic West Australian dramas like Red Dog: True Blue, Paper Planes and Son of a Gun. She most recently worked as the Associate Producer on the adaptation of the Tim Winton novel Dirt Music, Produced by Oscar nominated Producers Finola Dwyer and Angie Fielder.
Cody Greenwood
Cody Greenwood is the founder of Rush Films. Recognised by Screen Producer’s Australia as ‘One to Watch’, Cody has since earned herself a reputation as one of Australia’s most promising film producers. Her latest feature documentary ‘Under the Volcano’ premiered at SXSW and is being distributed globally by Universal Pictures. Cody has spent the last decade working alongside some of Australia’s most prominent diverse storytellers to create original and thought-provoking content. Her most recent productions include Sparkles, Tooly and documentary series Girl Like You.
Kate Neylon
Kate Neylon is a producer, artist and actor who has worked in film and television in various roles, focusing on producing in recent years. She has produced a number of films with local director Pete Gleeson including the multi-awarded short documentary addressing romance and disability, Something to Tell You and the critically acclaimed feature documentary Hotel Coolgardie. Following a highly successful festival run for “Hotel Coolgardie” at Hot Docs, Slamdance & Sydney Film Festival to name a few, the team self-distributed a theatrical release across Australia and New Zealand. The film is currently in the top ten documentaries on Amazon Prime. In early 2019, she produced her first feature drama, Below, a darkly comic action film set in a detention centre, directed by Maziar Lahooti and starring Ryan Corr and Anthony LaPaglia. The film premiered at Melbourne International Film Festival in August 2019 and is now available on Stan. In addition to her work in film, Kate is an original artist and the Executive Producer for cutting-edge tactical media arts company pvi collective (formed in 1998), developing socially engaged, politically driven performance projects for tech savvy audiences around the world. Kate is invested in the idea that stories can change the world, and in the power of art to interrogate the current political and cultural landscape in an entertaining and often humourous way.
Hannah Ngo
Hannah Ngo is an emerging producer hailing from the West Coast. Her short films Carnal Privilege, Rift, Little Man and Tribunal (for SBS) have screened at national and international festivals, picking up awards along the way. In 2019, Hannah was Screen Australia’s Producer’s Attachment on The Heights. As of 2021, she is currently developing projects for Screenwest, Screen Australia and SBS as part of their diversity initiatives with two projects currently in production; animated short film Bird drone and lesbian rom-com series Me and Herpes. Hannah’s digital series Iggy and Ace is also set to premiere at both the prestigious Series Mania and CinefestOZ in August, and will then make its online premiere on SBS on Demand on 9 September 2021. As a producer, Hannah wants to help make creative decisions that bring original and significant projects into being – drawing on her heritage to help drive stories that engage with social and political issues in an unexpected and uplifting way.