Curious Australia

We Are Sexual Beings explores what being young, disabled and sexual in modern Australia is all about. Over the course of a 24-hour period three adventurous young Australians with disabilities will pull back the covers on their intimate lives – Oli, an aspiring tennis champ and actor full of swagger and bravado; Maya, an earnest sweetheart on a quest for her first taste of true romance; and Christina, a wild-child motorhead from rural South Australia, who, in her own words, “is done with her ho phase and is all about self-satisfaction”. These three remarkably different human beings all happen to share two things in common: life-altering spinal injuries and healthy sexual appetites. Creator/Writer/Director: Isaac Elliott Creator/Writer/Producer: Lucy Knox

It’s easy to feel alone in the Australian music industry, but for First Nations musicians, the isolation can be overwhelming. Rapper and Larrakia man Jimblah knows all too well that despite Black song playing such a transformative role in Australia’s history, it’s still seen as just another marketable asset. But what if it could be different? What if there was hope for something better? What will it take for Jimblah to create his own Black Empire? Director: Johanis Lyons-Reid Writer/Director: Pearl Berry Writer/Producer: Piri Eddy Producer: Lilla Berry Executive Producer: Dean Gibson

Ballroom culture originated within 1960s–70s New York founded by Black and Latinx trans women after the continuous discrimination from the LGBTQIA+ community. It’s a global movement, lifestyle and a cutthroat competition where competitors known as walkers compete in various categories for the grand prize. The Alexander Ball is Australia’s first look into the hypnotising world of Ballroom through an observational documentary extravaganza, following the exhilarating journey of Samoan-Australian trans woman of colour, Ella Ganza, as she and her Ballroom family prepare for one of the biggest events of the year: The Alexander Ball. Director/Producer/Writer: Jessica Magro

Sistas in Mining follows the inspiring story of Shontell Leah Ketchell, an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander woman, an aspiring screenwriter who works as a production operator on a coal mine in Central Queensland. Co-Director: Ewan Cutler Co-Director/Producer: Jill Robinson Writer/Creator/Co-Producer: Shontell Leah Ketchell Executive Producer: Dean Gibson

Australian Olympic athlete and refugee, Bendere Oboya, searches for identity as she switches events from the 400m track to the 800m track in pursuit of becoming the world’s best. After starting athletics as an escape, the Ethiopian-born 21-year-old is determined to show that no matter your beginnings, anything is possible. Director/Producer: Renny Wijeyamohan Writer: Zufan Emerson Executive Producer: Nicholas Searle

Un-Locked follows two young people trying to fit into society. Through various experiences, each character’s innocence is quickly dissolved into a tainted and violent city. This is a fully animated documentary, allowing the interviewees to remain anonymous, and deliver raw recollections of their experiences of being locked up, one in juvenile detention and the other in a mental health facility. Co-Director/Co-Writer: Jake Duczynski Co-Director/Co-Writer: Mr James Hackett Executive Producer: Beck Cole Producers: Michaela Perske, Margee Brown Executive Producer: Dean Gibson

Whatever Scares You is a rite of passage film that documents Breanna Deleo in her first year of work. Breanna is attempting to work as a professional artist – a challenging profession for anyone. And Breanna has begun to identify as neurodivergent. Her parents are her greatest allies and advocates. They want to protect Breanna but sometimes to find our way in the world, we need to go it alone. Writer and Director: Tamara Searle Writer: Breanna Deleo Producer: Alice Fleming