Australians in Film, which originated in 2001, is one of the most important and innovative organizations in the Australian film and television industry. Largely responsible for the success of many Australian actors and storytellers who followed their dreams and made the leap to Hollywood, especially through the Heath Ledger scholarship, AiF champions undiscovered talent, and of late, has focused on under-represented communities.

The HFPA has been working with AIF since 2018 with the First Nation filmmakers’ delegation visit to Los Angeles. Monies awarded to AIF have been utilized for the Indigenous Screen Creative Koori Dunghutti woman Darlene Johnson, as well as the running of their Untapped program which aids undiscovered and historically excluded writers and directors.

We caught up with AIF’s Executive Director, Peter Ritchie, to give us an update on the important work they do.

Can you talk about how the idea for AIF came about?

It was way before my time (laughs). It was a great group of Australians including Jenny Cooney (HFPA) Paula Paizes (attorney), Deb Zipser (Executive), David Pratt (LA based Ausfilm commissioner) and many others who realized that with Australians doing so well in Hollywood and it was a good opportunity to celebrate Australian screen culture and the Aussie influence here in Hollywood. To take the leap from Australia and follow your dreams here in LA can be a lonely and challenging experience so I think back in the early days of the organization, it was all about creating networks and a community. Australia has a rich history in Hollywood going back to Errol Flynn, Orry-Kelly (Oscar winning Costume designer) and [swimmer/movie star] Annette Kellerman.

The Heath Ledger scholarship has single-handedly changed a lot of lives.

100 percent. Look at the careers of previous recipients – Bella Heathcote, Cody Fern, Ashleigh Cummings, Charmaine Bingwa and Mojean Aria. Over the past few years, we’ve moved direction slightly. Inspired by the documentary I Am Heath Ledger. It was such a beautiful portrait of Heath, and the spirit of his generosity. Not just his excellence in film but in terms of music and other forms of artistic expression and giving other people the opportunities that he was afforded.  

He would open his door at his house in Los Feliz and give his house and car keys, a couch to sleep on and he would open his contact book here in LA. The organization is creating a similar sort of vibe, but in a more professional capacity. I think we may be the only country that offers this sort of thing in LA.  Over the past three years we’ve moved the scholarship into awarding it to actors that may not have been given the same opportunities as Heath. For example, Charmaine Bingwa, who was our first openly gay, person of color to receive the scholarship. She is currently starring in The Good Fight, and she has just wrapped starring opposite Will Smith in Antoine Fuqua’s Emancipation for Apple. She arrived in LA 2018, with no representation as one of our Charlie’s creative residents.

What does it mean to be a Charlie’s resident?

AiF created Charlie’s, a co-working business and networking hub in LA in 2016 for Australian actors, writers, directors and producers doing business in Hollywood. So, Charmaine arrived in LA in January 2018 as one of our residents working out of Charlie’s and immediately become part of the AiF community, and by September of that year she was named the 10th Heath Ledger Scholarship recipient. It literally changed her life. She came to LA, and eight months later she was awarded the scholarship, she picked up representation, and within three years she got the part on The Good Fight.

That was quick!

Yeah. Reportedly, it took Naomi Watts ten years. When we gave Naomi Watts the top award at our annual awards in 2019, she said, ‘I wish Australians in Film was around when I started because it may not have taken me ten years to get where I eventually got.’

Is Heath Ledger’s family still involved in AiF?

Yes. Kim (father), Kate Ledger (sister) and Sally Bell (Heath’s mum) are still involved. Kim spoke to all the finalists this year and he is in contact with Rahel and the other previous recipients. Kim sees the work that we are doing as an important legacy, and they are 100% supportive of the scholarship and its purpose.

Do you actively search for new talent?

Apart from the Heath Ledger Scholarship, we ran a number of other professional development programs. Another one is called Untapped, which the HFPA supports. It was born out of zoom and the pandemic. In April 2020 when everyone was at home not knowing what really was happening with COVID, we came up with this idea of a program for undiscovered and historically excluded writers and directors. We thought while everyone was available and the technology of zoom became more widely used, why don’t we open the doors and democratize the access to Hollywood via zoom.

We approached Margot Robbie’s Lucky Chap, Bruna Papandrea’s Made Up Stories, See-Saw Films, the producers of The Power of the Dog and also The King’s Speech, Nicole Kidman’s Blossom Films and Truant Pictures, which is the genre live action division of Animal Logic to mentor, and we asked Warwick Thornton and Taika Watiti to do masterclasses. Everyone we approached loved the idea and said yes, including the HFPA. Again, like Charmaine, it has changed the lives of these five writer directors from Australia, who were selected for the development lab.

Has the awareness of BLM made a big difference to indigenous Australian actors breaking through?

Yeah definitely. I think there is a great interest in diversity both on and off screen. AiF has been focused on that for a number of years prior, but the BLM movement definitely escalated it. We have had some incredible First Nations finalists with The Heath Ledger Scholarship, and we have supported a number of extremely talented First Nations writer, directors and producers in various other programs. With the support of the HFPA, we hosted Australia’s very first First Nations filmmaker delegations to LA in 2018, which has led to some incredible opportunities of creative collaboration.

Have the goals changed in the last ten years of the organization?

As I mentioned, I think it’s always been about creating community. I think the professional development opportunities began with The Heath Ledger Scholarship when it was launched in 2008. Of course, the organization has evolved over time. As we move into our 21st year, the organization is moving yet again into another stage of development. The pandemic has allowed us to become more global and more inviting to people outside the US.

What are the daily challenges you face?

Like all non-profits, it’s all about keeping the lights on, paying the rent and the staff. There have been times where we have just not been able to pay the rent on time, and it’s been challenging and really tough. Many sleepless nights.

It must be satisfying to help others achieve their goals.

I’ve been so lucky that I’ve been able to live and work in the U.S. and to love what I do. To be able to give back to someone else and to see them succeed, fulfill their creative potential and remove some of the roadblocks is tremendously rewarding.

What were you doing before?

I was a publicist at 20th Century Fox here in LA in their international television division. I had worked at some of the TV networks in Australia as well as some production companies who sold some shows to the U.S. market. And my partner is a director/producer, so I knew how the industry kind of worked. Initially I thought, because I was successful in Australia, obviously I’ll be successful in the U.S. and it’s just so not the case (laughs). You have to earn your stripes here and there have made lots of mistakes along the way. I learned from those mistakes, and I know I can help others avoid making the same mistakes.

To what or who do you attribute the success of AiF?

I think the work that we do requires the support of so many people at different levels. It requires the generosity of people, who have “made it” in Hollywood to give back to the next generation. It couldn’t be possible without the support of the HFPA, who really champion new voices and the next generation of globally storytellers. We just can’t do it by ourselves, we need everyone to chip in and help with the much-needed change that is happening here and around the world. It is an exciting time. We are just one big creative community, and we all want to do our best work and to do it together. I am just very grateful that I get to do this work and I am so appreciative for everyone’s support, but specifically the HFPA.