Documentary initiative to explore what Treaty means
After the historic signing of Victoria’s Statewide Treaty with First Peoples in November, a new documentary initiative is set to amplify First Peoples voices and stories.
Sovereign Shorts will give Victorian-based First Peoples screen storytellers the chance to make short documentaries that explores Treaty as a lived experience, capturing what this historic event means for individuals and communities.
The joint initiative by VicScreen, National Indigenous Television (NITV) and Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF), provides mentorship and resources for First Peoples screen storytellers to produce a 10–15-minute documentary.
Applications are encouraged from Victorian-based First Peoples directors and writers at all stages of their careers, including those with experience in other creative fields such as theatre.
The content, tone and style of the short films are entirely up to the creator, including hybrid, experimental, observational, personal or essayistic approaches.
To enter, filmmakers are being asked to submit a short film responding to the brief.
Who and what they are looking for
Organisers are looking for stories that sit with people, communities and moments, stories that reveal what Treaty means in practice, how it is felt, questioned, negotiated, and imagined. This is an opportunity to move beyond headlines and policy debates to tell stories that capture the human stakes of Treaty.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan speaks during the Ceremonial Opening of Treaty Negotiations.
They encourage creatives to explore themes such as:
- Treaty as lived governance, not policy – what Treaty looks like in everyday life
- How Treaty could change systems people interact with daily
- Youth voices shaping Treaty and imagining sovereignty
- Urban, regional and remote Treaty stories
- The emotional truth of Treaty – hope, doubt, fatigue, responsibility
- How Treaty protects living culture and cultural authority
- Justice beyond compensation – healing, accountability and repair on community terms
- How Australians can begin to unlearn long-held myths
Co-Chair’s of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria Ngarra Murray (left) and Rueben Berg.
Up to four films will be selected to go into production with a production budget of up to $40,000 per film.
The Sovereign Shorts films will have a world premiere screening at the 74th Melbourne International Film Festival in August, before being broadcast on NITV and streaming on SBS on Demand.
Applications close Friday 8 February 2026.
https://miff.com.au/sovereign-shorts
