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February 2025

February began with Stephanie attending the AACTA film festival; a vibrant, five-day screen and entertainment celebration held on the Gold Coast. Stephanie attended the AACTA Awards Industry Gala where And The Ocean Agreed was nominated for Best Short Film - a short film she produced alongside Luisa Martiri and Writer/Director Tanya Modini. It was such an honour seeing our film included in such high calibre of screen content and getting to celebrate with the production team.

The following morning, Stephanie was back on-site at HOTA to participate in the panel Beyond Tokenism: Paths to an Inclusive and Accessible Industry. This panel was produced and facilitated by Rachel Kayrooz, and featured AACTA Young Star Knox Gibson, and the team from Empower Assistance Dogs, bringing together leading voices in the industry with lived experiences of disability. They discussed what it means to navigate and actively participate in the screen industry, whilst challenging perceptions of accessibility and inclusion. Key topics included addressing tokenism, the unique skill sets that creatives with disabilities contribute, and the authentic stories being told - by and about people with disabilities - both on-screen and behind the scenes. 

Wrapping up the AACTA festival experience, Stephanie returned to the Gold Coast to attend the Queensland premiere of SPIT, a hilarious sequel to the Australian comedy Gettin’ Square seeing David Wenham return to the titular role of Johnny ‘Spit’ Spitiri. This was a significant milestone for Dower Productions as SPIT was the first feature film Stephanie served as an Access Coordinator on. It was great to see the film up on the big screen and celebrate independent Australian cinema with cast and crew alike.

The rest of February was spent developing our factual and documentary projects in the lead up to the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) -  Australia's premier annual event for the nonfiction screen and digital media industries. It’s hard to believe that one year ago at that very event an exciting project that Stephanie was involved in was just starting to take shape. Simply Stories’ Paths to Paris, an online series funded by Screen Australia and Screen Queensland which saw us travel to Paris, France for the Olympic and Paralympic Games is nearing the completion of post-production and we can’t wait to share the finished series with audiences. Stay tuned for release details!

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january 2025

January’s focus for Dower Productions has been setting things in motion for the year ahead. Thanks to Screen Queensland’s Enterprise funding, Dower Productions has the support it requires to increase its development and production capacity, pushing forward with a slate of bold and inclusive content. The past first weeks of 2025 have been filled with meetings with fellow local producers, project development, organising pitch meetings, and preparing assets to promote the role of Access Coordinators across the Australian screen industry. 

The Access Coordinators Australia website launched recently, providing information on what the role of Access Coordinator entails and a directory of Access Coordinators working across Australia, including our own Stephanie Dower.

In exciting news, for a second year Stephanie will be working with the team behind Screen Forever as the event’s official Access Coordinator to ensure all wanting and able to attend the conference in May can participate in all aspects of the program. It’s deeply encouraging to see an industry body such as Screen Producers Australia actively lead by example when it comes to making the Australian screen industry a more forward-thinking space. You can register for Screen Forever 39 here and if you’d like to discuss access requirements, feel free to reach out via the Dower Productions contact page.

The AACTA Festival, which brings the screen industry together to celebrate the best of film, television, and digital media, will soon be taking place at the Gold Coast, including the AACTA Industry Awards Gala at which And The Ocean Agreed is nominated for Best Short Film. This has proven to be the short film that could and is a reflection of the incredible cast and crew who assembled to bring life to the vision of Writer, Director, and fearless Producer, Tanya Modini.

Also at the AACTA festival, Stephanie will speak on the Beyond Tokenism: Paths to an Inclusive and Accessible Industry panel. She will share the stage with Australian actor Knox Gibson, the team from Empower Assistance Dogs, and founder of FIERCE Productions Rachel Kayrooz, who pitched and coordinated the panel. The session will be supported by Screen Queensland and is free to attend so get in quick to book your spot now. 

If January is anything to go by, 2025 looks to be an incredibly exciting and busy year for Dower Productions so be sure to stay tuned to this space!

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November 2024

Recognising her commitment to driving change for people with disability in the screen industry, Stephanie has been appointed to the advisory group for the aptly titled Driving Change: Disability Employment Summit which is comprised of a team of intersectional and diverse industry representatives and advocates whom Bus Stop Films have brought together to shape the 2-day event.

The Summit is a first of its kind event exploring disability employment and inclusion in the film, TV and commercial production industries and will be taking place at Bondi Pavilion from 17th to 19th of November 2024. The Summit will include international speakers, industry leaders and advocates discussing, elevating and celebrating the employment of people with disabilities on either side of the camera across film, TV and advertising.

When asked about the Summit, Stephanie said "What's exciting about the upcoming Driving Change Summit is having two whole days dedicated to disability inclusion across the screen industries with a strong focus on not just why, but how this is going to be achieved on a practical level. Gone are the days of talking about things, now is the time for doing."

Stephanie has also been tapped to serve as Sessions Producer for the Driving Change Summit, giving her an opportunity to work with the incredible lineup of speakers assembled for the jam-packed 2-day program.

Finally, but certainly not least, Stephanie will moderate a Q & A session during the event with Producer, Michael Wrenn and Lead Cast, Hannah Diviney of the dark comedy feature 'Audrey' which will screen specially at the Summit before its theatrical release on November 7th.

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SEPTEMBER 2024

Big things are on the horizon for Dower Productions! In an exciting new development, Stephanie has been selected as one of the seven recipients of Screen Queensland's Business Enterprise funding. This fund is designed to support and bolster local screen businesses to develop and expand their operations. The fund will be released over the next 12 months, with potential for expanded funding over the next 3 years.

Stephanie will utilise the funding to scale and grow independent production company, Dower Productions through developing the company's production capabilities to roll out an exciting and original slate of diverse scripted and factual projects. The projects will all be informed by Dower Productions commitment to creating greater accessibility and inclusion practices and visibility across the Queensland industry and beyond.

Dower Productions will also build on Stephanies efforts as a disability advocate and Access Coordinator by offering an array of services in this space to other independent producers, production companies, and industry events.

The first step in this expansion is to employ key personnel for Dower Productions including an Executive Assistant and Development Producer, to oversee the slate strategy and support day-to-day operations, ensuring maximum dedication to development and production. Stephanie is excited for the future developments and can't wait to share what comes next for the company.

Screen Queensland / Media Release

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December 2023

Inside Film / Read Full Article

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November 2023

Even more exciting was Steph learning that she had been selected as a participant for the program and would travel to Sydney to learn from UK-based facilitators Bridge06.

The participants chosen for this program bring a wealth of talent, industry knowledge, and most importantly expertise when it comes to meeting Access Requirements for DDN (D/deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent)  cast and crew thanks to their firsthand experience of advocating for their own access requirements.

Screen Australia / Read Full Article

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February 2023

As someone with aspirations of being a force for positive change within this industry that Stephanie is so deeply passionate about, she is grateful for the opportunity to learn more about how SPA works for the industry on a policy level as well as how they work to inform producers and make the industry one that is open and accessible to a wider wealth of talent.

Inside Film / Read Full Article

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august 2022

As a non-profit organisation that seeks to combat stigmas for people with disabilities through advocacy, RespectAbility developed the Lab with a goal to “ensure that no one can ever say they could not find a disabled writer, director, producer, or creative professional.” The 2022 Virtual Lab Fellows are Aisha Almada, Alys Murray, Angel Williams, Ariel Baska, Cameron Mitchell, Charo Mato, Chris & Charlie Frazier, Cypher, Graham Kent, Heather Taylor, Isabella Vargas, Kimberly Manky, Matt Opatrny, Maureen McEly, Nina Mahesh, Ophira Calof, Samuel Krauss, and Sarah Fischer.

Through the Lab, Stephanie looks forward to expanding her networks across the Pacific ocean and learning more about the Hollywood system.

Hollywood Reporter / Read Full Article

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April 2022

Included in the lineup is Dower Productions’ Stephanie Dower. Presented by Bus Stop Films CEO Tracey Corbin-Matchett, Stephanie will be speaking on the Authenticity and Positive Inclusion panel alongside Afro-Australian director, writer, and producer Hawanatu Bangura; non-binary filmmaker Claudia Bailey; and Bus Stop Films’ co-founder and director Genevieve Clay-Smith.

Screenworks / Read Full Article

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march 2022

It was announced on March 7th that Sunshine had been selected to screen at the Oscar-qualifying film festival, in contention for Best Live Action Short Film. Sunshine is a short drama film that was produced by Taste Creative and Bus Stop Films and was funded through Screen Queensland’s RIDE Shorts initiative.

IMDb / Read Full Article

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December 2021

Tasked with devising a comprehensive, three-year Diversity Plan for the organisation, the announcement of the Equity and Diversity Taskforce is a demonstration of Screen Queensland’s ongoing commitment to positive change with the aim of increasing the representation of diverse voices and perspectives, both in the stories we tell on screen and behind the camera in practitioner roles.

Screen Queensland / Read Full Article