In partnership with marginalised communities around the world, we are committed to fostering and creating high production value screenworks that build on capacity, facilitate agency amongst youth and inspire new stories of empowerment.
Projects
Burn - Sydney
In 2008 Community Prophets embarked on its most ambitious program, working with over 30 young adults from six different ethnic backgrounds in inner city and western Sydney. Over a period of three months the young adults trained in improvisational acting, storytelling and performance. A powerful ½ hr drama and a package of interactive and educational content was created in collaboration with the workshop participants. The resources are being shown to young people across Australia and was commissioned by Legal Aid NSW as part of a major crime-prevention initiative. The project uses improvised scenarios and unscripted dialogue to engage young audiences and help them consider the consequences of their actions.
Voices from the Cape
In a nation that is abuzz with the proposed 'education revolution', Voices from the Cape confronts stereotypes and illuminates hope in the traumatised remote community of Aurukun. This 2-part series documents a genuinely exciting approach to engaging young people from at-risk communities, sparking a hunger for learning and celebrating the desire to speak their own stories. For ABC TV (Australia) and Teachers TV (UK).
Us Mob, Alice Springs
In 2004, after years of community consultation, Community Prophets Director, David Vadiveloo, worked in partnership with the Arrernte community of central Australia to create the world's first Indigenous children's interactive web and television series.
Us Mob (usmob.com.au) was the first series where David used the Community Prophets model of improvisation. Us Mob Pty Ltd employed 22 Aboriginal story creators (to formulate 7 episodes of interactive television) and over 70 local Aboriginal people as characters, crew, interpreters and cultural advisors. Us Mob was overseen by an Aboriginal community executive who approved all content, storylines and final cut on the project. Us Mob was produced by Heather Croall and directed by David Vadiveloo.
Us Mob was the first national broadcast media project of its kind in Australia, where Indigenous participants retained a profit share in the project and went on to be described by critics as "beautiful and inspiring", "a rare insight into central Australia", "a new benchmark for kids entertainment".
The model is currently being used in Canada (with the Tlicho community), in Alaska (with the Inupiaq community) and has recently been employed to create a ½ hr television drama in Sydney with 'high risk youth' from six different ethnic backgrounds.
Coming soon
Yirrkala
Ongoing in 2008, Community Prophets work with the NT community of Yirrkala will go to the next stage of their long term proposal to develop the nation's first community-based, high-end digital media training facility. Working under the Buku Larrngay Centre and with the support of Buku and the Yothu Yindi Foundation, Community Prophets will begin their third phase of training this year.
This initiative is focused upon creating a group of Yolgnu digital storytellers with the skills, production experience and confidence to take positions in the elite film schools of the country or produce their own work without leaving the community for training - the important emphasis being a capacity to train to industry standard and create broadcast quality content without having to leave family or country before they are ready.
