BLACKapple is located on land belonging to the Gadigal people of the Eora nation and the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and Bunurong peoples of the Kulin nation. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians and pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging, of the lands on which we work and live, and further acknowledge and pay respect to the Traditional Owners of the land.
Welcome to BLACKapple
BLACKapple is a new and exciting collective of talented filmmakers with a purpose to produce original innovative screen stories from First Nations and underrepresented communities.
Our ethos is to work with the best talent, whether they be emerging or established, to create premium comedy, drama and factual content.
We are truth seekers driven by social realism and independent cinema.
As a majority Indigenous owned Australian company, BLACKapple places integrity and collaboration at the forefront of every project. We have an exciting slate of scripted and documentary projects in the pipeline.
About
Beck Cole, Writer/Director
Beck Cole is a screenwriter and film and television director whose work spans many genres including drama, comedy, documentary, animation and children’s television. Beck was the montage director of the 2021 feature film We Are Still Here, an anthology of stories by First Nation filmmakers. The film opened the prestigious Sydney Film Festival and has since screened around the world including Toronto International Film Festival.
Her debut feature film Here I Am, about a young First Nations woman who attempts to rekindle her relationship with her daughter after a stint in prison was released in 2011. Beck went on to direct three seasons of the award-winning sketch comedy show Black Comedy and drama series Redfern Now for ABCTV as well as three season of the smash hit drama series Wentworth for Foxtel. Most recently, Beck directed episodes of Amazon Prime’s comedy hit Deadloch and newly released thriller High Country for BINGE / Foxtel.
Beck is an established screenwriter, having co-written the award-winning feature film Samson & Delilah as well as her drama scripts Plains Empty and Flat, both of which films screened at the Sundance Film Festival. She has written on a number of television drama series and is a regular participant in a wide range of story rooms. Beck is a passionate documentary filmmaker having produced, directed and shot the comedic doc Making of Samson and Delilah, she then went to direct the ground breaking series First Australians; the untold history of Australia, Lore of Love and Wirriya small boy. Beck wrote and voice-directed three seasons of the children’s animation series Little J & Big Cuz and she directed numerous episodes of kids shows Grace Beside Me and Mustangs FC. Beck is presently developing her third feature film ‘Ruby Moonlight’ and has many other projects in various stages of development. She is a member of the Waramungu/Luritja people of Central Australia and lives in Melbourne. Beck holds a Masters in Directing (AFTRS) a B.A (Communications) and is a trained journalist. Beck is also a Company Director of BLACKapple Productions. Beck is represented by Emma Wooley at Stacy Testro International.
Samuel Nuggin-Paynter, Writer/Producer
Sam is a Screenwriter and Producer hailing from Alice Springs, Central Australia. Starting his career in children’s television, Sam worked as a Writer on the animated children’s television program ‘Little J & Big Cuz’ and was a part of the writing team that developed the live action children’s program ‘Thalu’.
After honing his skills in the realm of kids tv, Sam has since moved into crafting more bold and dramatic narratives in his writing, and with a passion for telling stories that explore themes such as toxic masculinity, identity, racism, sexuality and mental health, Sam hopes to leave his mark on the industry by creating unique stories from unseen perspectives.
Currently, Sam is in advanced development on his feature film writing debut ‘Colour of Blood’ and was also a part of the writing team on the anthology feature film ‘We Are Still Here’, which premiered at opening night of the Sydney Film Festival in 2022 and has gone on to have subsequent screenings at Toronto International Film Festival, Melbourne International and New Zealand Film Festivals.
As a Producer, Sam has recently completed a two-year producers’ attachment at production company No Coincidence Media and is a graduate from Screen Australia’s prestigious Indigenous Producers Program. From these valuable training experiences Sam went on to work as Associate Producer on the on the previously mentioned anthology feature film ‘We Are Still Here’ and worked as the Production Manager on the 6 x 30-minute natural history docuseries ‘Larapinta’.
Sam’s IMDb
Andrew Arbuthnot, Producer
Andrew Arbuthnot is an award-winning Creative Producer with 15+ years’ experience in film and television production. Andrew has recently returned to producing after working as Investment / Development Manager, at Screen Australia for five years. Previously, Andrew worked for broadcasters and production companies including SBS Television, BBC, Channel 4, PolyGram Films, Nickelodeon, Foxtel, Southern Star Productions and EQ Media where he gained invaluable experience in development, production, marketing and distribution. As a Producer of both drama and documentary he has experience in managing and guiding projects and creative teams from development to delivery and marketing. Andrew’s short films and documentaries have garnered numerous awards and screened at more than 100 film festivals around the world.
Andrew recently Produced feature documentary HER NAME IS NANNY NELLIE with Director Daniel King and Producers Charlotte Seymour and Ben Pederick for NITV and Adelaide Film Festival. In development, Andrew has the feature screenplay adaptation of James Elazzi’s stage play OMAR AND DAWN with support from Screen Australia’s Generate fund and a further bio pic feature project in development with James Elazzi supported by state funded early development. Andrew also has a new comedy web series PLEASANT AVENUE due for release in 2024. Andrew is a current board member of AIDC (Australian International Documentary Conference).
Andrew’s IMDb
Kim Steblina, Line Producer
Kim Steblina is a Line Producer and Senior Production Manager with over 20 years’ experience. Kim has worked for all major production companies including Endemol Shine, Screentime, Fremantle, Eureka Productions and television networks Seven, ABC and SBS. Her experience in production is multidisciplinary working across drama, factual, Kids and reality television productions ranging from small to very large budget and crews. Kim’s experience working on various productions over the years range from the iconic film “Priscilla Queen of The Desert”, the feature length documentary “Finke – There and Back” filmed on location in outback Central Australia “The Surgery Ship” a factual documentary series filmed in Benin on the Ivory Coast, West Africa and was requested to facilitate the Australian shoot for international production “Germany’s Next Top Model”.
Most recently, Kim has wrapped production as Line Producer of ABC Kids brand new series “Fizzy & Suds” for Tilt Media.
However, Kim considers working with First Nations filmmakers as her career highlight. She has worked extensively with Indigenous filmmakers including Directors Dylan River, Tanith Glynn-Maloney and Aaron Fa’aoso on their productions as well as being the Group Production Manager at CAAMA Productions in Alice Springs, Northern Territory. Kim grew up in Sydney’s South Western Suburbs as a first generation Australian amongst the diversity of the post second world war refugee communities and proudly celebrates her Ukrainian heritage cooking the food she learnt in her Grandmother’s kitchen.
Kim’s IMDb
News
BLACKapple in development with feature documentary DJINDA with support from VicScreen
Dark Comedy “NED” selected for Screen Australia, SBS/NITV Digital Originals
Contact
Get in touch
Black Apple Productions Pty Ltd
ABN 35 661 271 352
BLACKapple does not accept unsolicited project submissions.
email: hello@blackapple.tv
phone: + 61 (0)405 107 465
BLACKapple 