A Pathway Into Screen: Three Early-Career First Peoples Filmmakers Share Their Story

Up-and-coming practitioners Travis Cloudy-Hensgen (Ugar, Iama and Erub Islands), Kynan Clarke (Gunai/Kurnai, Gunditjmara, and Monero) and Merryn Trescott (Wiradjuri) have had different pathways into the screen industry. Alongside highly accomplished writer, actor and director Wayne Blair (Batjala, Mununjali, Wakka Wakka), they were invited to share their experiences at VicScreen’s Fireside Yarn, an industry event designed to connect First Peoples screen practitioners with industry opportunities.

Blair got candid about directing VicScreen supported production Goolagong, a three-part drama series depicting the life of tennis champion Evonne Goolagong Cawley; it aired on the ABC in January and is available to stream on ABC iview.

“It was brilliant to have other First Nations mob there on set in specific departments, to be there every day, not only in the production of it, but pre-production. That doesn’t happen a lot,” Blair shares.

Learn more about how Cloudy-Hensgen, Trescott and Clarke got their start in the industry and the opportunities that drew them closer to their dream roles.

Travis Cloudy-Hensgen (Ugar, Iama and Erub Islands)

Writer and emerging producer Travis Cloudy-Hensgen has been working at First Nations not-for-profit Common Ground for the last three years, producing projects including First Nations Bedtime Stories. Moving to Melbourne as a teenager without a degree or industry connections, Cloudy-Hensgen knew he wanted to tell stories but wasn’t sure how to pursue a career in film. Goolagong was Cloudy-Hensgen’s first attachment and experience on a big production, working closely with the Assistant Director, and it’s unlocked his desire to work in every department to understand the various facets of filmmaking.

Travis’s tip is about perseverance in the face of rejection: “A hundred nos is ok. One time, you’ll get a yes.”

Merryn Trescott (Wiradjuri)

Merryn Trescott’s passion for screen was sparked by making films alongside her brother in their backyard using Windows Movie Maker; she eventually pursued a minor in film at the Queensland University of Technology. After moving to Melbourne four years ago, she’s focused on honing her skills in directing, with Goolagong being her first director’s attachment. She continues to build on her filmmaking skills, recently completing another director’s attachment on Season Two of High Country and working on independent projects as the co-owner of production company, Sapphic Flicks. The advocacy of industry champions, and the connections she’s made through productions, has been critical to her pathway in film.

Merryn’s hot tip on building your networks: “The more people you know, the more people who can give you opportunities, and that you can call on for your own projects.”

Kynan Clarke (Gunai/Kurnai, Gunditjmara, and Monero)

There wasn’t pathway into film in Clarke’s regional town of Dimboola, and it was after pursuing a tafe course in media that opportunities started to come his way. After completing a camera attachment on Tracey Rigney’s short film Elders, Kynan Clarke secured a role with Melbourne-based production company Typecast Entertainment, where he’s been working for almost 5 years. Last year, he participated in documentary shorts initiative, Footy Shorts, supported by VicScreen, MIFF and the AFL, with his film screening at MIFF in 2025. He’s currently working as a production secretary alongside renowned Melbourne director, producer and screenwriter Robert Connolly, on the adaptation of Nikki Gemmell’s novel, Shiver. You can read more about Clarke’s journey in this profile here.

Kynan’s tip if you’re ever on set: “Enjoy it and learn as much as you can from every department if you’re able to.”