





APPLICATIONS NOW CLOSED! STAY TUNED FOR RESULTS

What is the Hanlon Larsen Fellowship?
The Hanlon Larsen Screen Fellowship supports an outstanding South Australian screen practitioner, by awarding a fellowship to the value of $45,000, inclusive of $25,000 cash, that will assist the creation or completion and delivery of an ambitious experimental screen-based work.
Chair of the Mercury CX Peter Hanlon created the Hanlon Larsen Screen Fellowship (HLSF) to honour his friend, film lecturer and filmmaker, the late Cole Larsen.
Peter says “I was blown away meeting so many filmmakers at Cole’s funeral who all told me the impact Cole had had on them. I wanted Cole’s memory to live on.”
The Hanlon/Larsen fellowship has been established to inspire and enable aspiring experimental and surreal filmmakers to develop their distinctive voice and create bold work for the screen and will ensure that Cole’s commitment to think (& do) outside the square will live on.
The HLSF is specifically for experimental and avant-garde filmmakers/projects with a focus on screen makers more generally, and those who have a much broader vision about the role of “screen”.
The HLSF is a collaborative fellowship supported by philanthropist Peter Hanlon, Flinders University, Adelaide Film Festival, Mercury CX and Light ADL.
This year will focus on projects that have already commenced or can guarantee completion in time for the 2023 Adelaide Film Festival (AFF).
Says AFF CEO Mat Kesting “I’m very excited to see the fellowship flourish and pleased to be able to support it and our filmmakers through AFF.”
Applications will open 1st March on the Mercury CX website with applications
due 31st March.
THE SUCCESSFUL FELLOW WILL RECEIVE:

1. A cash grant of $25,000 from Peter Hanlon ($20,000) and Flinders University ($5,000). Cash funds may be used towards mentorship, research & development, skills training, attendance at industry conferences, attachment to a relevant industry professional, international travel, production, post-production, fees/wages, festival submissions, marketing and more. Bold and ambitious plans are encouraged!

2. In-kind support from the Mercury valued at $10,000. This includes a script consultation, a production consultation, production templates, a production office space, public liability insurance, production equipment hire, use of in-house post-production facilities (edit, colour grade, VFX, and ADR), marketing/promotion and a test screening in the Iris Cinema. It also includes a screening at the Mercury Cinema.

3. In-kind support from the Adelaide Film Festival valued at $5,000. This includes inclusion in the 2023 Adelaide Film Festival, project mentoring and marketing/promotion/tickets associated with the screening. The AFF has to right, but not the obligation, to present the world premiere of the work.

4. In-kind support from the Light Studio valued at $5,000 including two days hire of the studio space including LED projection (if required).
WHAT IS THE ASSESSMENT PROCESS?
Applicants must submit application materials by the deadline of 5pm 31st March 2023 by emailing hlsf@mercurycx.org
An independent panel of assessors will consider the submissions against the selection criteria outlined below.
- The distinctiveness and imagination of the proposed work
- The likelihood that the work will find an audience
- The perceived viability of the work in relation to the budget
- The career benefits for the applicant
- The perceived ability of the work to be completed in time for a screening at AFF 2023 (which will require delivery of completed work, stills, synopsis and key creative credits by 31st July 2023 at the latest)
Applicants may be contacted with questions of clarification if required.
Applications will be notified of the decision by Friday 21st April 2023.
WHO CAN APPLY?
South Australian residents who are transitioning, emerging or mid-career screen and arts practitioners. You are not required to be a Flinders University alumni to apply for the HLSF.
WHAT PROJECTS ARE ELIGIBLE?
- Bold and distinctive works in any screen-based medium including (VR, AR, VP, interactive game or screen-based work)
- There is no duration limitation however the applicant will need to demonstrate that the work is able to be achieved within budget limitations
- There is no requirement for an end-user in the form of a broadcaster or streaming platform, publisher etc, as this initiative is designed to break free of commercially driven parameters.
- Projects that are experimental in nature and don’t necessarily comply with narrative, genre, format, ratings classification or conventions are encouraged*
- New or partially completed projects. Projects that are new and have not commenced must be able to demonstrate that the AFF deadlines can be met.
- There is a limit of one application per individual.
* works that are discriminatory, hateful or harmful to animals/children will not be eligible. Applicants will need to comply with industry standards regarding the use and employment of children under the age of eighteen. Projects will need to comply with Indigenous protocols, should there be any Indigenous content created. Please click here for more information
WHAT MATERIALS DO YOU NEED TO SUBMIT?
As part of a written application, you will need to submit:
- A short bio (up to 200 words)
- A project synopsis briefly outlining your project (100-150 words)
- A proposed budget and a budget narrative on how you will use the funds (up to 200 words)
- A short video pitch describing your project and your distinctive imagination (please supply the link)
- A brief statement about who you think your audience will be (not more than 200 words)
- Examples of the applicant’s previous work (please supply the links in the written application to two relevant works, with passwords if necessary)
- A career statement describing how the Hanlon/Larsen Fellowship will assist your career aspirations (not more than 200 words)
- A sample of creative supporting material relevant to the type and stage of development of the work. For example; a treatment, mood board, draft script, music example or link to an assembly/rough cut (please supply link)
- A signed statement along the following lines “I acknowledge that the work is wholly original and that I own the copyright in the work. I further acknowledge that I will comply with all cultural protocols in relation to indigenous peoples, and industry standards in relation to children.”
WHEN ARE THE KEY DATES?
Applications open 1st March, 2023
Applications close 31st March, 2023
Applicants advised of decision 21st April, 2023
Final delivery of work due with the Adelaide Film Festival by 31st July 2023 at the latest.
HOW DO I SUBMIT MY APPLICATION?
After reading the HLS F Guidelines and considering eligibility, applications and support materials can be submitted to the Mercury CX via email: hlsf@mercurycx.org
MERCURY CX IS PROUD TO SUPPORT THE HANLON LARSEN FELLOWSHIP
In 2020, the inaugural annual Hanlon Larsen Screen Fellowship was launched to support a South Australian screen-practitioner who embodies the creative spirit of the late Cole Larsen, with funding to create an avant-garde screen-based work.
The initial five-year screen fellowship was been established by SA Film Corp chairman Peter Hanlon
This Fellowship is supported with $25,000 of cash funding by Peter Hanlon with Flinders University, and $10,000 of direct production support from Mercury CX. The successful awardee’s project will be eligible for an Adelaide Film Festival screening.
The winner of the inaugural fellowship was announced at the 2020 Screenmakers Connect conference.
“Cole Larsen was a screen production lecturer at the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at Flinders University, but this title belies the broad range of experiences Cole enjoyed through his lifetime. As well as being a loving husband, father, son, brother and uncle, Cole has worked, among other things (!), as a research and photo-journalist, director in children’s television, corporate, community and medical documentary, a film Producer and Director and an artist.
Through his active participation in South Australia’s film industry, both via Flinders University and more broadly, Cole inspired a generation (or three) of South Australian screenmakers, artists and creators. Cole loved many different types of films but had a particular love of surreal and experimental film.
Over the years he challenged his students and fellow filmmakers to push every boundary they came across. Cole’s impact on South Australia’s film industry cannot be underestimated.”
The Hanlon Larsen Screen Fellowship has been established to inspire and enable aspiring experimental and surreal screenmakers to develop their distinctive voice and create bold work for the screen and will ensure that Cole’s commitment to think (and do) outside the square will live on.
For additional information including the 2021 application process visit Flinders University.
BRYCE KRAEHENBUEHL AWARDED THE HANLON LARSEN SCREEN FELLOWSHIP
The Mercury is delighted to announce this year’s Hanlon Larsen Screen Fellowship (HLSF) has been awarded to experimental filmmaker Bryce Kraehenbuehl.
The HLSF was established to inspire and enable aspiring experimental and surreal filmmakers to develop their distinctive voice and create bold work for the screen.
Bryce will create and deliver his ambitious experimental screen-based project, Red Earth, which will see him travel to endangered ecosystems around South Australia and photograph them on Aerochrome, an extinct film stock, to showcase the environments in an unseen way.
Bryce says “The film explores themes of conservation, with the subject being environments that will be lost due to climate change. By using an endangered medium, I want the audience to look at the ecosystems we have left in a different way and think about the need to conserve these unique environments.”
The HLSF, valued at $45,000, is a collaborative Fellowship supported by philanthropist, Peter Hanlon, The Mercury, Flinders University, Light ADL and Adelaide Film Festival. The Fellowship was established in honor of the late Cole Larsen, a Flinders University Screen Production Lecturer, who encouraged his students to think and do outside the norm of conventional filmmaking. “I’m proud to support emerging filmmaker Bryce and his project, Red Earth, which is emblematic of Cole’s dedication and passion for experimental screen-based works” Co-chair of The Mercury Board and Founder of the HLSF Peter Hanlon
$5,000 of the cash portion of the grant is contributed by Flinders University. “Bryce’s application for the HLSF presented a truly experimental project with a unique approach and great potential” Senior Lecturer at Flinders University, Tom Young.
The Mercury, Adelaide Film Festival and Light Adelaide have provided up to $20,000 of in-kind support. “Bryce’s unique approach to conservation through an endangered medium aligns perfectly with our mission at Light ADL, and we can’t wait to see the impact his project will have on audiences around the world” CEO Light Adl, Nic Mercer
Bryce and his proposed project were a standout in what was a competitive round.The CEO & Creative Director of the Adelaide Film Festival Mat Kesting was excited by Bryce’s application. Mat says “Bryce presented an exciting vision and his proposed work embodies the creative spirit of the Hanlon Larsen Fellowship. We look forward to seeing the finished work and considering it for inclusion in the 2023 Adelaide Film Festival.”
The Hanlon Larsen Screen Fellowship is the most recent of Bryce’s accolades, which include being the inaugural winner of the Helpmann Innovator Program in 2021. Bryce also received a fellowship in 2022 for a year-long mentorship with prolific and acclaimed experimental filmmakers Richard Tuohy and Diana Barry. As well as developing his creative work Bryce Kraehenbuehl co-owns and works for production company Two Up Films which focuses on producing creative and sustainable commercial work.
The Mercury would like to thank all the applicants and their outstanding efforts in preparing their applications for this round.
For further questions, interviews or photos please contact Stephanie Jaclyn at: steph@mercurycx.org


