New First Nations led TV show Mob Talks to premiere this weekend

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New First Nations led TV show Mob Talks to premiere this weekend

31 March 2023

Mob Talks producers and directors Keith Gilbey-Warrior and Rick Hutcheson speaking at the launch of Mob Talks at Mercury Cinema this week, photo by Clare Elvia.

Don’t miss new South Australian made First Nations talk show Mob Talks when it premieres this Sunday 2 April, 2023 on Channel 44.

Produced and directed by Alyawarre and Narungga man Keith Gilbey-Warrior and Wakka Wakka and Larrakia man Rick Hutcheson, Mob Talks is the first production created and led by graduates of the SAFC and Channel 44 First Nations Internship Program – an initiative which provides hands-on training in broadcasting and TV production for emerging First Nations screenmakers.

Hosted by rising media personality and Western Arrernte, Pitjantjatjara and Warlpiri person Marcellus Enalanga, Mob Talks looks at social issues through a First Nations lens by talking with subject matter experts from First Nations communities to encourage more informed discussion about the complex issues faced by First Nations peoples.

The Mob Talks concept came out of a writing workshop with inaugural Internship Program participants Rick Hutcheson, Keith Gilbey-Warrior, Kiara Milera and Anil Junior Samy, led by Channel 44 staff. Participants were mentored to develop the concept and were successful in applying for funding through the Community Broadcasting Foundation to produce a four-episode series.

“I got a ton of experience through the First Nations Internship Program and found it very rewarding,” said Mob Talks producer and director Keith Gilbey-Warrior.

“It helped me to develop my skills and gave me the opportunity to produce a whole series of Mob Talks, from concept to broadcast. And it also helped me secure a post-production attachment on Warwick Thornton’s Firebite – a really exciting opportunity I am very thankful for as someone who grew up watching his films!”

Attorney-General and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Kyam Maher MLC officially launched the new series at a special event on Thursday night at Mercury Cinema, saying: “Mob Talks as a series is really important, not just for this state but for this country. It gives training and ability to First Nations creatives and First Nations people that want to be involved in the screen industry, and possibly more importantly, it elevates the voices of Aboriginal people.”

Attorney-General and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Kyam Maher MLC speaking at the Mob Talks launch at Mercury cinema, photo by Clare Elvia

Minister for the Arts Andrea Michaels MP said: “The Malinauskas Government is proud to support mentoring and training opportunities for South Australian First Nations emerging filmmakers. I’m looking forward to seeing Mob Talks when it premieres, and I congratulate the internship participants on creating this important series.”

The First Nations Internship Program was launched in 2021 as part of the SAFC’s First Nations Screen Strategy 2020-2025 and is part of a wider partnership between the SAFC and C44 to provide opportunities to South Australian First Nations screen practitioners, including the First Nations TV Pilot Program, a television-writing skills development program for six First Nations participants, supported by Screenrights and Screen Australia.

SAFC First Nations Screen Strategy Executive Pauline Clague said: “Mob Talks is just one of many successful outcomes of the SAFC and Channel 44’s First Nations Internship Program, a screen skills training program creating new career pathways for emerging First Nations screen professionals,” said “Mob Talks is not only a springboard for these interns to learn new skills hands-on in studio, it celebrates First Nations talent here in South Australia through a talk show style program, giving voice to truth-telling and issues facing South Australian First Nations people for the wider audience to engage with and learn from.”

General Manager of Channel 44 Lauren Hillman said: “We’re really excited to be premiering Mob Talks. The series is the result of lots of hard work put in by the creators, Rick Hutcheson and Keith Gilbey-Warrior, and all the crew who worked on it, to change the conversation around some of the biggest issues facing First Nations communities. It’s also a fantastic outcome for the First Nations Internship Program, to demonstrate the quality of the TV content that can be produced locally by supporting and providing pathways for local, emerging creators.”

Mob Talks is supported by the Community Broadcasting Foundation, the SAFC and Channel 44.

It premieres on Channel 44 and ctvplus.org.au at 8pm on Sunday 2 April, 2023.

L-R: Production Coordinator Star Sandford, SAFC First Nations Screen Strategy Executive Pauline Clague, Mob Talks Producer/Director Rick Hutcheson, Channel 44 General Manager Lauren Hillman, Mob Talks Producer/Director Keith Gilbey-Warrior, SAFC Board Chair Mike Rann, SAFC CEO Kate Croser, Arts Minister Andrea Michaels MP, Attorney-General and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Kyam Maher MLC, SAFC First Nations Industry Development Executive Tyme Childs and Uncle Mickey O’Brien at the Mob Talks launch at Mercury Cinema, photo by Clare Elvia.