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Dena Curtis

Dena Curtis is an Australian film producer and director. She is known for writing and directing several short films, and directed the first series of ABC Television comedy series 8MMM Aboriginal Radio in 2015. She co-developed and co- produced the 2018 children's TV series Grace Beside Me, and co-produced the documentary series First Weapons (2023) and Firebite (2024). She is the owner of production company Inkey Media in Brisbane, Queensland.

Early life and education
Dena Curtis is from Central Australia, and is of the Warrumungu, Warlpiri and Arrernte peoples. After completing school, Curtis worked as a media officer at the local language centre in Tennant Creek, a small town in the Northern Territory. She was offered a traineeship, which led her to working with a film crew from Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (CAAMA) who were filming in the town. Some months later CAAMA encouraged her to apply for a role as production assistant. She was hired for the role, working for CAAMA Productions in Alice Springs before moving to Sydney to undertake studies in film. ==Career==
Career
After graduating from AFTRS, Curtis returned to work at CAAMA Productions for several years. Her editing credits include ''Rosalie's Journey, Lore of Love, and Willaberta Jack, as well as a documentary called Cheeky Dog'', which she also directed. Her first fully-funded short film was Hush, Her second short film, Jacob, According to Alexandra Garcia in a 2018 article: "Curtis' exploration throughout Jacob of poor mental health as a result of sexual abuse, as well as life for Indigenous citizens during the Stolen Generations, is no doubt the most heartbreaking, honest and confronting eleven minutes of film to hit Australian television screens in recent times." In April 2018, the film was re-aired by NITV as part of its The New Black series, a compilation of short films by Indigenous filmmakers relating to culture, country, and history. Curtis then moved back to Sydney to work at National Indigenous Television (NITV) as a senior editor and promo producer. After this she worked for ABC Television, first as series producer for Message Stick, and then as a commissioning editor. directed by Dylan River and Glynn McDonald), The Redfern Story, Outside Chance, and Wild Kitchen. a segment of the 2022 anthology feature We Are Still Here, and feature-length documentary A League of Her Own (2021), about women's rugby league team the Queensland Maroons. She is executive producer and co-producer (with Citt Williams) on the 2023 four-part NITV documentary series Rebel With a Cause, which screened at the Melbourne International Film Festival. The series tells the stories of four famous Indigenous people: Pat O'Shane, Neville Bonner, Oodgeroo Noonuccal, and Tiga Bayles. Also in 2023 she co-produced (with Darren Dale of Blackfella Films) and co-wrote (with Jacob Hickey) the documentary series First Weapons for the ABC. Directed by Dean Gibson Curtis said in an interview during NAIDOC Week in 2024: ==Other activities==
Other activities
Curtis has mentored emerging filmmakers, and participated in many development workshops supporting their careers. She has facilitated Screen Australia's Indigenous Producer Program, a national initiative, as well as the 2020 "Make it FNQ: Creating Screen Stories" initiative supported by Screenworks and Screen Queensland for first-time and early First Nations filmmakers in Far North Queensland. Curtis was a guest speaker at the Australian International Documentary Conference in 2023 and 2024. ==Recognition and awards==
Recognition and awards
• 2008: Winner, Audience Award for Best Foreign Short Film, Films de Femmes, Créteil • 2009: Nominated, Jacob, Best Short Drama, WOW Film Festival • 2018: Nominated, Grace Beside Me, AACTA Award for Best Children's Program • 2022: Winner, We Are Still Here, Dramatic Feature Award at the ImagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival in Canada In 2024, Curtis was named as one of the participants in the Global Producers Exchange, a program hosted by Screen Australia and Australians in Film that supports the development of Indigenous and cultural stories with internationally based collaborators. ==Footnotes==
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