Four Western Australian practitioners supported to work on the Disney+ Australian original ‘Last Days of the Space Age’
The Screenwest Professional Skills Development Program will see Emma Jackson, Texx Montana, Tess Rowe and Nikita Calyun head to NSW to work on the new Disney+ Australian original series.
Four Western Australian screen practitioners have been selected for a skills development opportunity on the Princess Pictures produced series Last Days of the Space Age for Disney+.
Emma Jackson, Texx Montana, Tess Rowe and Nikita Calyun will head to NSW, where they will work closely with the series’ Heads of Department over the course of filming in the months ahead.
The Professional Skills Development Program provides on the job training for mid-career WA screen practitioners to further their career and skills by working with experienced industry professionals in above the line and below the line positions.
Last Days of the Space Age – Screenwest Professional Skills Development Program recipients
Emma Jackson – Director
Emma is a director, writer and actor with over 20 years of professional experience. Her short film, writing and directorial debut, Deb, became a finalist at CinefestOz 2020 for the WIFT Best Female Filmmakers Award. In 2021, Emma won the Excellence in Directing Award at the WA Screen Academy for her work on the short film Fine Bone China, The Best Documentary Award and WA Made Festival Audience Choice Award for her documentary Walk Run Strive, which she wrote and directed. Walk Run Strive has also been nominated for a 2022 BAFTA student award for Best Documentary. Emma is on the WA Women in Film & Television committee and is particularly passionate about bringing complex, female lead stories to our screen.
Texx Montana – Costume
Texx Montana is an established costume designer who entered the Perth film industry with creative ingenuity and flare, after years of working in the fashion industry, in both buying and design. Texx has worked on projects for major distribution channels such as SBS, ABC, Netflix, Amazon Prime and on feature film Dirt Music. Her work on numerous accoladed short form productions includes Iggy and Ace, Sparkles, Single Ladies and I’m Not Hurting You. As Texx progresses through her career, she wishes to continue to work within these stylised productions, drawing upon her unique eye for detail, and technical prowess within the costume department.
Tess Rowe – Hair and Makeup
Tess is an internationally-accredited Makeup Artist based in Perth, Western Australia. She holds a Diploma of Specialist Makeup from the Perth College of Beauty Therapy as well as a Certificate III in Screen and Media from the Central Institute of Technology. Her passion, positive attitude and desire to work in the film and television industry has led to her involvement with some of Perth’s leading theatre and production companies. Tess’s employment at Seven West Media in Perth sees her working in both television news and newspaper print. She is ecstatic to be a part of Last Days of the Space Age.
Nikita Calyun – Camera
Nikita completed a Diploma of Screen & Media at North Metropolitan TAFE in 2020. In 2021 she went on to work on feature film Sweet As and ABC drama series Mystery Road: Origin as video split operator/camera assistant. Her positive attitude and strong work ethic has led her to work on a variety of mediums, including long and short form productions throughout Western Australia. She is excited to continue her journey in the film industry and honoured to be part of the Last Days of the Space Age crew.
“This opportunity was, not surprisingly, incredibly competitive, with a high number of applications received for both above and below the line placements. We’re very happy with Princess Pictures’ selection of Emma, Texx, Tess and Nikita who are set to gain invaluable experience working with the Princess team.” said Martha Coleman, Head of Creative: Content & Industry Development.
About the series
Last Days of the Space Age is an eight-part dramedy series set in 1979 Western Australia, when Perth was at the centre of the world’s headlines. A power strike threatens to plunge the region into darkness, while the city hosts the iconic Miss Universe pageant and the US space station, Skylab, crashes just beyond the city’s suburbs. Against this backdrop of international cultural and political shifts, three families in a tight-knit coastal community find their marriages, friendships, and futures put to the test.
The series is a Disney+ Australian original produced by Princess Pictures and directed by Bharat Nalluri (Shantaram, Little America). The series is created and written by David Chidlow (Moving On, Hidden) along with writers Alice Addison (The Devil’s Playground, Picnic at Hanging Rock), Western Australian Dot West (The Heights), and Jeremy Nguyen & Alan Nguyen (Hungry Ghosts). Laura Waters (Summer Heights High, My Year 12 Life), Emma Fitzsimons (Koala Man, Wrong Kind of Black), Chris Loveall (Fortitude, Please Like Me), Stephanie Swedlove (Everything’s Gonna Be Okay, Please Like Me) and Anna Dokoza (Kevin Can F**k Himself, Special) serve as Executive Producers and Christine Pham (The Unsettling, Please Like Me) is producing the series.
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