Spotlight
The FINCH Scholarship
Empowering the next generation of craftspeople
FINCH has reaffirmed its commitment to nurturing new storytelling talents with the announcement of a new scholarship, which will see three recipients get the skills and support they need to take their practice to the next level. FINCH has a holistic approach to nurturing new and emerging talent – the company believes that finding fresh voices and giving them the guidance that they need improves the industry as a whole.
In the last year alone, FINCH has committed to giving a range of diverse and exciting new voices the space and the projects that have allowed them to explore and hone their craft.
For instance, emerging directors at FINCH have drawn recent acclaim for their work.
Lex Hodge recently released her spot ‘Correct The Internet’, which drew attention to the biases deeply ingrained in the internet.
FINCH’s Arundati Thandur has been working on a project with Google for World Pride, while NIDA alumni Michael Hili has been working with the Brain Cancer Council on a short that explores memory, loss and love.
The recent scholarship has been awarded to three students at NIDA. The criteria for these scholarships was storytellers with a unique perspective on the world, expressed through their art.
These recipients are Megan Rundle, who was awarded the MFA Writing Scholarship, Fernando de Miguel Fuertes, who was awarded the MFA Directing Scholarship, and Rebecca Howarth who was awarded the Bachelor of Design for Performance Scholarship.
In addition to the scholarship, the three recipients will undertake a three week internship at FINCH, where they will get hands-on experience, hone their craft, and further develop their voice.
The scholarship is an example of cross-pollination between industry and education, providing the recipients with hands-on experience.
Says Megan Rundle, one of the scholarship recipients: “I hope that with this Masters I will be able to strengthen my writing ability to explore new forms and styles and to widen the topics and genres that I take on.”
Storytelling is at its best when it comes from all walks of life, and this new scholarship program and the opportunities FINCH has made for new voices is testament to that.
For more information, contact Loren Bradley.
Cover image credit: NIDA, Next to Normal, 2020.