Successful Griffith Film School alumnus Henry Boffin is paying it forward by creating a series of internships for emerging film talent on his hit Channel Nine series.
Two recent graduates from Griffith Film School (GFS) got the chance to complete a one month attachment on the second season of Metro Sexual — a comedy series shot in Melbourne.
Metro Sexual was co-created and written by Henry Boffin and fellow GFS alumnus Nicholas Kraak. Featuring an all LGBTIQ+ lead cast, the mockumentary series has received rave reviews and been picked up by streaming services in the US and Canada.
GFS alumnus Henry Boffin
Henry, a sessional lecturer at the film school before moving south to helm his own series, said he was delighted to provide industry experience to recent graduates.
“I mentored both of these students in my previous role at GFS, and it’s great seeing how they have developed,” he said.
“We were really pleased to be able to give recent grads an opportunity to cut their teeth in the industry, because I remember being a grad myself, craving that sort of experience.
“Griffith has great connections into the industry, but opportunities to work on TV shows can be hard to come by, so we’re happy to be able to offer that to Queensland practitioners.
“I was constantly impressed by the quality of the Griffith grads. They were eager to learn, smart and creative.”
GFS grads on set with the creatives and crew
“There is a lot of talent with bright futures coming out of Griffith and we’re really keen to keep nurturing them as we go forward as well.”
Recent GFS graduate Anna Twomey was a directing attachment on Metro Sexual.
“The experience of being on a set and seeing how things are run really demystified the process of doing something with a much larger budget and we had a chance to work with a fantastic crew,” she said.
“The crew and creatives were happy to give advice and pass down their knowledge – it was an amazing learning curve.”
“To see someone like Henry who’s been through film school and now has his own show makes it seem a little more attainable.”
Fellow GFS graduate Milijana Miljevic took on an attachment in the costume department.
“My passion is costume and production design. My time on Metro Sexual was the most fun I’ve ever had on set — it was a great experience.
“It was the biggest thing I’ve worked on so far and it gave me a better understanding of how a professional set is run.”
Recent GFS graduate Milijana Miljevic
Milijana said GFS continued to support filmmakers well beyond graduation.
“It’s nice to know that the uni has our back after we’ve graduated, and they still provide us with these kinds of amazing opportunities,” she said.
“The communities of creatives that you make at film school are invaluable, and it’s so lovely to see alumni like Henry giving grads these kinds of opportunities.”
Associate Prof. Richard Fabb
Associate Professor Richard Fabb is creative director of the film school’s production arm, LiveLab, and the GFS Work Integrated Learning (WIL) co-ordinator.
He said industry experience was vital for students and graduates.
“If we’re serious about graduate employment, then we need to maintain those links with students after they leave us and do what we can to help them, particularly in that first year or two out of university,” he said.
“Attachments in the industry at all sort of levels allows students and graduates to get professional onset experience and a chance to build those networks which are so important.”
