We acknowledge all First Peoples of this land and celebrate their enduring connections to Country, knowledge and stories. We pay our respects to Elders and Ancestors who watch over us and guide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
We acknowledge all First Peoples of this land and celebrate their enduring connections to Country, knowledge and stories. We pay our respects to Elders and Ancestors who watch over us and guide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
Rhianna Malezer is a proud Butchulla and Kamilaroi writer, filmmaker and artist.
Growing up in Gimuy, Rhianna relocated to Magandjin to begin her film career in the art department, working across many productions including Goldstone, Thor: Ragnarok, and Mortal Engines. In 2019, Rhianna was a writer on season 4 of ABC’s Black Comedy - an experience that empowered her to contribute to authentic representations of First Nations stories on-screen.
Rhianna’s screenwriting highlights include being mentored by Leah Purcell on development of her drama series Suburban Beats, winning the Australian Writers Guild’s Monte Miller Award with short film The Stockman, and writing for NITV’s children’s series Eddie’s ‘Lil Homies. In 2024, as a recipient of the SBS Emerging Writers Incubator, she completed a year-long placement as Development Associate at Orange Entertainment Co.
She’s currently in development on children’s factual series Little Yarns, while online series Mangrove Mansion, co-created with her partner Mary Duong, was shortlisted for SBS’s Digital Originals 2024.
Recently Rhianna began her journey as a director, participating in BLACKapple and Common Ground’s She Directs program and receiving a Grounded Story Grant to produce video art project wului: pink smoke. Rhianna is currently collaborating with First Nations musician GLVES to direct an upcoming music video on their debut EP.
Rhianna believes in the power of story as a tool for truth-telling, survival and resistance. Through her work, she hopes to honour those who have come before, while empowering the communities she belongs to by celebrating stories of Blak joy and healing.
Rona is a proud Kaytetye woman from Central Australia who works with high impact organisations to create systems that centre First Nations people, knowledge and solutions.
Rona is the founder of Common Ground and brings 7 years
of professional experience working across First Nations organisations and not for profits. Rona was previously the Director of First Nations at YLab, a social enterprise that puts young people with diverse lived experiences at the centre of designing and developing innovative and impactful solutions
to complex social issues. Over her career, Rona has worked in policy at the Central Land Council, the Research Unit for Indigenous Languages at the University of Melbourne, Reconciliation Victoria, and the Foundation for Young Australians.In 2020, Rona was a finalist for the Victorian Young Achiever awards, was awarded a Westpac Social Change Fellowship. In 2019 Rona won a Diana Award and was named a 'Woman of the Future' by Women's Weekly.Through her work with First Nations communities across Australia, Rona aims to create future systems that centre First Nations people, knowledge and cultures.Rona currently resides in Mpartnwe on Arrernte Country.
We are a First Nations not-for-profit that exists to centre First Nations people, Country and truth-telling. We acknowledge all First Peoples of this land and celebrate their enduring connections to Country, knowledge and stories. We pay our respects to Elders and Ancestors who watch over us and guide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
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