Adelaide Film Festival Announces Winners of $100,000 Prize Money
The AFF Expand Moving Expand Moving Image Commission is one of the most significant development initiatives in Australia.
Naveed Farro, Naina Sen, and Harrison Hall (Angus Northeast)
The lucky recipients of the 2026 iteration of the Adelaide Film Festival Expand Moving Image Commission have just officially been announced.
The Adelaide Film Festival extends its congratulations to a three-person team consisting of Naina Sen, Naveed Farro, and Harrison Hall. Together, these talented artists have been awarded a whopping $100,000, and will put that money toward developing their collaborative, multi-media project known evocatively as Through Line.
Through Line promises to be a distinctive and thought-provoking work, a work which refuses to be easily classifiable. The project is described as “an immersive, sculptural, multimedia installation that reimagines the cultural connections between West Asia and South Asia, specifically focusing on Indo-Persian influences.” It was inspired by “the communal and secular atmosphere of the Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya Dargah courtyard in Delhi. This multi-channel installation will be framed by sculptural elements inspired by the site in India and will celebrate the pluralistic, contemporary legacies of Indo-Persian architecture, Sufi poetry, dance and Qawaali music.”
Through Line was developed at AFF Expand Lab 2024, the award-winning development initiative where thirty Australian visual artists, video artists, filmmakers, writers, and XR and VR creatives come together for a week-long lab to learn from each other, work with renowned mentors, and develop moving image projects for Australian audiences and beyond as part of the Adelaide Film Festival.
Don't miss a beat with our FREE daily newsletter
In a joint statement, the artists said of being awarded the commission, “Prior to attending AFF Expand Lab in Adelaide we did not know each other. Through this joyous and intensive program the three of us came together through a shared interest in Iranian and Indian knowledge systems that encompass striking architecture, music, and movement. We are thrilled to have received this moving image commission and look forward to sharing Through Line with the diverse audiences of South Australia.”
AFF’s CEO and Creative Director Mat Kesting says, “Adelaide Film Festival thanks all of the participants in AFF Expand Lab 2024 who came together to develop insightful projects exploring a range of issues and themes. This is a unique program in Australia which unites creative practitioners with mentors in a hothouse environment to exchange ideas and aspirations, developing concepts that talk to our local and global opportunities and challenges. I particularly acknowledge the support of the AFF Investment Fund and The Balnaves Foundation for making the AFF 2026 $100,000 Expand Moving Image Commission possible.”
Hamish Balnaves, CEO of The Balnaves Foundation, a key partner of AFF Expand Lab, extends his congratulation to these “outstanding artists” and their project. “The Balnaves Foundation is honoured to have supported the 2024 AFF Expand Lab and to nurture the ideas and creative brilliance of mid-career and established Australian artists. I look forward to seeing Through Line when it premieres at the Adelaide Film Festival in 2026.”
It is particularly exciting to celebrate the success of a project which promotes the vital cross-pollination of diverse art forms. Through Line promises to be for fans and patrons of the arts in any and all capacities.
More From Our Network
