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Beck Cole with Tessa Rose on the set of ‘Grace Beside Me’ (Photo credit: Magpie Picture/Julian Panetta).

As a proud woman from Warramungu/Luritja nations filmmaker Beck Cole has worked on numerous Indigenous-themed TV series and documentaries including First Australians, Redfern Now, Grace Beside Me and Black Comedy.

Two years ago she decided to embark on a wider range of projects, a strategy that’s paid off as she has directed two episodes of Fremantle/Foxtel’s Wentworth and is preparing to direct two episodes of Seven Studios’ drama Between Two Worlds.

Later this year she will resume her role as voice director on the third season of Ned Lander Media’s animated series Little J & Big Cuz for Sbs.

Cole and emerging writer/director Samuel Paynter are among eight Indigenous teams from Australia and New Zealand who are making the anthology feature Cook 2020: Our Right of Reply.

Beck Cole’s debut feature film Here I Am premieres tonight on the ABC.

Here I Am is from the creators of Samson & Delilah, with Cole directing, Warwick Thornton (Samson & Delilah’s director) as cinematographer and producer Kath Shelper.

Here I Am is a powerful drama about a young Indigenous woman (Shai Pittman) just out of prison, living at a shelter and trying to deal with her own demons while fixing her relationship with her mother (the anthropologist and activist Marcia Langton) and daughter (Quinaiha Scott). By her side are a group of Indigenous women also trying to rebuild their broken lives.

Here I Am screens on ABC1 tonight, Thursday 8 December, 8:30pm.

Nominations for the 2011 Deadly Awards have been announced, including nominations for best film, TV show, and best male and female actors.

The Deadly’s, now in their 17th year, are Australia’s leading Indigenous awards for achievements in the performance arts, sport and community.

In the Film category; Mad Bastards, Toomelah, Here I Am, Shifting Shelter 4 and Jandamarra’s War are nominated, while in the TV category; On the Edge (Nitv), Living Black (Sbs), Marngrook Footy Show (Nitv & ABC), The Barefoot Rugby League Show (Nitv) and Yamba’s Playtime (Imparja Television) are nominated.

In the female actor of the year category, the nominees are: Rarriwuy Hick for Wrong Skin (play), Deborah Mailman for Offspring, and three entries from Here I Am; Marcia Langton, Pauline Whyman and Shai Pittman.

In the male actor of the year category, the nominees are: Aaron Fa’Aoso for East West 101, Jack Charles for Jack Charles v The Crown,...

The Hollywood machine loves selling audiences ‘the new project from the creators of…’ a certain box office hit or a critically acclaimed film. It looks great on the posters, but most times it doesn’t guarantee anything.

There are times, however, when such a reference is not just an empty marketing tool, but a real promise of the aesthetic and creative capabilities of a close-knit group of collaborators.

Here I Am, from the creators of Samson & Delilah, is one of those cases. Married couple Beck Cole and Warwick Thornton have created a powerful creative partnership with producer Kath Shelper. They call themselves the ‘Trinity’ and together they’ve made critically acclaimed short films and documentaries, as well as Australia’s 2009 Camera d’Or winner at Cannes.

“Warwick, Bec and I have been working as a team for the last seven years,” explained Shelper.

“We work together on all of our...