{"id":112106,"date":"2023-04-14T15:23:59","date_gmt":"2023-04-14T15:23:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?p=112106"},"modified":"2023-04-14T15:25:15","modified_gmt":"2023-04-14T15:25:15","slug":"not-so-black-and-white-the-changing-face-of-australian-film-and-tv-by-karl-quinn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/not-so-black-and-white-the-changing-face-of-australian-film-and-tv-by-karl-quinn\/","title":{"rendered":"Not so black and white: The changing face of Australian film and TV – By Karl Quinn"},"content":{"rendered":"

Not so black and white: The changing face of Australian film and TV – By Karl Quinn<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Source :\u00a0smh<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Chum Ehelepola isn\u2019t quite a unicorn, but he\u2019s definitely a rarely spotted creature: an actor of Sri Lankan heritage who has played a main character on an Australian TV drama.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBeing a diverse actor in Australia is a huge challenge,\u201d says Ehelepola, who played Dennis, the acerbic chief of staff on\u00a0The Newsreader<\/i>, one of 2021\u2019s most successful home-grown dramas (its second season will be on the ABC later this year). \u201cWe don\u2019t often see people who look like me on TV unless it is in token or small roles.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"High<\/a>
Chum Ehelepola, who played The Newsreader\u2019s chief of staff, Dennis. ANGI HIGH<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Born in New Zealand but raised in his parents\u2019 homeland, Ehelepola is a member of what the latest report into diversity from Screen Australia classifies as the Southern and Central Asian group.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the\u00a0Seeing Ourselves Report<\/i>, which is released today, that group makes up around 7 per cent of the Australian population as a whole, but just 2.8 per cent of main characters.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In 15 years of acting in Australia, says Ehelepola, \u201cT<\/em>he Newsreader<\/em>\u00a0was one of the few times I\u2019d had a role that wasn\u2019t about my ethnic background. As an artist, that is very validating.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But in the two years since, he adds, it\u2019s become far more common \u2013 for him at least. \u201cI haven\u2019t stopped working in roles that are pushing cultural barriers and aren\u2019t subscribing to tokenism,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"High<\/a>
Christiaan Van Vuuren, Matt Okine and Harriet Dyer in The Other Guy.CREDIT: STAN<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The second\u00a0Seeing Ourselves Report<\/em>\u00a0covers the years 2016-2021, and examines 3072 main characters across 361 scripted programs (drama, comedy and children\u2019s, but not animation) made for TV, streamers and online platforms such as YouTube and TikTok. Netflix\u2019s 2022 series\u00a0Heartbreak High<\/i>, in which the 1990s series was reimagined with a groundbreaking commitment to diversity, was not included as it fell outside the five-year survey period.<\/span><\/p>\n

The first report, in 2016, covered 1961 characters in 199 scripted programs broadcast in the years 2011-15 (the increase in program and character numbers is largely attributable to the rise of streaming and commissioned content for online platforms in the intervening period).<\/span><\/p>\n

And while the new report finds diversity is increasing in all areas, it also concludes there\u2019s plenty of work still to be done before what\u2019s on our screens mirrors the reality of modern Australia.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are now twice as many main characters of a non-European background than there were five years ago, and First Nations characters are roughly twice as prevalent on our TV screens as they are in the general population. But despite some significant improvements, ethnic, disabled and LGBTIQ+ characters remain under-represented as a whole.<\/span><\/p>\n

On-screen diversity<\/span><\/h3>\n

Diversity of television drama main characters compared to the Australian population (percentage representation, 2016 v now)<\/span><\/p>\n

\"On-screen<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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Based on 3072 characters across 360 TV dramas broadcast 2016-2021 in the current study and 1961 characters across 199 TV dramas broadcast 2011 to 2015 to the 2016 study.<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n