Kodie Bedford is an Aboriginal Australian screenwriter, filmmaker and playwright from

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. She is known for her play ''Cursed!'', and work on several television series, in particular the 2021 comedy series ''

All My Friends are Racist All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All a ...

''.

Early life and education

Bedford was born in

of the

Djaru The Djaru people are an Aboriginal Australian people of the southern Kimberley region of Western Australia. Language Djaru is a member of the Ngumbin language family, and is related to Walmajarri. Country The Djaru people ranged along Margar ...

and

Gija people Gija, also spelt Gidja and Kija, alternatively known as the Lungga, refers to Aboriginal Australians from the East Kimberley area of Western Australia, about 200 km south of Kununurra. In the late 19th century pastoralists were fiercely r ...

on her father's side and Irish and English on her mother's. She grew in

Geraldton Geraldton ( Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West region of the Australian state of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth. At June 2018, Geraldton had an urban population of 37,648. ...

in the

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a g ...

region, and has strong family links in the East Kimberley region. An only child, she grew up with lots of cousins around her. She wanted to be a screenwriter from when she was a teenager, being a great fan of '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', and credits storytelling with "saving her life". Her maternal grandmother, Valda Osborn, who loved

Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works '' The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawl ...

and

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

was also a great influence in her choice of writing as a career. She earned a Bachelor of Communications at the

University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany and various other facilitie ...

in 2007, taking courses in English, history, linguistics and communications. She moved to the East Kimberley afterwards to stay with her paternal grandmother there. It was a chance meeting with a video journalist from SBS at

Halls Creek Halls is a plural of the word hall. Halls may also refer to: People * Walter Halls (1871–1953), British trade unionist and politician * Ethel May Halls (1882–1967), American actress * Julian Halls (born 1967), British field hockey player * ...

that led to her moving to Sydney to work in

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the " news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (pro ...

. She later (after 2013) gained a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

creative writing Creative writing is any writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary ...

from the

University of Technology Sydney The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) is a public research university located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Although its origins are said to trace back to the 1830s, the university was founded in its current form in 1988. As of 2021 ...

(UTS).

Career

Bedford lived in Redfern, Sydney, while working as a cadet journalist for SBS Television in 2008, which included working on ''

Living Black ''Living Black'' is a current affairs program aired on SBS, Australia, addressed primarily to the interests of Australia's indigenous community. Karla Grant has been executive producer of this program, which she developed, since 2002. She has al ...

''. She then worked for

ABC Television ABC Television most commonly refers to: *ABC Television Network of the American Broadcasting Company, United States, or *ABC Television (Australian TV network), a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia ABC Television or ABC ...

as a researcher for ''

Message Stick A message stick is a graphic communication device traditionally used by Aboriginal Australians. The objects were carried by messengers over long distances and were used for reinforcing a verbal message. Although styles vary, they are generally ...

'', a documentary series focusing on Aboriginal issues. She spent some time shadowing Sally Riley, as head of Indigenous at the ABC, working on ''

Redfern Now ''Redfern Now'' is an Australian drama television series, that first aired on ABC1 in 2012. The program follows the lives of 6 Aboriginal Australian families living in the urban hub of Redfern, Sydney. The series provides insight into contempo ...

'' in 2012 to 2013, which led to her going to UTS to earn her Master's in Creative Writing. Since leaving the ABC in 2015 she has worked as a freelance writer. She was given her "big break" in being invited to join the writing team for

Bunya Productions David Jowsey is an Australian film producer, co-founder of Bunya Productions. He is known for producing many films made by Indigenous Australian filmmakers. Bunya Productions' co-owners are Indigenous filmmaker Ivan Sen, and Jowsey's wife Gre ...

' 2018 TV series '' Mystery Road'' as a note-taker, at the suggestion of Penny Smallacombe, head of Indigenous at

Screen Australia Screen Australia is the Australian Federal Government's key funding body for the Australian screen production industry, created under the ''Screen Australia Act 2008''. From 1 July 2008 Screen Australia took over the functions of its predecess ...

. After one of the writers left, producer Greer Simpkin and head writer

Michaeley O'Brien Michaeley O'Brien is an Australian television writer, script editor and script producer. Born in Mudgee, she grew up in Gulgong and studied at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst as well as the Australian Film Television and Radio School. She wo ...

invited her to join the writing team. Bedford is inspired by

Rachel Perkins Rachel Perkins (born 1970) is an Australian film and television director, producer, and screenwriter. She directed the films ''Radiance'' (1998), ''One Night the Moon'' (2001), ''Bran Nue Dae'' (2010), and ''Jasper Jones'' (2017). Perkins is an ...

, and wants to write stories about Western Australia. Her debut film as a director was the short horror film "Scout", which was released in 2019 as part of the horror anthology '' Dark Place''. In 2019, Bedford won a

Balnaves Fellowship Belvoir is an Australian theatre company based at the Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney, Australia, originally known as Company B. Since 2016 and its artistic director is Eamon Flack. The theatre contains a 330-seat Upstairs Theatre and a 80-seat D ...

to develop her own play with

Belvoir Theatre Belvoir is an Australian theatre company based at the Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney, Australia, originally known as Company B. Since 2016 and its artistic director is Eamon Flack. The theatre contains a 330-seat Upstairs Theatre and a 80-seat D ...

, ''Cursed!'', which was inspired by her family gathering in

when her grandmother (Valda Osborn) was dying. The

black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discu ...

was staged in the 2020 season, directed by Jason Klarwein. It was praised by critics and went on to win an

AWGIE Award The AWGIE Awards is an annual awards ceremony conducted by the Australian Writers' Guild, for excellence in screen, television, stage and radio writing. The awards began in 1967. The awards are judged by over 50 writers, most of whom are previou ...

. In 2021 she became the second writer on the ABC comedy series ''All My Friends Are Racist'', created by Enoch Mailangi and directed by Bjorn Stewart. She was also script producer and co- executive producer on the series. She said that it "was one of those rare experiences where the creative team, crew, producers and executives were all on the same page". The five-part series premiered on

ABC iview ABC iview is a video on demand and catch-up TV service run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Currently iview video content can only be viewed by users in Australia. As of 2016, ABC iview attracts around 50 million plays monthly and ...

on 24 August 2021. It stars Davey Thompson,

Tuuli Narkle Tuuli Narkle is an Australian actress. For her performance in '' Mystery Road: Origin'' she won the 2022 AACTA Award for Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama. Narkle began her career on stage with an appearance as Ruby in ''Stolen'' and in ...

Leah Purcell Leah Maree Purcell (born 14 August 1970) is an Aboriginal Australian stage and film actress, playwright, film director, and novelist. She made her film debut in 1999, appearing in Paul Fenech's ''Somewhere in the Darkness'', which led to role ...

, and Lisa Kay. In 2022 she worked on '' Troppo''.

Other roles

She is a co-founder of the Indigenous arts group, the Cope St Collective, and a founder member of the Australian Writers' Guild's Diversity and Inclusion Action Committee, along with Benjamin Law and others.

Selected productions

Television

*''

Grace Beside Me ''Grace Beside Me'' is an Australian fantasy drama television series for children which premiered on NITV on 16 February 2018 and later aired on ABC Me. The series is based on the novel ''Grace Beside Me'', by Sue McPherson, and was filmed in ...

'' (2018) *'' Mystery Road'' (2018– ) *'' Squinters'' (2018–2019) * '' Robbie Hood'' *''

'' (2021) *'' Troppo'' (2022)

Film

*"Scout", a short film in the horror anthology '' Dark Place'' (2019)

Play

*''Cursed!'' (2020)

Recognition and awards

* 2019:

* 2021: Winner,

AWGIE Awards The AWGIE Awards is an annual awards ceremony conducted by the Australian Writers' Guild, for excellence in screen, television, stage and radio writing. The awards began in 1967. The awards are judged by over 50 writers, most of whom are previou ...

, major award and Best Stage Play for ''Cursed!'' * 2021: Nominee, Nick Enright Prize at the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, for ''Cursed!'' * 2021: Nominee, NSW Multicultural Award, for ''Cursed!'' * 2021: Winner,

AACTA Award The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, known as the AACTA Awards, are presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). The awards recognise excellence in the film and television industry, ...

, Best Short Form Comedy, for ''

Personal life

She lives in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bedford, Kodie Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Australian women film directors Indigenous Australian filmmakers