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Kodie Bedford is an Aboriginal Australian
screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...
, filmmaker and
playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...
from
Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
. She is known for her play ''Cursed!'', and work on several television series, in particular the 2021 comedy series '' All My Friends Are Racist''.


Early life and education

Bedford was born in
Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
of the Djaru 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 south of Kununurra. In the late 19th century pastoralists were fiercely resisted by G ...
on her father's side and Irish and English on her mother's. She grew in
Geraldton Geraldton (Wajarri language, Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu language, Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West (Western Australia), Mid West region of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth. As of the , Geraldt ...
in the
Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, sparsely populated regions of Western Australia, region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Indigenous Australians, Aboriginal people; wealth disparity; its ancient landscapes; the prevailing r ...
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 ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The concept is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film, also written by Whedon, a ...
'', 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 Rawlinson ...
and
Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...
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 University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Crawley, Western Australia, Crawley, a suburb in the City of Perth local government area. UW ...
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 Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
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 of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...
. She later (after 2013) gained a
master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate 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 prac ...
in
creative writing Creative writing is any writing that goes beyond the boundaries of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on craft and technique, such as narrative structure, character ...
from the
University of Technology Sydney The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) is a public university, public research university located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The university was founded in its current form in 1988, though its origins as a Institute of technology, ...
(UTS).


Career

Bedford lived in Redfern, Sydney, while working as a
cadet A cadet is a student or trainee within various organisations, primarily in military contexts where individuals undergo training to become commissioned officers. However, several civilian organisations, including civil aviation groups, maritime ...
journalist for SBS Television in 2008, which included working on '' Living Black''. 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 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 featuring the lives of Aboriginal Australian families living in Redfern, New South Wales, Redfern, Sydney, that first aired on ABC1 in 2012. A second season followed in 2013, and the ser ...
'' 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 ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...
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 Gree ...
' 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 invited her to join the writing team. Bedford is inspired by
Rachel Perkins Rachel Perkins (born 1970) is an Indigenous Australian film and television director, producer, and screenwriter. She founded and was co-director of the independent film production company Blackfella Films from 1992 until 2022. Perkins and the ...
, 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 to develop her own play with Belvoir Theatre, ''Cursed!'', which was inspired by her family gathering in
Geraldton Geraldton (Wajarri language, Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu language, Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West (Western Australia), Mid West region of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth. As of the , Geraldt ...
when her grandmother (Valda Osborn) was dying. The
black comedy Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...
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 are annual awards given by the Australian Writers' Guild (AWG), for excellence in screen, television, stage, and radio writing. History The AWGIE awards were conceived in 1967, with the first event being held in 1968. Bettina ...
. In September 2020, Bedford was selected as one of eight participants in a new writing and directing initiative organised by WA Indigenous production companies Pink Pepper and Ramu Productions, along with and New Zealand company Brown Sugar Apple Grunt, called the RED project. The project consisted of development workshops enabling each participant to write and direct a 10-minute short film, which would be part of a single anthology 80-minute feature film (working title ''RED'') consisting of stories from a female Aboriginal perspective. The other participants were Ngaire Pigram, Debbie Carmody, Kelli Cross, Karla Hart, Chantelle Murray, Jub Clerc, and Mitch Torres. 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 Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...
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 a ...
on 24 August 2021. It stars Davey Thompson, Tuuli Narkle,
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 rol ...
, and
Lisa Kay Lisa Kay, (born 11 February, 1971) is an English actress who has also worked in Australia. Her credits include '' Chicken Run'' (2000), '' Bridget Jones's Diary'' (2001), '' Heartbeat'' (2002-2010), '' Foyle's War'' (2003), '' Corpse Bride'' (2 ...
. In 2021 Bedford was a writer on the television show ''
Firebite ''Firebite'' is an Australian drama/horror television series featuring vampires created by Warwick Thornton and Brendan Fletcher. A co-production between See-Saw Films and AMC Studios, the series premiered on AMC+ on 16 December 2021 and r ...
''. In 2022 she worked on '' Troppo''. Bedford was a co-writer on the 2024 Netflix series ''
Territory A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, belonging or connected to a particular country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually a geographic area which has not been granted the powers of self-government, ...
''.


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 The Australian Writers' Guild (AWG) is the professional association for Australian performance writers for film, television, radio, theatre, video, and new media. The AWG was established in 1962, and has conferred the AWGIE Awards since 1968, ...
's Diversity and Inclusion Action Committee, along with Benjamin Law and others.


Selected productions


Television

*'' Grace Beside Me'' (2018) *'' Mystery Road'' (2018– ) *''
Squinters ''Squinters'' is an Australian television comedy series which first screened on the ABC on Wednesday 7 February 2018. All six episodes were also loaded on the ABC's iView catch up service on the same date. A second series went to air in 2019. ...
'' (2018–2019) * '' Robbie Hood'' *'' All My Friends are Racist'' (2021) *''
Firebite ''Firebite'' is an Australian drama/horror television series featuring vampires created by Warwick Thornton and Brendan Fletcher. A co-production between See-Saw Films and AMC Studios, the series premiered on AMC+ on 16 December 2021 and r ...
'' (2022) *'' Troppo'' (2022)


Film

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


Play

*''Cursed!'' (2020)


Recognition and awards

* 2019: Balnaves Fellowship * 2021: Winner,
AWGIE Awards The AWGIE Awards are annual awards given by the Australian Writers' Guild (AWG), for excellence in screen, television, stage, and radio writing. History The AWGIE awards were conceived in 1967, with the first event being held in 1968. Bettina ...
, 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, Best Short Form Comedy, for '' All My Friends are Racist''


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 Australian film directors