Can you even ask the Discipline Lead for Screen, Film and TV what their favourite movie of all time is? Well, we put it to Tom Young! And while on the topic, also covered off exactly what goes into shaping a well-rounded Screen graduate.
What is your role here at Flinders?
I teach students to make films, from development and pre-production to filming, editing and distribution. My students make short documentaries, narrative drama, client videos, television pilots, and feature films. More broadly, I am the Discipline Lead – Screen, Film and TV, as well as the Course Coordinator – Bachelor of Creative Arts (Screen).
How did you first get into film and television?
My media teacher at secondary school was very supportive and encouraging. In Year 10, a group of us had the opportunity to make a funded documentary series for Youth Week, which is when I realised this could be a career for me.
What makes a good screen graduate?
A passion for creativity and collaboration, a strong desire to tell stories, a range of technical skills, the knowledge required to blend art and business, and the ability to problem solve.
We noticed you’re Chair of the Board at Channel 44, congratulations! How do you hope to see community TV and the screen industry more broadly evolve locally in the future?
The Community TV sector is going through an exciting period of transformation from broadcast to streaming. In December 2024, the Federal Government announced $3 million in funding for Community TV over the next three years. Channel 44 Adelaide in collaboration with Channel 31 Melbourne are expanding our https://ctvplus.org.au/ platform to a fully featured Smart TV APP, launching in November 2025. My hope is to see more Australian made content by local filmmakers on all kinds of screens in the future.
Favourite movie of all time?
This is hard one… my favourite right now is Primer (2004), a sci-fi about time travel. It is one of the most accomplished examples of micro budget feature filmmaking, which is a focus of my teaching and research.
Tell us about your ideal weekend.
An early morning run, big breakfast, gardening, hanging out with friends, eating good food and a movie night or outdoor fire.