Creative Arts Fund

Baabayn Aboriginal Corporation, is founded with love and dedication by esteemed Aboriginal Elders from western Sydney. The purpose is to create a welcoming environment where individuals and families can find support and connections to services that will help them heal from the past and nurture a strong sense of confidence and pride for the future.

At Baabayn, we place great importance on cultural safety, valuing the significance of welcoming individuals and families with open arms. We offer a safe space where people can freely express their needs and difficulties, knowing they will be heard and supported.

Our roots run deep within the community, and our connections extend both locally and beyond, as we continually strengthen our presence in western Sydney. As proud Aboriginal elders, we hold a wealth of knowledge about our community, and we work tirelessly to foster a sense of unity and belonging among its members.

Behzad Ansari is a Persian musician, composer, and Doctorate of Creative Arts student at UOW in Australia. He founded Avaye Rood ensemble in 2006, which has performed traditional Iranian music worldwide. As a multi-instrumentalist, he can play santour, tar, setar, barbat (oud), santoor, and tanbour.

Behzad has released an album titled “Lover’s Secret” in 2021 and has had numerous performances worldwide, including in Germany, Greece, Iran and Australia. He has also worked extensively in intercultural events, collaborating with musicians from different countries.

You can find Behzad on Instagram here

Emma Depares is a western Sydney-based artist living and practising on Dharug land. She handcrafts and seeks sustainable/alternative methods of art-making to document the landscape. Her practice spans photomedia, printmaking and textiles, allowing her to explore the intricate relationships between place and materiality. Responsibly collecting and foraging is a key element of her practice, using materials from the environment to co-create with the landscape.

Alternative photographic methods, including developing with plant-based developers in the darkroom, enable her to make more sustainable and conscious decisions in her art practice while embracing the unique effects of co-creating with nature.

You can find Emma on Instagram here

Pankaj Upadhayay, founder of Euphony Films, is a respected filmmaker, producer, published poet, author and voiceover artist. His awareness films have been recognized for their meaningful impact, addressing important social issues such as coercive control, dowry abuse, missing children, drink driving and mental health through podcasts and storytelling.

You can find Pankaj and Euhphony Films on Instagram here

Sydney-based writer, director, and media professional Luke Agius has a talent for creating captivating and inspiring stories. From a young age, he had a passion for storytelling and would often present his primary teachers with 100-page manuscripts (much to their dismay). This early love for writing eventually led him to explore filmmaking, and by the age of 12, he was making short films with his father’s camcorder and this further formed his desire for a career in film & TV.

He has since made a plethora of short films, music videos, corporate content and even directed his debut feature film, ‘The Ferryman’, at age 21. Since then, Luke has received selections at various international film festivals, showcasing his credibility and expertise in the entertainment field. Luke’s strengths include his ability to work under pressure, his creativity in finding unique solutions to creative challenges, and his passion for telling meaningful stories that resonate with audiences.

You can find Luke on Instagram here

Mount Druitt Ethnic Communities Agency (MECA) is a community-based organization with over 35 years of experience supporting culturally and linguistically diverse communities in Western Sydney. We provide programs and services that empower individuals and families, strengthen community connections, and create opportunities for positive change. Our work focuses on settlement support, youth engagement, community development, and advocacy, with a strong commitment to building an inclusive, resilient, and thriving community. At MECA, we believe in the transformative power of connection, creativity, and collaboration.