Local Artist Spotlight: Kristina Kraskov
Published on 11 October 2021
Frankston filmmaker and photographer, Kristina Kraskov, will attend the Australian International Documentary Conference thanks to a Professional Development Grant from Frankston City Council.
“I have a feature film in development I’d love to get off the ground. This is my first ever feature and I’ve been working on it for nearly a year already,” she said.
“I’m also going to participate in some one-on-one mentoring with an experienced producer. Both of these opportunities were made possible thanks to the grant.”
The pandemic has affected the traditional methods of film production and storytelling, with cancelled events and changes to production schedules.
“We had to get creative in pushing the film forward. Things are still not set in stone for this year so my team and I are adapting as we go.”
Ms Kraskov’s Atom Award nominated debut short HEAVY HAULAGE GIRLS (2016) explores the lives of female truck drivers in the Australian outback. It premiered at the St Kilda film festival 2017 and is now streaming on DocPlay.
She then directed the Atom Award nominated documentary short, THE KING OF FRANKSTON (2019), a film that follows an unlikely legend in a town with a bad reputation. Having always lived near or in Frankston City, Ms Kraskov was excited to make a film about her hometown. The film stars many Frankston locals and premiered at films festivals online throughout 2020.
Most recently she directed the VICE original PARTY IN THE BACK, an observational short film following competitors in Australia's Mullet Festival, released globally online, with over 600,000 views.
Ms Kraskov is excited about the opportunities that will arise after attending the conference.
“I’m really looking forward to taking the project to the market, getting funding and making it happen. Filmmaking is a slow-moving beast compared to other art practices, from this professional development I’ll definitely be a few steps closer.”
“I feel really privileged to receive this grant. My practice isn’t common for the local area and it’s so great that the council recognises the wide-array of practice amongst local artists.
In my particular field you need to take a lot of financial risks to get projects off the ground. It’s really great to have the grant supporting me to make some of those decisions easier.”
Frankston Council significantly expanded its Community and Business Grants program in response to the pandemic.
Designed to help artists and those working in creative industries to pursue their passion while delivering culturally important work to the community, these grants are a result of the $6.434 million Relief and Recovery Package, which the council created to help Frankston City recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For more information about artist grant recipients and opportunities for local creatives, subscribe to the Frankston Arts Centre e-news.