The Raw Nerve Short Film Initiative is a joint venture between Screen Development Australia (SDA) and Screen Australia (formerly the Australian Film Commission (AFC)) that awards Australian filmmakers sponsorship to encourage film production.
The program funds the creation of short films on a low budget by emerging filmmakers and then tours the films throughout Australia at the end of a years work. It was created to address the sponsoring organisations' objective of showcasing new talent via organizations in each state.
The scheme is run in New South Wales through Metro Screen, in Victoria through Open Channel, in Queensland through QPIX, in South Australia Media Resource Centre, in Western Australia through Film and Television Institute, in Tasmania through Wide Angle Tasmania.
During 2002 there were 29 short films produced using approximately seven-hundred cast and crew. The successful filmmakers in 2003 were given a small amount of money, two days equipment hire and two days post-production facilities. In 2003 $150,000 came from the AFC and $75,000 was contributed by SDA organizations.