“When I joined FISS, I was preparing to direct six episodes of Lakefield, a short-form mystery series, so I really needed that re-immersion into how scripted sets operate, especially after spending four years in journalism during the pandemic.” 

“The FISS program gave me confidence. I learned a lot by observing director Tristan Barr working with key departments like the first assistant director, director of photography and script supervisor. Most importantly, it connected me to a peer network. Many of the crew I hired for Lakefield came from FISS. They’re a talented, committed group of creatives based in Cairns, and they helped the series punch well above its weight.” 

Caden’s new web series Lakefield—proudly supported through our Online Production Grants—follows a journalist who returns to her hometown in Cape York after a distressing call from a friend. When she finds her friend dead in the same river where a young girl recently drowned, she’s drawn into a gripping investigation that exposes buried secrets, community grief and her own unresolved past.

Caden’s own experiences working as a journalist directly influenced the web series: 

“The main character is a journalist, and her journey reflects some of the same values I held in the newsroom: accuracy, honesty, and being aware of your biases. In the series, Charlie learns that her own assumptions and personal history have influenced her judgement. That’s something I’ve witnessed in myself and others, and it’s a rich space to explore in drama,” said Caden. 

“The seed for Lakefield was planted over a decade ago when I found myself in a hospital room with someone involved in a high-profile murder trial. Lakefield became a story with themes around child safety and the grief that ripples through a tight-knit community when something terrible happens. For me, Lakefield is a story about the power of love and forgiveness, packaged up as a murder mystery—this is what makes it a story worthy of Resonant Films.” 

Building a sustainable screen career in Far North Queensland is gradually becoming more attainable for practitioners like Caden. 

“The biggest challenge is access. In regional areas, you have to create your own opportunities,” Caden said. “When I finished school in 2004, I had to move to Brisbane to study film because there were no local options then, but that’s changed recently with CQU now offering tertiary-level film studies here in Cairns. Much of that progress is thanks to Screen Queensland’s regional strategies and organisations like Screenworks, who have consistently advocated for regional practitioners.” 

The rise in online creation creates an exciting opportunity for those who may otherwise not fit into the traditional film and television system due to access, content, style or format. 

“Online is a huge opportunity for people like me who don’t want to be boxed into the expected. When you publish directly to audience—whether via a platform, social media, or creator economy—you can bypass those filters. You can tell the stories you want, in the way you want,” said Caden 

“There’s a big opportunity here to learn from the creator economy: how to build an audience, how to market a story, how to generate revenue and sustain a career. But none of that replaces the fundamentals—you still need strong storytelling, a clear creative voice, and an understanding of what audiences value. That’s the part I’m focused on. I want to keep pushing what’s possible as a First Nations genre filmmaker and help build a future where we can tell any story, on any platform, on our own terms.” 

On the NAIDOC Week theme of The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy, Caden said that there’s a generational shift happening. 

“It’s important that we acknowledge and respect the paths that first wave of Indigenous filmmakers carved out ahead of us, but the world we’re living and creating in now is so different.” 

“The first wave of First Nations filmmakers created work that was shaped by the cultural and political climate of their time. Their stories responded to major national moments, like the 2008 apology to the Stolen Generations, or challenged the long legacy of how Aboriginal people were depicted in cinema.” 

“But today, First Nations creatives are coming up in a different landscape. A time when we are globally connected and, digitally empowered, with access to content creation tools and distribution platforms in our pockets. I think the next generation is going to break free from old frameworks created for us. We’re no longer restricted to the lanes that were created for us—the ones we’ve helped maintain ourselves. We can make horror, sci-fi, drama, satire, and reach our audiences directly. We can bypass the gatekeepers.” 

Caden’s web series, Lakefield is streaming from Friday 11 July on YouTube, GanJing World and X.