'Australian Dream': the Cultural Visions Grant project that changed Ji Li's life

'Australian Dream': the Cultural Visions Grant project that changed Ji Li's life

Ji Li was on a working holiday in Australia when he decided to study Media at RMIT. Now his short film ‘Australian Dream’, produced with support from the Cultural Visions Grant, is showing at St Kilda Film Festival.

Ji Li never expected that his working holiday in Australia would change the course of his life and career path. After returning to study on a whim, Ji enrolled in RMIT's Music Industry program before a cinema minor sparked a deeper interest in film.  

He switched to a Bachelor of Communication (Media), drawn by its studio-based, hands-on approach and began making films almost by chance. 

“Making films in Melbourne wasn’t something I originally planned to do seriously; I was just working on projects as part of my studies,” he recounts.  

“Then, the Cultural Vision Grant opportunity came up and it was the push I needed to take that first step.” 

The Cultural Visions Grant supports an RMIT student to create artistic projects that explore the exchange and dynamics of culture in Australia, across the past, present and future. Recognising the diversity of voices that shape the country, the grant supports projects that bring different cultural perspectives to the fore and broadens community awareness. 

Ji’s project idea grew out of a documentary studio assessment from within his Media degree, with the short earning him an honorable mention at the 2023 Multicultural Film Festival.  

“It was originally a 6-minute documentary about an international student dealing with loneliness and struggling to connect with the community after all his friends left Australia post-COVID," said Ji, who is inspired by the lives of first-generation immigrants or visa holders existing in Australia as delivery riders, Uber drivers, backpackers or factory workers.  

Ji’s Cultural Visions project, Australian Dream, is a vehicle for raising questions about that reality.  

A camera crew films a man on a bike on a suburban Aussie streetBehind the scenes of Australian Dream. Credit Gao Siyuan

It follows a day in the life of an Asian delivery rider in Melbourne whose nightly dreams interrogate what the Australian dream means today in a city shaped by gentrification and a punishing rental market. 

Ji approached creating Australian Dream as ‘uncomfortable filmmaking’, a raw and realistic aesthetic. 

“In my work, I lean into things like diegetic sound, no musical score, hand-held camera work, natural light, and using non-professional actors,” said Ji.

Having worked as a delivery rider himself, Ji was compelled to tell a story he felt had not been told truthfully. 

"I'd seen a TV series about delivery riders on SBS On Demand, but it didn't feel authentic or believable to me," he said. "I wanted to portray that world as honestly as possible."

Dr Rachel Wilson, Associate Dean for Learning & Teaching in the School of Media & Communication, said the film provides a rare perspective of food delivery drivers working and living in Melbourne. 

“Ji has used the grant to produce a wonderfully moving film.” “His representation enabled me to see the drivers as the complex and hardworking people they are, and not merely part of the background energy so commonly overlooked in our cities."

A camera crew films a man wearing a motorbike helmet walking through a vacant block of land within a suburbBehind the scenes of Australian Dream. Credit Gao Siyuan

Ji finalised a version of the film for the Cultural Visions Grant, which screened at First Site Gallery, before spending several more months refining it into a festival submission cut. He credits the support of peers and mentors across every stage of the project as central to its success. 

"I got support from mentors across every stage of the project. I'd really like to thank them all, particularly Rohan Spong, Robin Plunkett and Tim Marshall for all their feedback along the way."

Thankful for the doors the grant has opened, Ji is eager to encourage others to take the leap and apply. His advice is simple: stop second-guessing and just submit your best idea. 

'Australian Dream' at St Kilda Film Festival

Tian, Ji and Gao stand in front of a St Kilda Film Festival banner Taken at St Kilda Film Festival 2026 - (L-R) main actor Tian Chenkai, Ji Li writer and director of Australian Dream, and film producer Gao Siyuan

Australian Dream is included in St Kilda Film Festival’s 'Australia's top short films' for 2026. 

The film features in the ‘Australian Voices’ showcase, a major festival highlight that offers a critical lens on contemporary Australian society through intimate and challenging short films exploring cultural hardship, social issues and diverse identities. 

Winner of the Cultural Visions Grant 2026

The 2026 Cultural Visions Grant has been awarded to Wiradjuri woman Lyrdhan Knight Djalinda O’Reilly, a first-year student studying a Bachelor of Communication (Media) at RMIT. 

Lyrdhan will spend the next year developing their ‘Knight Time Girls’ project, centered on First Nations and underrepresented female voices.  

Story: Jas Mc

11 June 2026

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11 June 2026

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