Screenworks has unveiled its complete line-up of over 40 speakers and a packed 3-day program for what is one of Australia’s most unique media events – the Regional to Global Screen Forum.
Being held in Lennox Head (Northern NSW) on 25th – 27th March, the three-day hybrid event will unite our socially distanced industry by bringing together leading creatives, producers and industry decision-makers from across the screen sector to celebrate diversity, creativity and the challenge of enacting change.
To reinforce the theme of “Regional to Global”, Screenworks has announced two international guest speakers. Golden Globe, WGA and Emmy-nominated writer Vanessa Alexander will be joining the forum from her home in Newcastle where she has been running international writing rooms for a number of international television series including the next series of Vikings – Valhalla and The Great. The Australia-based Kiwi is one of the most in-demand writers of our time. She was recently announced as the lead writer/executive producer of a new Viacom CBS project and is in negotiation about a first-look deal at the same media group.
Wes Dening has covered a lot of international terrain since leaving the Big Brother house over 15 years ago. In a rare Masterclass session, the expat multiple award-winning producer will share his expertise in the development, production and global distribution of unscripted content. He will also discuss his enviable international career in television and his current role based in LA as EVP of Programming and Development of Eureka’s unscripted slate including Full Bloom for HBO Max, Holey Moley for ABC, and Crikey! It’s The Irwins for Animal Planet.
Closer to home in the Northern Rivers, the event will feature key driving forces of creativity in the region including speakers from Every Cloud Productions, Magpie Pictures, Mememe Productions, Byron Studios and Cumulus VFX.
Executives and creatives from ABCTV, Fremantle, Netflix, Amazon, Tony Ayres Productions, Goalpost Pictures, Spirit Pictures, the Melbourne International Film Festival, Bus Stop Films and Ludo Studio will also be featured throughout the program. Senior screen agency executives from Screen NSW, Screen Queensland, Screen Territory and Ausfilm will also be participating.
One of the highlights of the event will be an inspirational opening keynote session featuring Screen Australia’s Head of Indigenous, Penny Smallacombe and her long-time peer and colleague Rhoda Roberts. Both trailblazers and changemakers in their own right, this session will be a compelling insight into what it takes to turn the collective Australian gaze, culture and industry around. In a timely conversation, the outgoing Head of the Indigenous unit at Screen Australia will reflect on her six and half years in the powerful role and the challenges that our industry and screen culture face collectively ahead.
Rounding out the 3-day program will be intensive workshops hosted by Rick Kalowski, DWA Law, Bus Stop Films and Screen ABC.
For those able to attend the event in person, the Regional to Global Screen Forum will offer unique face-to-face networking opportunities and access to industry executives and creatives that will open pathways for practitioners who may be finding it a challenge to pursue a screen career from remote, rural or regional locations.
“As the screen industry recovers from the pause of COVID and our limited opportunities to cross international borders and access markets, we are uplifted by the acceleration of production activity in the Northern Rivers and across regional Australia. The Regional to Global Screen Forum will celebrate our industry’s hard-fought success and resilience despite a year of obstacles and tackle the big issues that we face collectively as a globally competitive industry and as a regional screen community,” said Screenworks CEO Ken Crouch.
The Screen Forum is being held as a hybrid event with both digital and in-person ticketing available. A live-streaming portal is available for digital ticket holders and there are strict COVID-19 protocols for in-person attendees. In-person ticket holders will also have access to the live-streaming portal if they are unable to attend all 3 days.
Full list of speakers – click here
Full event program – click here
More information and tickets – click here
