By Travis Johnson
The Screen Makers Conference and Marketplace has announced that this year’s opening speaker will be by Every Cloud Productions’ Fiona Eagger, producer of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Newton’s Law, and Deadlock.
This year’s conference will be held at Adelaide’s Mercury Theatre on Friday, July 27, and Saturday, July 28, with a special focus on television opportunities across Australia. Eaggers will speak on such topics as mentoring, gender diversity, and this year’s conference theme, The power of story, to connect, reflect and make sense of our world’.
Other program highlights include:
Webseries, a pathway for emerging and diverse talent.
All the big questions on how to succeed in the format increasingly launching and re-positioning screen careers. Speakers include Michelle Law (co-writer and star of SBS On Demand’s first commissioned web-series, Homecoming Queens), Peter Ninos (MWF nominee, The Big Nothing), Enzo Tedeschi (Event Zero) and Kelli Cross (Aussie Rangers, iview).
The Australian Directors’ Guild presents: ‘From F*!#king Adelaide to Hollywood’.
Directors Scott Hicks (Shine, Snow Falling on Cedars, Hearts in Atlantis) and Sophie Hyde (Animals, F*!#king Adelaide, 52 Tuesdays), who will share their insights, experiences and provide useful tips for aspiring screen directors.
Casting for Diversity.
Casting agent Kirsty McGregor (Pacific Rim: Uprising, Top End Wedding, Lion) and actor Natasha Wanganeen (Cargo, Redfern Now, Rabbit Proof Fence) explore what diversity looks like on our screens.
…plus a full roster of craft masterclasses, screen business and meet the market sessions, round tables and more, encompassing all elements of the industry across feature filmmaking, web-series, and television.
there’s also an an opportunity for delegates to compete in the $10,000 Pitch-o-rama ABC iview/MRC development pitching competition, wherein content creators can present thier concepts to a panel consisting of Brett Sleigh from ABC Drama and Comedy, Joseph Maxwell from SBS Factual, Head Of Development at Ten Network, Azar Marashian, Founder and Managing Director of Madman Entertainment, Paul Wiegard, Commissioning Editor of ABC Factual, Stephen Oliver, and Acquisitions & Development Executive at XYZ Films, Simon De Bruyn.
