The Asia Pacific Screen Academy (APSA) is inviting expressions of interest for a trio of roundtable events to be held as part of November’s Asia Pacific Screen Forum.
A discussion on experimental filmmaking will be held November 9, ahead of conversations on casting with intent and ‘working local, thinking global’ on November 11.
It comes as tickets go on sale for the forum and the 15th Asia Pacific Screen Awards ceremony, both of which will be presented as physical events at Home of The Arts (HOTA) on the Gold Coast and be globally streamed.
Last month, APSA announced the Asia Pacific Screen Awards would include a non-gendered Best Performance Award in place of actor and actress categories, while also expanding the definition of the region to incorporate new locations across Micronesia, Melanesia, Polynesia, and French Polynesia.
Chair Tracey Vieira said she looked forward to welcoming participants from more than 70 countries and areas to this year’s awards.
“For 15 years the Asia Pacific Screen Academy has gathered together in Queensland the exceptional filmmaking talent from the region to be celebrated at the prestigious Asia Pacific Screen Awards,” she said.
“Seizing the phenomenal opportunity offered by bringing such a wealth of talent together, the Asia Pacific Screen Forum was created to make further connections, have bigger conversations, and spark dynamic collaborations.”
The full Asia Pacific Screen Forum program and the nominees for the 15th Asia Pacific Screen Awards will be announced October 13, with the former including a public screening program, in-conversations, workshops, panel discussions, and Q&As.
Screen Queensland chief creative officer Belinda Burns said the forum presented local screen practitioners with the opportunity to engage with talented filmmakers from across a region that produces half the world’s films.
“To have such an accessible world-class event here in our state is not to be missed,” she said.
“The forum generates a spirit of cooperation and learning that will further enrich Queensland’s thriving screen culture and filmmaking community.”
The APSA ceremony will take place Friday, November 11 alongside the 4th edition of the Asia Pacific Screen Forum and public screening program, to be held November 9-13.
Both events are supported by City of Gold Coast, Screen Queensland, Motion Picture Association, and Griffith Film School, Griffith University, with the forum also backed by Screen Australia, ATOM QLD, Screenrights, Essential Screen Skills, and QT Gold Coast.
APSA FORUM 2022 – ROUNDTABLE TOPICS
EXPERIMENTAL FILMMAKING: the rise of cross-media storytelling
WEDNESDAY 9th NOVEMBER
12.45pm – 2.15pm
Producing creative content across multiple platforms is a method of engaging in hybrid storytelling, combining mediums and genres to create compelling enhanced narratives. Explore the opportunities and processes for identifying and harnessing cross-platform media with like-minded storytellers.
Does cinema have the scope to support cross-platform? Where does blended genre sit in the discourse? As museums and galleries explore immersive screen stories, how does cinema, VOD, and streaming fit? Discover the many possibilities for audience interaction through social media and apps, and how to engage one-on-one interactions that can be tailored to the audience.
Round table participants are invited to consider the various ways to combine different filming techniques to craft story, and to engage audiences, and explore how to introduce audience involvement and feedback, along with unique crowd-funding opportunities.
CASTING WITH INTENT: conscientious casting for authentic storytelling
FRIDAY 11th NOVEMBER
11.00am-12.30pm
Between the race-bending historical drama of Bridgerton to the casting in CODA, as screen stories grow more aware and diverse, discussions around authenticity on screen have evolved. As the diversity of the types of productions increases, alongside the advancement of movements such as “Nothing About Us Without Us” and “Own Voices”, the screen industry is increasingly identifying ways to enhance representation and support authentic storytelling.
From blind-casting to conscious-casting, what are the merits to open casting, and what responsibility does the screen industry have in casting authentically?
No more the token Black character, or the straight actor ‘playing’ queer, inclusive casting has engaged screen in a process of assessment and reflection. Can diverse casting be best supported through gender or race-bending characters or blind-casting, or is conscientious casting – building identity within the character – more meaningful?
WORKING LOCAL, THINKING GLOBAL: filmmaking in Australia for International audiences
FRIDAY 11th NOVEMBER
1.30pm-3.00pm
Social media and internet marketing provides a direct connection to global audiences, and is taking some of the risk out of distribution by cultivating interest and establishing earning potential before committing to spend. But in an increasingly crowded online market, how do smaller countries like Australia cut through on the global stage?
With a global audience hungry for content, examine how Australian storytellers harness this momentum, and how making content for global consumption impacts productions from business modelling, crews, and processes. How do local funding bodies fit in to this conversation? And how do we maintain authenticity and voice while providing a story that will connect internationally.
Find out more information about the forum here.