The inaugural Australian Feature Film Forum, held in partnership with the Australian International Movie Convention (AIMC), has revealed the line up of sessions for its virtual streaming package.
The forum is designed to close the gap between filmmakers and the theatrical marketplace and facilitate the sharing of current data, trends and analysis of the feature film marketplace.
The virtual streaming package includes access to four panels at AIMC featuring leading professionals in the local and international cinema sector.
The Australian Feature Film Forum follows on from last year’s summit, and is put on by the Australian Feature Film Working Group, whose members include Sue Maslin, Lori Flekser, Gino Munari, Claire Gandy, Antony Ginnane, Andy Barclay, Marc Wooldridge, Sasha Close, Brett Rosengarten and Kylie Munnich.
The following sessions will be live-streamed, recorded and then stored for four weeks on the AFFF website and available to registered participants:
Panel 1: Wednesday November 1 8am (AEST) Australia’s Evolving Box Office: A Data-driven Discussion about Movies & Moviegoers
Moderator Matt Liebmann, chief product, innovation and marketing Officer for The Vista Group and a panel of entertainment industry insiders hold a data-driven conversation about the who, what, when and why of today’s Australia cinema-goers.
Joining Matt are Stephanie Mills (Hoyts Group), Benjamin Zeccola (Palace Cinemas), Brian Pritchett (Paramount Pictures), Dean Schraftt (Google), Frank Perikleous (Comscore) & Ruari Elkington (Queensland University of Technology).
Panel 2: Wednesday November 1 3pm (AEST) Ask Me Anything
A panel of film producers, exhibitors and distributors ask tough questions of each other to stimulate a better understanding of each sector’s decision-making process and enable insights into the complexities of finding audiences for Australian films in cinemas.
Hoodlum CCO Tracey Vieira orchestrates all those “burning questions” to reveal the motivations, operational limitations and business-model drivers for each of these sectors. Joining Tracey will be Claire Gandy (Event Cinemas), Ross Entwistle (Limelight Cinemas), Marc Wooldridge (Maslow Entertainment), Sam Jennings (Causeway Films) & Jamie Hilton (See Pictures).
Panel 3: Thursday November 2 8am (AEST) Modern Marketing – Evolving Trends, Technologies & Opportunities
Marketing is evolving. Quickly! Starting in 1999 with the frightening creativity that launched the Blair Witch campaign, The Gentleminions, Barbenheimer, Smile, The Creator or even M3gan‘s spooky dance are all recent examples of viral marketing driving box office to new heights. Eventising movies is here to stay, and Bec Pini from M4M agency will be joined by a panel to discuss how they are tailoring campaigns to different generations, and discussing ideas that the industry should be considering in order to enhance our engagement with evolving audiences. Panellists include Liberty Wilson (Event Cinemas), Stacey Kwijas (Village Cinemas), Felicity Drake (Universal Pictures), Richard Greenwood (Movio) and Whitney Williams (TikTok).
Keynote Speaker: Thursday November 2 9am (AEST) Changing Consumer Behaviour & The Future Of Marketing
Description: Focused on changing consumer behaviour, both overall trends, Dean Schrafft – Google Industry Manager (Media, Entertainment & Technology) – will reveal what Google is seeing specifically in Media and Entertainment evidencing Google data, along with some thoughts surrounding the implications on the future of marketing, addressing advances in AI and the importance of data
Panel 4: Thursday November 2 2.45pm (AEST) The Rise of the Experience – Global Cinema Experiences & Technological Trends
Description: Leading management consulting firm, McKinsey, noted recently that Gen Z will make up a quarter of the population of Asia Pacific by 2025, with this generation more likely to spend on experiences that enrich their everyday lives than millennials. The Rise Of The Experience panel brings together international experts to discuss shifting trends towards “experiences” including different seating concepts, technology innovations and F&B enhancements, and how these experiences drive box office, repeat visitation and ultimately enhance the guest experience. Joining moderator Cameron Mitchell, the executive director of NACO, will be Giovanni Dolci (IMAX), Luke Mackey (Event Cinemas), Brett Rosengarten (ICA), Edwin Ramesh (Dolby Laboratories), Brian Claypool (Christie – EVP Cinema) and Pruthu Shah (Scrabble Entertainment).
Visit Eventbrite for more information and tickets.