Series Mania Melbourne promises to go behind the curtains of some of the world’s leading dramas and comedies, with the industry program to include talks with Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin and Insecure showrunner Prentice Penny.
Audiences will also hear from Succession writer and I Hate Suzie co-creator Lucy Prebble, and Sierra Teller Ornelas, Navajo co-creator of Rutherford Falls.
The industry day, organised with Film Victoria and ACMI, will take place online October 14 via a series of talks and masterclasses. In addition to the international speakers, there will be a number of sessions focused on Australian content.
A panel featuring producers Tony Ayres and Debbie Lee; ABC head of drama, comedy and Indigenous Sally Riley; and writer and director Belinda Chayko will tackle the Australian industry’s approach to development, and how this stacks up in the global commissioning environment.
Surviving Summer creators Joanna Werner and Josh Maplestone and director Ben Chessel will share a work-in-progress of Surviving Summer, their YA Netflix drama that shot under COVID-Safety protocols across Victoria’s Great Ocean Road earlier this year.
Miranda Tapsell will interview Penny to open the event, where he will speak from the edit suite of the fifth and final season of Insecure. The actress will also interview Teller Ornelas, one of a handful of First Nations showrunners in the US, and a graduate of the Walt Disney Television Writing Program.
Mazin, who also hosts the Scriptnotes podcast, will give an insight into what is involved in telling stories based on true events.
Audiences will also hear from Series Mania creative director Francois-Pier Pelinard Lambert, who will deliver a snapshot of TV fiction trends and formats.
The industry day complements the event’s public screenings, which run over four days and will include the world premiere of the second season of the ABC’s Total Control and Preppers.
Other highlights will include Hellbound (South Korea) and L’Opera (France).
Tickets to all events, including the 2021 Screen Industry Day and public screenings are free. Register at acmi.net.au. Series Mania Melbourne runs October 14 – 17.