Amid state border closures and COVID-19 uncertainty, Screen Producers Australia (SPA) has made the decision to turn February’s Screen Forever into a digital-only event.
Originally, the conference and market imagined as a hybrid, with delegates able to attend digitally or in-person at The Star, Gold Coast.
With the move to an entirely online offering, market event Ready, Steady, Pitch! and roundtables will now run across all three days.
SPA CEO Matthew Deaner said: “Given the current environment and the need to prioritise the health and safety of our industry and the wider community, we are committing to cultivate business opportunities and connections for Australia’s screen practitioners through the establishment of Screen Forever’s new interactive digital platform.
“I would like to thank our partners – especially principal partner Screen Queensland – for adapting with us through this ever-changing environment. Thank you also to the outstanding speakers, moderators and producers who are committing their valuable time and knowledge to helping us build such a strong and vital program for the industry. We look forward to announcing more of our incredible program and market hosts in the upcoming weeks.
“We will continue to work with the sector over the coming weeks as we bring Australia’s premier screen industry event to life online and look forward to welcoming the screen production community to our new home at the Gold Coast in the near future.”
Speakers for the conference include The Handmaid’s Tale showrunner Bruce Miller; Sera Gamble, co-creator of You and The Magician; Franklin Leonard, CEO and founder of The Black List, and a variety of local producers and executives. The full program is expected to be unveiled shortly.
Screen Forever will run February 16-18. More info here.