Screen Producers Australia (SPA) has released the full line-up for next month’s Screen Forever conference, featuring more than 40 sessions conducted under five strands: Breaking Boundaries, Making It Rain, Creative Difference, Keeping it Real, and All Screen Business Begins with a Story.
Taking place on the Gold Coast from March 19-21, the event will also include its usual mix of networking events and business meetings, bringing together international and domestic buyers, commissioners, distributors, sales agents, and screen industry professionals.
SPA CEO Matthew Deaner said Screen Forever 38 came at a “pivotal juncture” for the local industry, following a “unique year of challenges and changes”.
“I think delegates will agree this is one of the strongest Screen Forever programs to date,” he said.
“The program has been developed over months of consultation with industry experts from within our membership and program and market advisory boards, all of whom we thank for their expertise and collaborative work.
“Careful consideration was taken when developing each session, networking, and social event, with the overarching goal to provide unparalleled opportunities to facilitate new business deals, develop greater business acumen, and build advantageous industry connections. This program gives delegates a chance to realise that opportunity and be a part of genuine, open conversations that affect the future of their industry.”
Breaking Boundaries will explore topics such as the effects of cultural and social shifts in sessions such as ‘Brains Trust: Branding Australian TV to The World’, where a spotlight will be shone on Australia’s ‘brand’, and how it compares to established international TV brands.
During ‘Is Diversity for Hire?’, panellists will share how being marginalised in the workplace inhibits storytelling, while in ‘The New Wave of Aussie Talent’, early-career industry professionals will once again discuss how they are putting a fresh twist on storytelling and how they intend to make waves in the industry.
Rounding out the strand is ‘First Nations Voices Front and Centre’, which is set to examine a new era of truth-telling following the 2023 Indigenous Voice referendum.
As part of Making It Rain, there will be a Meet The Commissioners: NZ session, featuring representatives from Sky NZ, TVNZ, and Warner Bros. Discovery NZ. Other sessions will look at how financing can be leveraged through international creative and production partnerships, and the impacts of international business partnerships and co-productions, the economic and training benefits for local industry, and Australia’s future in the international market.
The Creative Difference sessions will examine how cultural and technology shifts impact the creators and consumers of screen content. They include ‘The Artistic Synergy of AI & Film Development’, an exploration of the disruption, and the benefits AI brings to the film industry, and ‘Where Stories Go Beyond the Screen’, which focuses gaming and interactive success stories.
Keeping it Real will comprise panel discussion ‘We Need to Talk About Factual’, in which panellists will share their insights on the real state of documentary productions in Australia and what stops us from making more, as well as two additional Meet The Buyers sessions centred on unscripted content, covering light entertainment, reality formats, and factual.
For All Screen Business Begins with a Story, sessions will dissect how producers find, access, and tell stories.
Of these, ‘Front of Screen to Behind the Scenes’ will bring together an all-female panel to share examples of how they are paving the way from acting to producing; ‘Getting Over Ourselves, The Cringe of Aussie Horror’ explores the Australian horror landscape through the lens of local and international experts; and ‘Your Next Hit Show & Finding The Creators’ investigates what it takes to get a green light from a broadcaster or foster a lucrative business relationship with a new industry connection.
Content for younger viewers is set to be a recurring theme throughout the conference via sessions such as ‘The Evolution of Children’s Content’ and ‘Why YA? Creating Content for the Audience Everyone is Looking For’. There will also be a session about Australia’s successes in animation.
The event will conclude with 22nd Annual SPA Awards on Thursday, March 21. The SPA Connect Market will be held March 26-27.
Find out more information about the event here.