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WIFT Australia appoints five new board members, including chair Liz Tomkins

L-R: Anna Loren, MItu Bhowmick Lange, Liz Tomkins, Martine Delaney, Natasha Wanganeen.

Producer Liz Tomkins will be the next chair of Women in Film & Television (WIFT) Australia, succeeding Katrina Irawati Graham.

Other board appointments announced today include distributor Mitu Bhowmick Lange, writer Martine Delaney, writer and actor Anna Loren and actor Natasha Wanganeen.

Tomkins said it was wonderful to be joining the advocacy body at a vital time in its history.

“We all look forward to collaborating with the existing board members, and all the state chapter committees, to take WIFT Australia into the future.”

Returning board members for 2022 are Ljudan Michaelis-Thorpe (First Nations Lead), Janet Brown (Treasurer), Yolandi Franken (Secretary), Emilia Jolakoska and Lesley Pinder and Stephanie Westwood.

Other outgoing board members include Ana Tiwary, Shannon Wilson-McClinton and Briony Kidd.

Graham will remain involved in WIFT Australia initiatives and continues to serve on the WIFT International board. A writer and director, she will pursue her own creative projects while driving her advocacy, advisory and activism work in the anti-racism, gender justice and diversity spaces.

She said that establishing WIFT Australia with Megan Riakos and the other founding board members had been a privilege.

“I have been able to work with smart humans who have inspired me daily with their dedication to gender justice in our screen industry,” she said.

“I leave knowing that a fresh, strong board is anchored by the brains trust of returning board members. I know together they will build upon the foundational work of the past four years and uphold a collective vision of a better world.”