Screen Australia Podcast

Videoland director Jessica Smith and producer Scarlett Koehne reflect on queer representation and 90s nostalgia in the Series Mania Comedy Competition-winning series. On the latest episode of the Screen Australia podcast, we spoke with Smith and Koehne following their win at Series Mania about their festival strategy and experience premiering in a foreign market. They also reflect on the creation of the queer dramedy and challenges of retro-fitting (literally) a video rental store.

Taking your project to market? Screen Australia Marketplace Manager Rakel Tansley shares the latest marketplace intel and advice to get the best deals on your projects. Tansley breaks down the key terms of finance plans and the market and explains the role of the Marketplace team in supporting Australian producers navigate domestic and global deals, as well as the resources publicly available on the Screen Australia website. She also talks to the key findings of the most recent Post-Financing International distribution of projects between 2020–2023, the current trend of rights, how to make IP and secondary rights work for you, the hidden costs to watch out for when building a finance plan, and shares the top five key territories and regions buying Australian film and television, both in terms of volume of sales and highest spendings.

Filmmaker Devina Saberi shares the inspiration for new documentary series Growing Pains, as well as the challenges and opportunities of documentary storytelling for online platforms, and advice for early career filmmakers. Throughout the episode, Saberi talks about structuring stories for social media platforms, supporting community storytelling, and the challenges of observational documentary – especially while filming your friends.

Writer and director Tig Terera shares his experiences creating his debut television series Swift Street, and working with production company Magpie Pictures' Lois Randall and Ivy Mak, and writer Sam Carroll, to develop the series for SBS. He also shares his journey from photography to the small screen, the challenges and opportunities as a self-taught writer and director, reflecting community on screen, and advice for early career storytellers.

The Future Leaders Delegation and Screen Australia Games team share their takeaways and advice from the 2024 Game Developers Conference. Screen Australia's Head of Online and Games Lee Naimo and Games Investment Manager Amelia Laughlan discuss their insights into the games industry, the significance of GDC for the global community, and the key takeaways from this year's conference. They also introduce the Future Leaders Delegation - a new program from Screen Australia to support underrepresented early-mid career game makers get the most out of their GDC experience. The delegation included Cult of the Lamb writer Jojo Zhou (Massive Monster); game designer and project manager Emma Losin who has worked on space epics Phantom Galaxies and Star Trek Lower Decks; co-founder of new indie studio Fat Alien Cat and game artist Jessica Lyon; Jae Stuart who is lead programmer on the recent Screen Australia Emerging Gamemakers Fund project King Tidal; and creative director of Anecdote Games Jarrod Farquhar-Nicol.

Executive Producer and CEO of Blacksand Pictures Kauthar Abdulalim reflects on her Enterprise journey, reaching international audiences with online stories, and authentic Muslim representation in storytelling. Abdulalim talks about embracing online content, supporting meaningful cultural diversity behind the scenes, building a strategic plan for your screen career, and how the Enterprise program strengthened her business skills, as she shares her advice for early career practitioners considering applying.

Cannes Critics' Week Head of the Film Department Rémi Bigot speaks to the opportunities and ideas behind the program, and its short film extension, Next Step – a weeklong workshop for short film directors selected for Critics' Week to transition to feature films, as well as offering insight into the application and selection process, and Screen Australia's Manager, Festivals and Industry Partnerships Dale Fairbairn shares her advice for applying to festivals.