Australian-made dramas, comedies, sci-fi series and reality TV were amongst the winners at LAWebfest this year.

For the third in our ‘great stuff online’ series, we shine a spotlight on the talented Australians who were recognised at the Los Angeles Web Series Festival (aka LAWebfest) from April 22-24. An outstanding 10 different series won prizes across a range of categories and genres, from editing, to directing, to VFX ad sound design.

Here’s a look at the Australian productions awarded at the festival.

DRAMA

AIRLOCK*

A three-part online series from the creators of The Tunnel and Event Zero, this sci-fi story follows the Security Officer of a derelict ship (played by Mark Coles Smith), who is tasked with investigating an isolated space station they happen upon. What he finds is a murdered crew and a group of asylum seekers hiding a secret that could put not just them, but humanity itself, in danger.

OUTSTANDING EDITING

Endo Tedeschi, Antonio Mestres, “Airlock” (Ryde, AUSTRALIA)

 OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR

Mark Coles Smith, “Airlock” (Ryde, AUSTRALIA)

STARTING FROM NOW**

Australia’s most successful lesbian multiplatform drama, Starting From Now amassed over 20 million views across its first three seasons. The series secured Screen Australia and Screen NSW funding for Seasons 4 and 5, which were then acquired and screened on SBS2 as television half-hours.

OUTSTANDING WRITING

Julie Kalceff, “Starting From Now: Season 3” (Marrickville, AUSTRALIA)

 OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE CAST

Rosie Lourde, Sarah de Possesse, Heather Mitchell, Frankie Savige, Lauren Orrell, Bianca Bradey, Kylie Watson, Clementine Mills, Peter McAllum, “Starting From Now: Season 3” (Marrickville, AUSTRALIA)

WASTELANDER PANDA: EXILE*

The follow-up to the popular Wastelander Panda online series from 2012 has Isaac, one of the last remaining pandas in the Wasteland, banished with his family for his part in an inexcusable crime – a wrong he must now put right if his family is ever to be reinstated into the Tribe of Legion.

OUTSTANDING SPECIAL/VISUAL EFFECTS

Jeremy Kelly-Baker, “Wastelander Panda: Exile” (Glenunga, AUSTRALIA)

FOLLIES OF YOUTH

A series created and written by Tony Avard that aims to shed light and educate people about the issues of HIV and sexual assault, through the stories of four friends finding their way through life in their 20s.

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR

Tony Avard, “Follies of Youth” (Seaford, AUSTRALIA)

GREENFIELD

An Australian/Scandinavian co-production, this five-part web series was shot in WA and follows James (Ethan Tomas) as he returns after a decade-long absence, determined to piece his life back together with his former girlfriend. But this dream is disrupted when her brother tells James a secret.

OUTSTANDING EDITING

Sofie Steenberger, Rebecca Jorgensen, “Greenfield” (North Perth, AUSTRALIA)

COMEDY

BEDHEAD*

This series about an awkward sexual encounter between two friends, was created by a group of freshly minted film school graduates and selected for Screen Australia and ABC’s Fresh Blood Pilot Season. It was previously featured on our ‘great stuff online’ series.

OUTSTANDING EDITING

Anil Griffin, “BedHead” (Sydney, AUSTRALIA)

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Jody Kennedy, “BedHead” (Sydney, AUSTRALIA)

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING

Benjamin Matthew, “BedHead” (Sydney, AUSTRALIA)

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR

Paul Ayre, “BedHead” (Sydney, AUSTRALIA)

LAWEBFEST-RIO WEBFEST (BRAZIL) GRAND PRIZE WINNER:

BedHead (Comedy/Reece Jones, creator; Benjamin Mathews, Claire Phillips, Tom Keele, Reece Jones, & Jon Dalgaard, creators & producers/Sydney, AUSTRALIA)

A SHARED HOUSE

Written and directed by Joshua Lundberg, this stars Georgia Woodward as Charlotte, a 20-something-year-old who finds herself with a lease she can’t afford to keep up when her partner packs up and leaves. The solution? Three new housemates. Also starring David Halgren, Sonny Joe, Grace Avery and Lauren Rowe.

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTOR

Nick Dale/ Ep.1, “A Shared House” (Sydney, AUSTRALIA)

OUTSTANDING WRITING

Joshua Lundberg, “A Shared House” (Sydney, AUSTRALIA)

VTV

When two funeral directors inherit a small TV station, they try to make their ratings plummet so a major corporation will lose interest in turning it into a home shopping channel. Their plan? To find the worst onscreen talent to create the worst shows. Directed by Nir Shelter, who also did the award-winning sound design (see below) and co-wrote the series with fellow creator/producer and star Tai Scrivener.

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTOR

Brett Heath / EP.7, “VTV” (Rose Bay, AUSTRALIA)

OUTSTANDING SPECIAL/VISUAL EFFECTS

Lyle Carroll, “VTV” (Rose Bay, AUSTRALIA)

OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN

Nir Shelter, “VTV” (Rose Bay, AUSTRALIA)

OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES

“VTV” (Nir Shelter, Tai Scrivener – creators & producers, (Rose Bay, AUSTRALIA)

LAWEBFEST-KWEBFEST (KOREA) GRAND PRIZE WINNER:

VTV (Comedy/Nir Shelter, Tai Scrivener, creators & producers/Rose Bay, AUSTRALIA)

THE FILM LAB

A group of scientists are out to get the cold, hard facts about common movie tropes such as whether anyone WOULD actually hear you if you screamed in space, and why all directors have beards. Created by Swingtime, originally it began life as a trailer but has since been developed into a series.

OUTSTANDING SERIES PREMISE

“The Film Lab” Phil MacDonald – creator/Nicholas Hansen, Stuart Subotic – creators & producers) (Darlinghurst, AUSTRALIA)

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING

Nicholas Hansen, “The Film Lab” (Darlinghurst, AUSTRALIA)

THE HAPPINESS CURVE

Featured in the last edition of ‘great stuff online’, this series follows four housemates exploring those so-called “best years of your life” in your 20s (don’t worry, although it’s all downhill from there, it apparently picks up again in your 60s). Co-created and written by Ash Mortimer and Mar Borboa.

OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE CAST

“The Happiness Curve” Mindy Fyfe, Laura Vine, Tass Labra, Ajay Banks, Eileen Chase, Mitch Ralston, Dom Weintraub, Seon Williams, Simon Gilberg, Evan Raif, (Sandringham, AUSTRALIA)

STUDENT SERIES

MAGNIFY MELBOURNE

Created by students from La Trobe University, this series is comprised of a number of biographical short docs about ‘ordinary’ Melbournians, which together seek to show how extraordinary and layered the city truly is.

OUTSTANDING STUDENT SERIES

“Magnify Melbourne” [Reality/Documentary] (Steinar Ellingsen, La Trobe University Students – creators & producers) (Melbourne, AUSTRALIA)

REALITY

THE GRACELAND HAPPINESS PROJECT

When Tim Domer won Big Brother in 2013, he promised fellow contestant and best friend Ben Zabel he would take him to the home of his childhood idol Elvis Presley. But the holiday to Graceland became something else following Ben’s public struggle with depression – a search for happiness, and if it’s that simple.

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING

Nick McInerney, “The Graceland Happiness Project” (Melbourne, AUSTRALIA)

*Supported by Screen Australia

**Season 4 supported by Screen Australia

Sick of cat videos? From baking to puppets and dating, here’s part 2 of our guide to what you should be watching online.

TALES FROM TINDER

Real-life horrific online dating experiences are acted out by a bunch of furry, fantastic puppets in this clever hit series created by Emma Watts, a TV producer who has worked on The Voice, MasterChef and more. And the best is yet to come. A worldwide call-out was made for material for Season 2, called No Strings Attached, which will air on ABC iview later this year.

MINISTER FOR MEN

Gretel Killeen co-wrote and stars in this political satire which turns gender roles on their heads by playing Australia’s first Minister for Men. Co-written and directed by Kacie Anning, who also made Fragments of Friday (which appeared in our last guide to stuff online), it was funded by Ideas at the House, ahead of its All About Women Festival last year at Sydney Opera House.

HOW TO COOK THAT

Food scientist and dietician Ann Reardon gives aspiring at-home bakers her guides to making sumptuous desserts and sweet treats, without the niche tools. Packed with tips, the series is shaped by Reardon’s own life and childhood, which naturally inspires many of her creations. In addition to one-off videos is Reardon’s The Sweetest Thing series, which was funded in Screen Australia’s Multiplatform program. It features famous and show-stopping sweets made with the help of chefs as crazy about desserts as she is.

BEDHEAD

In this web series, starring Sarah Bishop (Skit Box, Activewear) and Paul Michael Ayre, two old friends navigate an awkward sexual encounter. Its synopsis is pretty self-explanatory: “Two friends, one weekend and the Worst. Sex. EVER”. Expect LOLs. Co-created by Claire Phillips, Tom Keele, Ben Matthews and Jon Dalgaard, it made it into ABC and Screen Australia’s Fresh Blood pilot season.

HAPPINESS CURVE

Your 20s are meant to be the best years of your life – right? In this Melbourne-made series, four underachieving housemates are navigating these so-called golden years, to great (off-camera) success. Co-created and written by Ash Mortimer and Mar Borboa (who also co-directs), The Happiness Curve was a 2016 LA Web Fest finalist in three categories, including Best Comedy Series, Best Writing and Best Ensemble Cast.

Ten times Australian stage plays were transformed into films. By Caris Bizzaca.

Although the past year has seen a swarm of Australian films based on stage plays, The Daughter director Simon Stone says this is a longstanding tradition.

“If you look at the birth of cinema in the 10s and 20s, half the films that were getting made were based on plays,” he says.

“They were just plays that nobody even knows about anymore… and actually what you remember is the Hollywood film created out of it.

“Way more films than you or anyone might imagine are based on plays.”

Including his.

The Daughter is adapted from Stone’s contemporary reinvention of Henrik Ibsen’s 1884 play The Wild Duck.

It comes after the recent release of plays-turned-films including Ruben Guthrie, Holding the Man and Last Cab to Darwin.

Stone suggests maybe people are doing it prolifically in Australia at the moment because the current crop of filmmakers have their roots as actors in theatre.

“When you look at Brendan Cowell (Ruben Guthrie), Jeremy Sims (Last Cab to Darwin) or me, the reason we’re doing that is we’ve been… working in that world (so) it makes sense to use the material that you know well.”

For actor Ewen Leslie, who appeared in both The Daughter and The Wild Duck, there are two reasons for the surge.

“Usually the scripts are really well developed. They’ve gone through a development period and (also) they’ve been proven with an audience,” he says.

“This story worked very well as The Wild Duck in Sydney, Melbourne, Oslo, Vienna and London. It’s had a resonance with audiences so I suppose people have a bit more faith in funding them and turning them into films.”

Here are 10 other times stage plays have found a new life on cinema screens.

RUBEN GUTHRIE (2015)

Based on Brendan Cowell’s loosely autobiographical play of the same name, which he adapted to the big screen for his directorial debut. It stars Patrick Brammall in the titular role as a successful ad man who vows to give up the booze and his hedonistic lifestyle to win back his fiancée.

RADIANCE (1998)

Australian author and playwright Louis Nowra adapted his 1993 Belvoir St Theatre play for the film directed by Rachel Perkins (who also helmed no. 3 Bran Nue Dae). It starred Deborah Mailman, Rachel Maza and Trisha Morton-Thomas as three sisters who are reunited at their childhood home after the death of their mother and forced to confront ghosts of the past.

BRAN NUE DAE (2009)

A feature film adaptation of the 1990 stage musical by Jimmy Chi, it was co-written by Reg Cribb and director Rachel Perkins. An exuberant coming-of-age musical set in the 60s, it starred Rocky McKenzie as a teenager who runs away from boarding school in Perth and sets off on a road trip back home to Broome. The ensemble cast also featured Geoffrey Rush, Ernie Dingo, Missy Higgins and Jessica Mauboy in her feature film debut.

STRICTLY BALLROOM (1992)

The film that kicked off Baz Luhrmann’s film career began life as a 25-minute play in 1984 while he was studying at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). Years later it made its world premiere at Cannes Film Festival in 1992 and became the first of the director’s ‘Red Curtain’ trilogy. It has since gone full circle, returning to the stage for the Strictly Ballroom The Musical.

LANTANA (2001)

Adapted by writer Andrew Bovell from his play Speaking in Tongues, which premiered at Griffin Theatre Company in 1996, this relationship drama followed four couples whose lives begin to unravel after the discovery of a young woman’s body. Directed by Ray Lawrence, it starred thespians including Anthony Lapaglia, Geoffrey Rush and Kerry Armstrong.

LAST CAB TO DARWIN (2015)

Last year’s hit road movie starring Michael Caton (who won an AACTA for his stirring performance) began as a 2003 stage play by Reg Cribb, who co-wrote it for the screen with director Jeremy Sims. It follows the story of a Broken Hill taxi driver, who’s told he doesn’t have long to live and decides to drive across the country to Darwin to die on his own terms.

HOLDING THE MAN (2015)

Initially a memoir by Timothy Conigrave, it was adapted for Belvoir Theatre in 2006 by playwright Tommy Murphy, who then rewrote it for the screen. Directed by Neil Armfield, it tracked the moving 15-year love story of Tim and John (played by Ryan Corr and Craig Stott), who first fell for each other as teenagers in the mid-1970s.

THE SAPPHIRES (2012)

Based on a true story, which Tony Briggs wrote for the 2004 stage play and later turned into a screenplay with Keith Thompson, this toe-tapping musical drama starred Jessica Mauboy, Deborah Mailman, Miranda Tapsell and Shari Sebbens as the four women of The Sapphires – an indigenous all-girl soul group who were sent to entertain the US troops in Vietnam in 1968.

BLACKROCK (1997)

Adapted by Nick Enright from his 1995 play for Sydney Theatre Company, the film was directed by Steven Vidler and starred Laurence Breuls as Jared, a teenage boy torn between truth and loyalty after a 15-year-old girl is gang-raped and murdered – her body found on the beach the night after Jared throws a party for a mate.

DON’S PARTY (1976)

The iconic Australian film started out as an iconic Australian plays in 1971. Both written by David Williamson, the film was directed by Bruce Beresford and set during the 1969 federal election, when Don (John Hargreaves) holds a party at his home to celebrate what he hopes will be a Labor victory. It’s also not the only one of prolific writer Williamson’s plays to make it to the big screen, with others including Travelling North, Brilliant Lies and The Club.

You’ve heard of the Bechdel test*? Well, here are 11 Australian films, TV series and online shows that not only pass the test, but were written or directed by a woman.

To coincide with International Women’s Day, we’re taking a look at some of the great productions created by and about women.

And through initiatives like Gender Matters’ Brilliant Stories and Brilliant Careers, we look forward to seeing more and more productions like these in the years to come.

THE DRESSMAKER (2015)

This 2015 blockbuster was championed by producer Sue Maslin, who saw the potential in Rosalie Ham’s book and stuck with it on its 15-year journey to the big screen. It was Maslin who took it to director Jocelyn Moorhouse, who then adapted it for the screen with her filmmaker husband PJ Hogan. It stars Kate Winslet as a woman who returns to her tiny gossipy hometown after years away, to reconcile with her ailing mother (Judy Davis) and correct the wrongs of her past.

BABADOOK (2013)

An original screenplay penned by writer/director Jennifer Kent that was critically praised both here and abroad, The Babadook stars Essie Davis in a commanding performance as a single mother struggling to raise her young son Noah. Still haunted by her husband’s death, in a car crash en route to the hospital to give birth, her world becomes plagued by something else when she and Noah read a creepy pop-up children’s book about the sinister figure The Babadook.

UPPER MIDDLE BOGAN (2013-2014)

Written in part by Robyn Butler who created the comedy series through Gristmill, the production company she founded with her husband Wayne Hope (who together also created The Librarians and Little Lunch). It stars Annie Maynard as Bess, a middle-class doctor who discovers by accident that’s she adopted and posh Margaret (Robyn Nevin) is not her mother. Instead, her birth parents turn out to be part of a drag racing team in the outer suburbs of Melbourne. Screenwriters Alix Beane and Kirsten Fisher also joined the writing team for Season Two. Meanwhile, Butler, an advocate of gender diversity on screens, also penned, produced and starred in last year’s Now Add Honey.

OFFSPRING (2010-)

Asher Keddie stars as 30-something obstetrician Nina Proudman in this hit Channel 10 series, which was written by a team including Debra Oswald, Kylie Needham and Margaret Wilson. Oswald co-created the series with Imogen Banks and John Edwards of Endemol Shine (formerly Southern Star Productions). The directing team was also packed with female voices, including Shirley Barrett, Kate Dennis and Sian Davies, who formed part of the team who brought Nina, and her eccentric family, to life onscreen.

KATH & KIM (2002-2005 ABCTV, 2007 Seven Network, 2012 film)

Comediennes Gina Riley and Jane Turner not only created this hit show through Riley Turner Productions, but also co-wrote and starred in the three ABCTV series, the Seven Network season when it was bought in 2007 and a spin-off film Kath & Kimderella. The “unusual, different” show revolved around mother/daughter duo Kath (Turner) and Kim (Riley), who live in suburban Melbourne with their “hunk of spunk” partners, frequently visited by Kim’s “second-best friend” Sharon (Magda Szubanski, who also wrote the series). Riley also performed the show’s opening number “The Joker”.

WANTED (2016)

An idea developed by the show’s star Rebecca Gibney and her husband/producing partner Richard Bell, it was taken to Matchbox Pictures, who set about writing the series with a four-person team including screenwriter Kirsten Fisher. Co-directed by Peter Templeman and Jennifer Leacey (Wonderland series 2), it follows two strangers (Gibney and Geraldine Hakewill) who intervene in a deadly car-jacking and find themselves on the run with a bag full of money. Driven by two female leads, producer Tony Ayres says it passes the Bechdel Test “with flying colours”, saying they’re too busy trying to stay alive than talk about boyfriends.

THE KATERING SHOW (2015-)

Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan co-write this tongue-in-cheek cooking show, whose new season is set to air on ABC iview in April. The online series looks at food trends such as quitting sugar and the Thermomix to much hilarity and has won awards at the Online Video Awards Australia and New York Television Festival. The Kates also star in the hit show, with McLennan playing a celebrity chef and McCartney, who also directs, an anti-foodie intolerant to most foods, but luckily not spirits (alcoholic ones, not ghosts).

PUBERTY BLUES (2012-)

Based on the 1979 book by Kathy Lette and Gabrielle Carey (which also inspired the 1981 film), this series starred Brenna Harding and Ashleigh Cummings as best friends Sue and Debbie, as they navigate teenage life in 70s coastal Australia. Screenwriters Fiona Seres and Alice Bell co-wrote the series with Tony McNamara, while Emma Freeman shared directing duties with Glendyn Ivin. The series was produced by Imogen Banks and John Edwards.

DANCE ACADEMY (2010-)

Xenia Goodwin stars as Tara Webster, a 15-year-old aspiring ballet dancer who grew up in rural Australia before being accepted into the country’s best dance school. With three seasons under its belt and a strong fan following around the world, this series is set to make the jump to the big screen this year, as Tara and her friend navigate growing up and pushing for their goals. The series was created by Joanna Werner’s Werner Productions and penned by a large writing team including Samantha Strauss, Deborah Parsons and Sarah Lambert, amongst others. The directing team has also included female directors Cherie Nowlan, Catriona McKenzie and Lynn-Maree Danzey.

THE SLAP (2011)

Adapted from Christos Tsiolkas’ by a five-person writing team that included Cate Shortland, Alice Bell and Emily Ballou, the eight-part series was brought to the screen by four directors. One of those, the set-up director who helmed the first two episodes and established the story and characters, was Jessica Hobbs. The series itself followed the repercussions of a father slapping a child at a family BBQ and featured an ensemble cast including female actors Essie Davis, Melissa George, Sophie Lowe and Diana Glenn.

QUEEN OF HEARTS (2004)

Queen of Hearts is written and directed by Danielle MacLean, who has also written for Redfern Now season 1, 8MMM Aboriginal Radio and many other titles, and produced by Charlotte Seymour. This short film stars veteran actor Lillian Crombie as a much-loved nan and Lisa Flanagan as a concerned daughter. With a sick and dying nan, two generations of women try to deal with their impending loss.

* To pass the Bechdel Test, a film must have at least two women having a conversation about something that is not a man

The creators have creative freedom, can engage with global audiences directly, and the content is free. No wonder web series are exploding in popularity.

For people like Odessa Young, who’s starring in The Daughter and Looking for Grace, web series are fascinating.

“I think people are finding more confidence to put out what they have created because it’s able to be shared on such a wide platform and no one can say ‘yes’ or ‘no’, ‘you can’t do this’, ‘you can do that’,” she says.

“So everyone’s doing really innovative stuff.”

Comedy in particular is finding a foothold, both with Australian web series like The Katering Show and internationally with shows like Broad City. But as the list below shows, it’s not only for laughs. Drama series that aren’t afraid to take risks are also emerging on this still-relatively new format.

It can be daunting as a viewer, knowing how to find the good stuff. So in this series we’ll offer you a bit of a guide to what’s out there – both locally and internationally.

Here are six to get you started.

FRAGMENTS OF FRIDAY

An Aussie web series about three friends in their 20s who can’t wait for the weekend, only to spend it trying to figure out what the hell happened the night before, it’s created by actor/writer/director Kacie Anning and producer Courtney Wise. Season 1 of Fragments of Friday got off the ground thanks to a crowdfunding campaign on Pozible, and with the help of Screen Australia funding, they were able to create a second season, with both hitting the web last year.

HIGH MAINTENANCE

This Vimeo original web series is a favourite of The Daughter and Looking for Grace star Odessa Young, who also cites Broad City as one of her top picks. Created by husband and wife team Ben Sinclair and Katja Blichfeld, High Maintenance follows a nameless cannabis dealer as he makes his deliveries in New York City. Australia’s Yael Stone from Orange is the New Black, (who is currently appearing onstage in Belvoir Theatre’s The Blind Giant is Dancing), featured in one episode. On the back of its success, HBO commissioned six television episodes in early 2015, which are set to premiere this year.

BriTANick

This American comedy duo is a top pick of Australian online sensation Aunty Donna, who tip their hats to the well-written and character-fuelled sketches by New York University graduates Brian McElhaney and Nick Kocher. They’re not the only ones with many of their videos getting upward of 1 million views.

MOVEMENT

This six-part comedic web series was created by actor/writer Maria Angelico with the help of Screen Australia funding and follows self-described “try-hard” Sophia – a 20-something who enrols in dance therapy classes to help her navigate relationships, work and life.

THESE NEW SOUTH WHALES

A mockumentary about the members of punk-rock outfit The New South Wales as they navigate the Sydney music scene while wearing gaffer tape over their nipples. It’s been compared to This is Spinal Tap, it also features guest appearances from guest appearances by the likes of Kirin J. Callinan, and members of Palms and Sticky Fingers. A second season is currently in development with the help of Screen Australia funding.

THE SKINNY

Produced by Jill Soloway of Transparent, this six-episode web series created by writer/director/star Jessie Kahnweiler made its premiere at Sundance Film Festival before being available online in full. It follows a woman also named Jessie who’s trying hard to become a feminist YouTube star, while also struggling with bulimia, the demands of her mother and a drug addict ex-boyfriend.

MARGOT VS LILY

A Nike-branded web series commissioned by the athletic-gear giant is to reach out to young women – and the result is a sweet scripted series that’s raking in the views. It focuses on a pair of interracial, adopted sisters, who are complete opposites and make a bet on New Year’s Eve. Sporty Lily, the star of a popular YouTube fitness vlog, has to find three real friends, while the recently unemployed Margot, must start a fitness channel and get 1,000 subscribers.

Holding the Man, Last Cab to Darwin, The Dressmaker, Celia Pacquola… Find out what stood out for some of Australia’s most talented actors this year.

At the 5th AACTA Awards Ceremony we asked, ‘what were your highlights of 2015?’.

Wolf Creek is finding new life on television screens a decade after its release, but what are its stars up to these days?

By Caris Bizzaca

It’s hard to believe it’s been a decade since Wolf Creek first hit cinema screens, earning fans like Quentin Tarantino and leaving audiences (and many tourists) quaking in their seats.

Here’s a look at what those three stranded backpackers, director Greg McLean and Mick Taylor himself have been up to in the years since.

John Jarratt

The cult status of Wolf Creek is so enormous, that actor John Jarratt is almost daily recognised as the man who played serial killer Mick Taylor. Even more so at the moment, with Jarratt sporting the muttonchops and tattoos again for filming on a new Wolf Creek TV series, commissioned by SVOD service Stan. In the six-part series, Mick Taylor targets an American tourist family, but the tables are turned when 19-year-old Eve (Lucy Fry) survives the massacre and embarks on a mission of revenge.

It’s not the first time Jarratt’s revisited the iconic character – the sequel Wolf Creek 2 was released back in 2013.

Jarratt has been keeping busy in the past decade, appearing in everything from croc-horror flick Rogue, to gory comedy 100 Bloody Acres (sending up his Mick Taylor stereotype), to Baz Luhrmann’s Australia and his mate Tarantino’s Django Unchained.

Jarratt also turned his hand to directing this year with the comedy thriller StalkHer, in which he also starred in.

Greg McLean

Writer/director Greg McLean followed up the success of Wolf Creek, with another nail-biter, the killer croc flick Rogue, before getting back into the fray with Wolf Creek 2. Tonally different, the sequel he claimed was more of a chase flick than the all-out horror of the first film.

Fans also got more of a glimpse into Mick Taylor’s backstory when McLean co-wrote two novels Wolf Creek: Origin and Wolf Creek: Desolation Game.

As well as work on the upcoming Wolf Creek series for Stan, McLean has directed a supernatural horror thriller in the US called 6 Miranda Drive.

Cassandra Magrath

Since playing the doomed backpacker Liz, Cassandra Magrath has appeared in guest roles on a wealth of Australian television series, including Neighbours, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, House Husbands, Winners & Losers and Utopia.

Most recently, audiences would have seen Magrath as Hayley on TV series Wentworth Prison and as Jackie on Footballer Wants a Wife. Next up is a role in upcoming horror movie Scare Campaign, by the filmmakers of 100 Bloody Acres, Colin and Cameron Cairns.

Kestie Morassi

The face on the chilling and iconic poster of Wolf Creek, Kestie Morassi followed up her performance in the horror flick with a role in the first series of Underbelly. She played Zarah Garde-Wilson, an Australian solicitor who represented some of Victoria’s most prominent underworld figures including Carl Williams and Tony Mokbel.

Morassi also starred in TV series Satisfaction, film The Wedding Party with Josh Lucas and Isabel Lucas, and has had guest roles in Offspring season one as well as popular ABC series The Doctor Blake Mysteries.

Nathan Phillips

A self-confessed scaredy-cat when it comes to horror movies, Nathan Phillips has mainly appeared in movie roles since playing backpacker Ben Mitchell. Most recently, he appeared in Australian flick These Final Hours, which screened at Cannes Film Festival as well as US series The Bridge.

His credits also include Chernobyl Diaries, Aussie films Summer Coda and Balibo as well as Snakes on a Plane.

** Wolf Creek the TV series is currently in production for Stan, funded by Screen Australia.