THE LATEST

Jess Mauboy and producer Karl Zwicky on how the Channel Seven series came about – and why it’s a big moment for diversity.

As Electric Pictures brainstormed a way to expand its audience, they unearthed a gem of their own with Aussie Gold Hunters.

Take a look at the latest moves and news about those Aussies taking the world by storm, including Cate Blanchett, Rose Byrne, Animal Logic and Iloura.

Spin Out co-director/writer Tim Ferguson on the next revolution in the screen industry: giving a voice to filmmakers and actors with a disability.

Spin Out is shining a spotlight on regional Australia – and it’s not the only one.

Claudia Karvan on producing Doctor Doctor with writer Tony McNamara and Ian ‘Jolly’ Collie, and returning to collaborate with Nine Network.

Girl Asleep director Rosemary Myers talks winning CinefestOZ and the challenges facing independent films when it comes to distribution.

Producer Bill Mechanic reveals why films like Hacksaw Ridge are “pretty impossible” to get made and the Australians that made it happen.

Australian producer Bruna Papandrea of Gone Girl and Wild reflects on her career trajectory, emphasising the importance of mentors for budding filmmakers.

Screen Australia launches a comprehensive report into diversity on Australian screens to inform the conversation and calls for real, long-lasting change.

From the Spierig brothers and Alethea Jones to Judy Davis and Ryan Kwanten, we take a look at Aussies who’ve been having huge success internationally.

For its 20th anniversary, Scott Hicks looks back on the “long, arduous” process that was developing and financing Shine and why it was worth every minute.

Shelley Birse talks about empowering writers from the set of Screen Australia-supported The Code series 2.

Three years ago, Taryn Brumfitt could never have thought she’d be a filmmaker, but when her personal story went viral, she realised Embrace was needed.

Down Under writer/director Abe Forsythe reveals the road he took to write and develop a comedy that revolves around a race riot.

Bleeding Steel actor Jackie Chan and Village Roadshow Asia CEO Ellen Eliasoph share their advice for Australian filmmakers wanting to work with China.

Nick Boshier on Soul Mates series 2 and how he and collaborators the Van Vuuren brothers have several feature films’ worth of ideas.

Internet royalty Sarah Bishop and Josiah Brooks share their top YouTube channels with us.

Robert Connolly talks about risk-taking as a business principle and how complex novels such as Barracuda have found the perfect home in four-part TV series.

Xavier Samuel was beckoned back by Belvoir Theatre. A year later, fortuitous timing has led to four features and a TV series shot almost back-to-back.

Co-owner of Pukeko Pictures and Weta Workshop, five-time Academy Award winner Richard Taylor found an opportunity too good to miss with ABC TV’s Cleverman.

Behind the eclectic concepts of Brilliant Stories is a myriad of female voices, some of which have yet to be heard at this level before.

Gender Matters aimed to create a surge of female stories through Brilliant Stories, but how do you ensure long-lasting change? Enter: Brilliant Careers.

Founders of Felix Media, John Maynard and Bridget Ikin on the convergence of art and the moving image and why they gravitate toward pushing the boundaries.

Vicki Madden’s enviable career encompasses police dramas in the 90s, running The Bill in the UK and co-creating The Kettering Incident back home in Tassie.

Matthew Le Nevez could never have imagined the direction Australian TV would go. Emerging from drama school some 17 years ago, reality TV was king.

Jessica Hobbs has directed more than 60 hours of TV drama, from The Slap to Broadchurch. Here she talks career progression.

Shot entirely in southern Tasmania, the landscape has a starring role in Foxtel’s new drama The Kettering Incident.

Orange is the New Black showrunner Jenji Kohan talks Wentworth, The Katering Show and why diversity needs to be the norm, not a trend.

It’s gripped audiences at film festivals in Melbourne and Toronto as well as the Mardi Gras Queer Film Festival and now Downriver is set for local release.

As the views climb for Suspect Moustache and Traffic Jam the Musical, creators Ariel Waymouth and Shae-Lee Shackleford share their favourite YouTubers.

Ivan Sen talks Goldstone’s journey, from creating a town from scratch in remote Queensland, to bringing it to the big smoke for Sydney Film Festival.

Virtual reality technology offers a whole new immersive experience for audiences and exciting possibilities for filmmakers.

Having amassed millions of views with their car lipsync videos, SketchShe decided to take their work to the next level. Enter Traffic Jam the Musical.

We check in with the Australian creatives who are writing, directing and acting in high profile projects from across the globe.

Creator Ryan Griffen walks us through the densely layered world of Cleverman, brimming with creatures, culture and suspense.

Secret City co-creator Steve Lewis loves House of Cards, but he wants to see more Australian political thrillers on our screens.

Producer Ariel Waymouth was pulled back into the world of animation when she got wind of Suspect Moustache, a series that was as outrageous as it was funny.

Revolution School series producer Alex West talks about how he wrangled the ups and downs of an entire school year into just four episodes.

Australian creatives, stars and projects – and the stories they create – continue to be in high demand across the globe.

Rob Connolly explains his multipronged approach to tackling the worldwide decline in independent cinema.

Ernie Dingo, Ian Thorpe and Julia Zemiro trace their roots back 200,000 years in the new SBS series DNA Nation.

Shine director Scott Hicks reflects on his return to the world of music for the documentary Highly Strung.

Mick Taylor is back. John Jarratt on bringing his iconic sociopath back to screens for the new Stan series, and what SVOD is doing for Aussie storytelling.

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

Screen Australia CEO Graeme Mason and writer Benjamin Law take stock a year on from Miranda Tapsell’s rousing call for more diversity at the Logies.

Whether it’s film, TV, comedy or drama, Matthew Saville’s career is enviable. He takes a break from Seven Types of Ambiguity to talk A Month of Sundays.

Producer Dan Goldberg reveals how Mint Pictures was given unprecedented access inside an ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect in Melbourne for Strictly Jewish.

Audiences will have the power to get their favourite Comedy Showroom pilot off the ground in this Australian television first.

Producer Michael Boughen walks us through the Tomorrow When the War Began book, to film, to TV adaption and what fans can expect.

Producer Jennifer Cummins felt the ground shifting while filming in A Modern Mutiny, as what was a character-driven story quickly took on a political edge.

Freedom to take risks and ability to tap into mass audiences, online storytelling is becoming a key player – a trend set to continue with Skip Ahead #3.

Documentarian Sean Cousins and 360 Degree Films found high-stakes love and drama in the lives of Australian-Indians torn between two worlds.

Three self-obsessed Gen Y journalists tackle hot topics with limited success but tonnes of laughs in comedy web series DAFUQ? on ABC iview.

The Katering Show producer Tamasin Simpkin spills the beans on being part of an internet sensation, and how the Ones to Watch program helped with Season 2.

Violinist and composer Richard Tognetti talks about giving audiences a difference experience of music and movies with Cinemusica.

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

Director Jennifer Peedom tells us how the Sherpa team managed when the deadly force of nature reared its head in the midst of filming on Everest.

Director Joseph Sims-Dennett channelled his own nightmares into Observance, a psychological horror that’s chilling audiences around the globe.

Nel Minchin delved into the family archives and turned the camera onto her brother Tim, her family and herself for Matilda & Me.

Every day across the country people are making life-changing decisions. We talk to executive producer Karen Dewey about Keeping Australia Alive.

For Hunter Page-Lochard, working on his father’s feature directorial debut Spear was like a rite of passage.

Here Come the Habibs and Soul Mates producer Chloe Rickard talks about working at Jungle, taking risks with No Activity and tackling the tough topics.

Ten times Australian stage plays were transformed into films.

The Daughter director Simon Stone talks through the challenges of adapting Ibsen’s The Wild Duck for his feature film debut and its intense 30-day shoot.

With her history in women’s sport, aerial skier turned filmmaker Katie Bender became the perfect person to tell Lydia Lassila’s inspirational story.

Video on Demand (VOD) is providing docos with a global platform to get their films noticed and experts are calling it a “no-brainer” for Aussie filmmakers.

She’s one of the most accomplished women in film, but Laura Jones hates being the centre of attention. And so she says it’s a little daunting to get the AWG Lifetime Achievement Award.

From inspiring docos to silent films and audio portraits, filmmakers and actors are joining in the chorus of voices recognising International Women’s Day.

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

The Australia-China screen relationship is deepening in features, children’s programming and documentaries. Don Groves finds out why.

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

Queer Screen’s Mardi Gras Film Festival Director Paul Struthers talks about the festival’s significance and what’s on offer from the Aussie contingent.

Sell-out live shows, viral videos and a new web series, Aunty Donna aren’t sticking to rules, but paving their own path to success.

With Looking for Grace and The Daughter both film festival darlings, Odessa Young is suddenly finding herself in the spotlight.

Producer Ian Collie looks at how Jack Irish has evolved as Guy Pearce’s private eye shifts from telemovies to his own ABC TV series.

Never underestimate the intern. That’s one take-home message from Cleverman, the series that premieres at Berlinale before its ABC TV debut later this year.

Producer John Molloy talks about tapping into the nation’s nostalgia with Channel 7’s new miniseries Molly.

Written and wrapped at breakneck speed, script producer Timothy Hobart talks about the ride that has been Wanted and why we need more shows like it.

When Molly airs, it will kick off another year of miniseries based on the lives of Australian personalities – a trend that isn’t showing signs of slowing.

Step inside the gated home of Sydney’s new millionaires and see what all the fuss is about with Here Come the Habibs.

Here’s a dozen times Australian locations became their own pivotal characters in television.

Actor Radha Mitchell returns to her homeland for her first Australian film in half a decade with Looking for Grace.

Epic genre series Cleverman is selected for Berlinale, not only commending the quality of Indigenous storytelling, but changing attitudes toward TV too.

A new generation of Aussies are flocking to the web to create fearless, gut-busting comedy, and grabbing the attention of decision-makers and fans alike.

Diversity shouldn’t be the central focus of a series, but simply exist within a moving, engaging and universal story, says Tony Ayres.

Upcoming Aussie horror flick, Bloodlands is set in Albania and it’s about blood feuds, witches and coming-of-age. We chat to director Steven Kastrissios.

Academy award winner Quentin Tarantino talks about his long love affair with Aussie film and dubs Fury Road “the most amazing movie I’ve seen this year”.

YouTube star Michael Shanks takes the leap to TV with pop-culture infused comedy The Wizards of Aus. We talk everything from orcs to an Australian Hot Fuzz.

Ben Law’s memoir is the basis for new TV series, The Family Law, which follows 14-year-old Ben over one particular summer when his parents separate.

Comedian Lawrence Leung has turned his one man show, Sucker, into a feature film starring YouTube sensation John Luc and veteran actor Timothy Spall.

Nowhere Boys: Book of Shadows director David Caesar sees the film as a rock n’ roll story about a broken up band that’s back together for one last gig.

As the cost and risk of creating home-grown TV increases, Screen Australia’s role in supporting locally-made series is more vital than ever.

Actor and writer Maria Angelico is tackling the ups and downs of her 20s and finding her groove in new comedy web series, Movement.

Find out what the top-rating Australian TV dramas were across the free-to-air networks in 2015.

Documentaries like Tyke Elephant Outlaw are finding new life after they leave the cinemas and film festivals thanks to streaming platforms.

Screen Forever 2015 is done and dusted, but the impact of SPA’s Ones to Watch program is ongoing for this year’s 14 emerging producers.

An overwhelming wave of positivity has met Screen Australia’s Gender Matters initiatives, but as many acknowledge, these are just the first steps.

Alongside growing momentum and calls for change, Screen Australia has launched a new initiative to tackle gender inequality in the local film industry.

Utopia star Celia Pacquola is throwing herself in the deep end again by co-writing and starring in upcoming ABC comedy series Rosehaven.

Talented creatives behind Mad Max: Fury Road, The Dressmaker, That Sugar Film and many more, were among the AACTA Screen Craft Excellence Award winners.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop considers raising the Location Offset in 2016 budget as Sir Ridley Scott’s next Alien film is welcomed to Sydney.

This year, five Aussie films will battle it out to win the first People’s Choice Award for Favourite Australian Film at the AACTAs. Vote now!

Behind the counters of ubiquitous Australian kebab shops, a treasure trove of drama and heart was just waiting to be discovered for SBS doco Kebab Kings.

It took a trip to geek mecca San Diego Comic-Con for Robert Mond to realise what his first feature needed to be.