Australians in Film and Screen Australia have announced the participants for the 2026 Untapped Development Lab, a program designed to support Australian screenwriters and directors to build creative partnerships with international collaborators in the United States screen industry and beyond.
Untapped returns from prior years, with key tweaks to evolve from a project-specific development program to one that allows for ‘broader professional development.’ Participants will be matched with industry mentors and take part in a ‘curated program of sessions’ with Australian and international screen professionals providing their expertise.
On the other side, there is hope participants will emerge with the skills, knowledge and connections they need to build sustainable screen careers and develop further within Australia and overseas.
‘Through mentorship, industry access and practical career development, participants will deepen their understanding of the global screen landscape and develop strategies for navigating an increasingly international industry,’ the Australians in Film team says.
Untapped Development Lab 2026 participants – quick links
The participants of Untapped Development Lab 2026
As shared, the following participants have been selected from a strong cohort of applicants:
Becki Bouchier (VIC) – Writer/Director
‘Becki Bouchier is a Singaporean-Australian writer and director based in Naarm/Melbourne. Her work spans both comedy and drama, championing female-driven stories. As a recipient of the SBS Emerging Writers’ Incubator, Becki spent 12 months working as staff writer for production company Sweetshop & Green, helping to develop their scripted slate of film and television projects. She was nominated for an Australian Writers’ Guild AWGIE Award and an Australian Directors’ Guild Award for her short film Snapshot, which had its world premiere at Austin Film Festival.’
Carly Brand (VIC) – Writer/Director
‘Carly Brand is a queer, female filmmaker based in Naarm/Melbourne. She recently graduated from the VCA with a Master of Film & Television. Her short film Nice Jewish Girl had its World premiere at BFI Flare in 2026 and has since been selected to screen at OUTSOUTH, Rio LGBTQIA+, the UK Jewish Film Festival and SJSFF. It was awarded Best Student Female Director and an Outstanding Achievement award for Best LGBTQ Short at Indie Short Fest.’
Leslie Hornung (WA) – Writer
‘Leslie Hornung is a Western Australian screenwriter and filmmaker based in Perth. He has built experience across writers’ rooms, script departments and production on Australian film and television, with credits including Two Birds (ITV/Stan), Mystery Road: Origin (ABC), The Twelve (Binge), Invisible Boys (Stan), Scrublands: Silver (Stan), Kid Snow and Whale Shark Jack (Stan).’
Joseph Meldrum (NSW) – Writer/Director
‘Joseph Meldrum is a proud queer Ghungalu/Bidjara/German filmmaker from the Northern Territory, Australia. Joseph’s career has taken him across Australia and North America since 2016 where he has been a Commissioning Editor (SBS/NITV), Acting Head of First Nations and Development/Investment Manager (Screen Australia), Content Director (Screen Queensland) and in production roles such as First Nations Producer (Secret DNA Of Us S2, SBS), Assistant Producer and Assistant Cam/Minicam Op (Gold Rush: Alaska Series 11 & 12, Discovery Channel) and in Lighting/Electrics (Peacemaker S1, Joy Ride, Midnight Mass S1, Two Sentence Horror Stories S1 & 2 and many more).’
Ellen Shanley (QLD) – Writer
‘Ellen Shanley is a screenwriter who studied Journalism before teaching high school English and Drama. In 2019, she completed UCLA’s Professional Program in Writing for Television and won the competition for best Drama Pilot. The following year, Ellen was shortlisted for AWG’s John Hinde Award and selected for both QWC’s Scriptable and Playlab Theatre’s Incubator Writing Program. In 2021, she received a Screen Queensland supported placement for Stowe’s Sidewalk Narrative Lab.’
All five participants will take part in pitch coaching as well as a Talent Showcase where ‘where they will present themselves as artists, sharing their creative voice, the stories they want to tell, their experience and career ambitions with leading industry professionals.’
Australians in Film and Screen Australia on the Untapped Developer Lab 2026
As Australians in Film says, this next stage of Untapped will follow on from its first – a series of masterclasses featuring some of Australia’s brightest screen talents, including Adrian Chiarella (Leviticus), Kalu Oji (Pasa Faho), AP Pobjoy (Homebodies) and Jasmine Yang (Glitch Productions).
Australians in Film and Screen Australia are enthusiastic about how the development lab will allow the selected participants to accelerate their screen careers.
‘As we’ve seen this year with the phenomenal U.S breakout hits like Obsession and Backrooms there continues to
be significant opportunities for new talent to break through internationally,’ Peter Ritchie, Executive Director of Australians in Film says.
‘With the support of our great partners at Screen Australia, we have redesigned Untapped this year to create a more robust professional development accelerator, one that gives emerging Australian creatives the relationships, insight and tools they need to build sustainable global careers.’
Screen Australia Head of International & Industry Partnerships Harry Avramidis says: ‘Supporting globally connected talent is critical to the continued success of the Australian screen industry. Untapped equips emerging writers and directors with the necessary skills and industry insights needed to navigate a competitive global marketplace.’
‘Together with Australians in Film, we are proud to support this exciting new generation of creators whose ambition, originality and unique perspectives will strengthen Australia’s screen sector both at home and globally.’
You can learn more about Untapped 2026 and the work of Australians in Film on its website.
