A groundbreaking television summit will be held over three days in Melbourne from July 15-17, at ACMI. Announced today by Australians in Film, Screen Australia and VicScreen, Future Vision is described as ‘a think tank and industry conference for courageous ideas’.
The headline guests for the inaugural conference are: three-time Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner Lee Sung Jin, who created, wrote, executive produced and directed the multi-award-winning Netflix series Beef; and the award-winning co-showrunner, executive producer and director from The Bear, Joanna Calo, who has also written on Hacks and BoJack Horseman.
Read: Beef on Netflix – cheat sheet
The headline guests, Lee Sung Jin and Joanna Calo said jointly:
‘We are thrilled to be a part of Future Vision, as we are both very near-sighted. From Talk to Me, to The Slap, to all things George Miller, Baz Luhrmann and countless other incredible filmmakers, we have long been fans of Australia’s film and television community and look forward to learning more and discussing the FUTURE of storytelling, both locally and beyond.’
Co-Chairs of the summit are Australian TV leaders Bruna Papandrea (Big Little Lies, The Undoing) and Tony Ayres (The Slap, Clickbait). The Creative Director of the summit is producer and executive Rebecca Yeldham (The Gift, Motorcycle Diaries), who previously led the content team at MasterClass, overseeing the creation of classes with the likes of Annie Leibovitz, David Lynch, Margaret Atwood and Martin Scorsese. Yeldham is also a former director of the Los Angeles Film Festival.
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Ayres, Papandrea, and Yeldham said jointly: ‘We are absolutely thrilled to be welcoming Lee Sung Jin and Joanna Calo to the inaugural Future Vision in Melbourne. Their award-winning and highly acclaimed work, while uniquely grounded and bold, is universally enjoyed. The theme of this year’s Future Vision is Courage, and we could not think of two better TV creators in the world that represent this in their work.’
Future Vision – two components
The announcement describes Future Vision as an innovative think tank ‘designed to advance of the craft of premium episodic storytelling in Australia, by bringing established local television professionals together with some of the world’s leading television creators and executives.
‘By forging meaningful creative exchanges and commercial opportunities, Future Vision will seek to provide a long-lasting and positive impact on Australia’s screen industry, ensuring our stories resonate across the globe.’
The event will have two components: an invite-only series of workshops; and a broader industry-facing conference. Together, these will aim to engage established industry creatives in intimate working sessions, along with high-level networking events and larger, industry conversations.
Screen Australia CEO Grainne Brunsdon said: ‘This summit provides an unrivalled opportunity to nurture and celebrate Australian screen talent on a global platform – ensuring our stories continue to travel well and resonate with audiences around the world.’
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Peter Richie, Executive Director of Australians in Film said:
‘Australian television stories are now being consumed around the world, more than ever before, but the actual commissioning of our stories has never been more competitive. FUTURE VISION, created with the incredible support of Screen Australia and VicScreen under the leadership of three acclaimed Australians – Bruna Papandrea, Tony Ayres and Rebecca Yeldham – is designed to inspire courage in both creation and commissioning, and expand the international audiences for Australian premium television and narrative comedy. We also hope to arm Australian creatives with the knowledge and skills to adapt to the massive changes and shifting economics happening internationally.
Future Vision is also supported by the ABC, Binge, Netflix and Stan and the Venue Partner is ACMI. Further announcements regarding sessions, speakers and tickets will be announced soon.
