Screen Australia has selected six individuals and two creative teams to travel to New York in 2024 as part of the Talent USA: New York program, where they will attend the Australian International Screen Forum (25 to 29 March 2024).
The Talent USA program presents a significant opportunity for Australian creators to learn and network on the ground in the US, and take part in professional development activities with access to and support of international mentors.
Screen Australia’s Director of Content Grainne Brunsdon said, “We are delighted to support this cohort of dynamic Australian creators, and look forward to guiding and promoting them over the coming months. Attending the Australian International Screen Forum in New York is an amazing opportunity to establish and nurture new and existing connections, and the extensive exposure these creators receive will be invaluable to their careers and their distinctive storytelling voices.”
Australian International Screen Forum Co-founder and Executive Director Michael Kelleher said, “It is always exciting to see a new group of visionary artists who are reshaping the landscape of Australian storytelling and next year’s Talent USA group are no exception.”
“From Enoch Mailangi’s ground-breaking comedy series to Noora Niasari’s evocative storytelling, each delegate exemplifies the innovative spirit and diverse storytelling that Australian cinema and television proudly offer to the world. Alongside our partner Screen Australia, we’re excited to provide the platform for their continued success on the global stage,” said Kelleher.
The Australian International Screen Forum at the Lincoln Center in New York brings together outstanding actors, filmmakers, producers and industry to guide the next generation of outstanding Australian talent. In addition to attending the forum, the delegates will take part in industry roundtables, panel discussions, mentoring, pitching and strategic consultations with a selection of influential New York-based screen professionals.
Talent USA: New York 2023 attendees:
Enoch Mailangi: A recent MFA graduate of the National Institute of Dramatic Arts. Enoch was a 2019-2021 Sydney Theatre Company Emerging Playwright and a current Urban Theatre Project Resident Artist. They created and wrote the five-part Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) winning comedy series for ABC iview, All My Friends are Racist, which had its international premiere at Series Mania. Mailangi has written across several series including Stan Original’s Year Of, SBS’s While The Men Are Away, ABC Kids’ Crazy Fun Park and the upcoming Stan Original series Invisible Boys.
Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes: A writing/directing duo from Sydney, Australia. Their sophomore feature SISSY opened both the SXSW and Sydney Film Festival Midnighters programs, won multiple audience awards internationally and earned three AACTA nominations, including Best Direction and Best Film. The pair’s first feature together, For Now, which they also starred in, was nominated for best film at multiple international film festivals. Barlow and Senes are currently developing their latest feature, COOCH, with the assistance of Screen Australia development funding.
Hannah Carroll Chapman: An award-winning screenwriter and the creator of the hit Netflix series Heartbreak High. Spending over a month after its release in the Global Top Ten Series on Netflix, Heartbreak High won the AACTA Audience Choice Award for Best Television Series, and was nominated for the AACTA Best Drama Series Award. For her pilot episode, Chapman took home the AACTA Award for Best Screenplay and garnered an Australian Writers Guild (AWGIE) Award nomination, as well as a nomination for the NSW Premier’s Literary Award for Best Screenplay for her finale episode. Her writing on the ABC Television Drama The Heights also earned Chapman both an AWGIE and a Screen Producers Award nomination. Prior to screenwriting, Chapman contributed to shows such as Downtown Abbey, The Borrowers and Whitechapel as a production operator for London-based production company Carnival Films, and to a number of series produced by Matchbox Pictures, notably The Slap, Nowhere Boys and Glitch, as a member of their development team. She has several projects currently in development.
Imogen McCluskey: An award-winning writer/director whose debut feature film Suburban Wildlife was runner up for the Audience Award at Sydney Film Festival. She made her TV debut directing Season 1 of the ABC ME series Soundtrack to Our Teenage Zombie Apocalypse. Her short film Atomic Love has screened at festivals including Outfest, BFI Flare, Edmonton, Encounters, Melbourne Queer Film Festival and Short of the Week. Her comedy series Love Bug has over 4 million views on TikTok, receiving nominations from both the Australian Directors’ and Writers’ Guilds. McCluskey recently graduated from the American Film Institute Conservatory Program with a Masters in Directing. She is currently developing a TV adaptation of Atomic Love and her sophomore feature film DIAL-UP, with the assistance of Screen Australia development funding.
Michelle Brasier and Sam Lingham: Collaborators known for their work on some of Australia’s most well-known scripted comedy. Brasier is an actor, writer, singer and comedian who’s toured the world with her critically acclaimed comedy-as-philosophy live shows. She has written for YOLO: Crystal Fantasy (Adult Swim), YOLO: Silver Destiny (Adult Swim), Aunty Donna’s Coffee Cafe (ABC) and Why Are You Like This (ABC, Netflix). Lingham is a stage director, writer and EP known for Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House of Fun (Netflix), ABC series Aunty Donna’s Coffee Cafe (ABC) and Aunty Donna’s live shows. Brasier and Lingham are currently in development for the Screen Australia funded feature film The Alien Abduction of Emily Hill.
Noora Niasari: A Tehran-born, Australia raised writer/director/producer and – alongside Keiran Watson-Bonnice – Co-Founder of Parandeh Pictures. A graduate of architecture and cinema, her debut feature film Shayda – starring Zar Amir Ebrahimi (Cannes Best Actress Winner for Holy Spider) and executive produced by Cate Blanchett – premiered in the World Dramatic Competition of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival where it won the Audience Award and was sold to Sony Pictures Classics. Shayda was the Opening Night Gala Film of the 71st Melbourne International Film Festival, the Closing Night film of the 76th Locarno Film Festival, Official Selection at the 48th Toronto International Film Festival, 28th Busan International Film Festival, 67th BFI London Film Festival, Young Talent Award recipient at the 31st Filmfest Hamburg and winner of Cine- festOZ, Australia’s richest film prize. Shayda is Australia’s official submission for Best International Feature Film at the 2024 Academy Awards. Niasari also received the award for Best Direction in a Feature Film (Budget $1M or over) at the 2023 Australian Directors’ Guild (ADG).
Paddy Macrae: An executive producer and writer who has held multiple roles in scripted development since 2015. Macrae has worked across the drama slate at Matchbox Pictures on projects including Barracuda, Glitch, Seven Types of Ambiguity, and all three seasons of Wanted for Channel Seven and Netflix. He holds a BA of Film and TV from Swinburne and an MA in Screenwriting from the Victorian College of the Arts. Most recently Macrae was executive producer, creator, and writer on his first original series, 10 x 1 hour drama Irreverent, for Netflix and NBC Peacock. He is currently developing a slate of original TV series and feature films.
Tristram Baumber: A writer with a lifelong passion for screen storytelling, Baumber is the co-creator and executive producer of ABC TV’s The PM’s Daughter, which was nominated for an AACTA Award for Best Children’s Program. He was also a writer on the ABC’s 2023 reboot of Mother & Son. Baumber wrote for 2021 series Born To Spy, as well as Netflix and ABC’s 2019 series The Unlisted and Matt Okine’s sitcom, The Other Guy for Stan and Hulu. From 2017 to 2019, Baumber was in-house writer for Aquarius Films, working on a variety of feature and television scripts across genres. His children’s sitcom #bosslyfe and rom-com feature Faking Christmas are currently in development. In 2014 Baumber created and wrote the TV comedy Timothy, starring Stephen Curry and Denise Scott for ABC TV.
