AACTA ScreenFest hears from top industry names

Public and industry alike can hear from some of the biggest names in entertainment in a free online festival, AACTA ScreenFest, including creatives from Star Wars, Game Of Thrones and Wentworth.

AACTA CEO Damian Trewhella said, “In a year where screen entertainment has mattered more than ever, we’re proud to provide a free program that allows everyone – from fans and students, to emerging and established content creators – to connect with some of the world’s best and brightest minds in screen.

“As the screen industry continues to diversify and evolve so too is AACTA’s programming. We’re delighted to feature gaming events for the first time, alongside events with TikTok and YouTube creators and reality TV casting directors, encouraging people from all walks of life to make ‘screen’ happen.

“We’re thrilled that ScreenFest is part of this year’s AACTA Awards events, which will be held online and in Sydney, home of the AACTA Awards, and we thank Destination NSW for a decade of support as we celebrate our very special 10^th anniversary of the AACTA Awards this year.”

AACTA will present over 40 free online events as part of ScreenFest, including cast and crew conversations, masterclasses, international film and TV showcases, the best short films made this year, special event screenings, online gaming events as well as sessions with social media content creators.

Talented on-screen and behind-the-scenes names form an important part of ScreenFest, including Anna Torv (Mindhunter, Secret City) and cinematographer Greig Fraser, fresh from his Emmy win for The Mandalorian and ahead of the hotly anticipated Dune and The Batman. Australian Production Designer and four-time Emmy winner Deborah Riley will also take audiences behind the curtains of Game Of Thrones, while Australia’s Oscar-winning short filmmakers Shaun Tan and Adam Elliot will lead masterclasses on drawing for screen, story formation and animation.

A range of Australian screen favourites will also be embraced during the festival with in-conversation sessions with the cast and crew of Wentworth, a special monochromatic screening of the AACTA Award-winning Mad Max: Fury Road, and a short film festival culminating in a countdown to determine Australia’s best short film of the last decade.

In a first for AACTA, ScreenFest will also offer gaming events, with high profile local players unpacking the world’s most popular online game – League Of Legends, which attracts up to 120 million players each month – and the Epic Games team behind the Unreal Engine who will discuss the future possibilities for the technology in storytelling production and visual effects.

AACTA ScreenFest will be held online from Friday 27 November to Wednesday 2 December 2020. Events are free, but bookings are essential at screenfest.com.au.

More events will be announced in the coming weeks.

AACTA ScreenFest incorporates the AACTA Industry Awards presented by Foxtel, streaming via www.screenfest.com.au on Friday 27 November at 6.30pm, which has been made possible by Cutting Edge. The AACTA Industry Awards will also air on Foxtel Arts at 6.30pm, Friday 27 November.

A reimagined celebration will be broadcast on Channel 7, Wednesday 2 December, along with highlights from the 2020 AACTA Awards presented by Foxtel Ceremony.

TV Tonight is a partner of the 2020 AACTA Awards.