Looking Ahead at Screen Trends

Friday 9 February

10am AEST

If you’re a producer or creator looking at what lies ahead for the Australian screen industry, join us for this exclusive panel with members of Australia’s national and state screen agencies to gaze ahead into the filmmaking trends of 2024. Featuring Kate Croser (CEO of South Australia Film Corporation), Ross Hutchens (Director, Content & Talent of VicScreen), Mark Lazarus (Senior Manager of Screen NSW), Jacqui Feeney (CEO of Screen Queensland), and Jennie Hughes (Director of Screen Territory), hear from their expertise knowledge as they analyse what’s in store in this fast-moving world and what the film industry can anticipate moving forward.

Featuring

Ross Hutchens - VicScreen

Ross has enjoyed a substantial career as both a senior executive within screen industry development agencies and as an independent screen producer. Having not only designed and managed a raft of industry assistance programs, but also driven significant change across two separate state funding bodies, Ross has a wealth of experience in reconciling the needs of industry with the objectives of Government.

A former partner with Australian production company Media World Pictures, Ross’ diverse range of producing credits include prime-time TV drama, children’s animation series, and feature films (both drama and documentary). His productions have garnered international acclaim winning the Silver Hugo for Best Miniseries (twice), a Human Rights Award, and a total of seven Australian Film Institute (now AACTA) Award nominations, including twice for Best Television Series.

Originally trained at AFTRS, Ross has also directed series drama for television.

Jacqui Feeney - Screen Queensland

Jacqui Feeney commenced as Screen Queensland CEO in late July 2023. Previously she held senior management roles at leading national and global media and entertainment companies including Fox Networks Group, National Geographic, Foxtel, SBS World Movies where she led major commissions and growth initiatives. 

Jacqui is experienced in innovation, strategic partnerships, balancing commercial and creative imperatives for large enterprises. Through her business Zinn & Co, she’s been an advisor, executive coach, and consultant to business founders across start-ups and the independent production sector — with a strong focus on supporting the next generation of innovation champions. 

Jacqui has held a range of board responsibilities — including directorships with start-up incubator Fishburners, Foxtel joint-ventures Nickelodeon and XYZ, the ASTRA industry association, plus NFPs Documentary Australia and the Sydney Film Festival where she was the chair.

She strongly believes in fostering great storytelling as a powerful force for positive change in society.

Jacqui holds a Bachelor of Arts from Macquarie University, a Graduate Diploma in Business Administration from UTS and a GAICD from Company Directors.

Kate Croser - South Australian Film Corporation

Kate Croser is the Chief Executive Officer of the South Australian Film Corporation and an Emmy award-winning film and television producer. Kate's work has been nominated for and won AACTA Awards and screened at the world’s most prestigious international film festivals. Kate has established a number of successful independent production companies including Hedone Productions, nominated for Australian Screen Business of the Year at the 2015 Screen Producers Australia Awards.

Kate currently serves as a Committee for Economic Development Australia (CEDA) Trustee, SA Chapter Chair for Chief Executive Women (CEW) and as a member of the SA Leaders for Gender Equity. Kate also serves as a member of the Board of Ausfilm and the University of Adelaide’s Creativity and Culture Industry Advisory Board. Kate previously served on the Board of the South Australian Film Corporation, and was a Councillor for Screen Producers Australia.

In 2020, Kate was named by the Advertiser as one of South Australia’s top 50 most influential people and earlier this year, Kate was selected as a finalist in The Advertiser Sunday Mail Woman of the Year Awards – Leader of the Year category.

Jennie Hughes

Jennie Hughes joined Screen Territory in August 2018 and has guided the agency through a period of significant growth and change.   Since joining Jennie has lead the roll-out of a range of stimulus programs including the $1.480 Enterprise Program, secured additional funding for the agency and overseen record levels of production including high end scripted series spanning Desert King for Netflix, Maverix for the ABC and Netflix, True Colours for SBS and Barrumbi Kids for NITV and ACTF along with observational documentaries Outback Ringer Series 2 for the ABC and Matt Wrights Wild Territory for Nine Network and Netflix.   Prior to joining Screen Territory Jennie held senior positions at SBS; CEO New York Film Academy;   COO Screen Queensland; Festival Director, BIFF; Executive Director Open Channel; Head of Programming Ovation Channel and Executive VP Macquarie Filmed Investments where she managed three funds totalling $65.2 million. Jennie is an experienced financier and her company International Film Group held financing partnerships with the UK’s Ingenious and Royal Bank of Scotland.  Jennie has participated in screen industry reviews and was appointed by the Australian Government as Chair of the Investment Committee for the Strategic Industry Leaders Group review of Digital Content. Jennie was Chair of the SBS Gender Equality Group and  Board member of the Australian Film Institute/AACTA and the Central Coast Arts Centre.  She is currently a member of Ausfilm’s Workforce Capacity Working Group and under her leadership Screen Territory won the 2022 Chief Minister’s Award for Excellence in Building a Strong Economy.

Mark Lazarus

Mark is an award-winning producer and highly experienced production and development

executive. He is currently senior manager of destination attraction for Screen New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.  His role is to attract and facilitate international production for the state. Currently, He and his team recently assisted major international productions that shot in NSW including Anyone But You, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and The Fall Guy,  

As head of creative and acquisitions at Arclight Films, he produced Guardians of the Tomb, an official Australian/Chinese co-production starring Li Bingbing, Kellan Lutz and Kelsey Grammer.  He also executive produced Greg Mclean’s Jungle starring Daniel Radcliffe.

He produced The Loved Ones, winner of the Cadillac People’s Choice Award for TIFF’s Midnight Madness sidebar in 2009, now on Rotten Tomatoes’ list of the top ten horror films of the decade. Other films he produced include Australian Rules, (International Humanitas Certificate Winner at Sundance), and Restraint, starring Travis Fimmel, Steven Moir and Teresa Palmer.

Mark was also a drama investment manager at Screen Australia where he worked on financing and management of a slate of feature films and television drama series. As head of development and acquisitions for Ocean Pictures, he acquired Phillip Noyce’s Rabbit-Proof Fence.

His first executive role was as creative affairs executive at Fox Icon Productions (Fox Searchlight and Mel Gibson’s Icon Productions joint venture).