Speaker Details

Full Name
Jane Nice
Company
Icon Film Distribution
Title
Head of Development
Country (Address)
Australia
Biography
The DENDY ICON GROUP is one of Australia’s leading independent entertainment companies comprising ICON PRODUCTIONS, ICON FILM DISTRIBUTION, DENDY CINEMAS and ICON FILM FINANCE. The group is owned by Mel Gibson and long-time producing partner Bruce Davey,
who are the key principals behind the independent film company Icon Productions. Credits for Icon Productions include critically acclaimed and award-winning titles such as Braveheart, What Women Want, The Passion of the Christ, We Were Soldiers and Apocalypto.

Icon expanded into film distribution in 2002. Icon Film Distribution sources content from the world’s most prestigious film festivals, international film-markets and directly from producers. It is an ‘all rights’ business that distributes content throughout theatrical, home entertainment, ancillary, pay per view, digital and television. Some notable Australian releases include Last Cab to Darwin, Hotel Mumbai and Hacksaw Ridge. The most recent Australian film releases include the Australian feature-length documentaries A Fire Inside and Firestarter: The Story of Bangarra Dance Theatre; In 2008, Icon acquired one of Australia’s leading independent cinema chains, Dendy Cinemas. Founded in 1940, Dendy Cinemas now operates over 50 screens across NSW, QLD and ACT.

Launched in 2020, Icon Film Finance provides cashflow financing for both film and television production in Australia. With the introduction of Icon Film Finance, the Dendy Icon Group can provide a one-stop destination for the end-to-end facilitation of production financing, distribution, and exhibition. Core to its values is a commitment to support independent Australian producers to tell their stories to the world.

Jane has been with Icon since 2016 in various roles within Development and was appointed Head of Development in 2019. With a strong foundation in script analysis and film development, Jane and the team at Icon, is working with Australian filmmakers to bring their quintessentially Australian films to life on the big screen.
What we're looking for from Ready, Steady, Pitch!
Icon has traditionally been drawn to female driven dramas that have universal themes and naturally engage an older female audience. As the theatrical landscape has evolved over the last few years, Icon would now consider itself more of a broad-church in terms of the content we are looking for. We are looking for well-told, theatrical feature films that will have commercial appeal. We are after original, strong stories that will resonate with cinema going audiences across Australia and New Zealand and beyond.

As part of their pitch, filmmakers should have a strong logline that encapsulates the film in an engaging and precise way. They should know who their audience will be, and some show and tell / look book material would be helpful too.
Jane Nice