SCREEN FOREVER / News / International Guests Announced
SCREEN FOREVER 38 Announces First International Guests
23 Nov 2023
Today, Screen Producers Australia (SPA) is thrilled to announce the first three international guests taking part in SCREEN FOREVER 38 sessions and SPA Connect Market opportunities in-person from 19-21 March 2024 on Queensland’s glittering Gold Coast.
From the UK, Head Gear Films Founder and CEO Phil Hunt will be attending SCREEN FOREVER for the first time in over a decade, on the hunt for Australia’s ‘next big hit’. Head Gear Films is a leading financier of independent film, TV and games projects and has been partnering with producers for over 20 years to help bring productions like Churchill, You Won’t be Alone, The Kill Room and critically acclaimed Australian indie film Talk To Me to audiences internationally.
Having produced or executive produced over 500 feature films, and investing in roughly 40 projects a year, Phil is an industry power player with a wealth of knowledge and will share some of his insights onstage and in SPA Connect Market meetings.
“Last time I came to SCREEN FOREVER was around 15 years ago and am very happy that I’m coming back to spend a few days with Australian film and TV business professionals. I’ve now Exec Produced and financed over 100 movies in Australia including many global hits like Talk To Me. It’s a country that is very dear to me, with some incredible talent, wonderful people, and beautiful culture. It feels like my second home,” said Phil.
Rodrigo Herrera Ibarguengoytia is the Vice President of Scripted Acquisitions and Co-Productions at Red Arrow Studios International, global TV distributor and a subsidiary of Seven.One Studios, a leading creator and distributor of entertainment content.
Based in Germany, Rodrigo oversees all scripted development and acquisition activities, working directly with production companies and creatives, with the aim of packaging, co-financing, and co-producing projects.
Red Arrow is a key player in bringing Australian stories to international audiences and has helped close a myriad of content deals for Australian comedies and dramas in 2024 alone, including titles Australian Gangster, Bad Mothers, Squinters, Summer Love, and most recently While the Men are Away.
SCREEN FOREVER 38 delegates will have the chance to secure meetings with Rodrigo in SPA Connect Market sessions and wow one of the most prolific screen executives whose passion is bringing projects to life.
“We've been delighted by our recent collaborations with exceptional talent in Australia and New Zealand, uncovering exciting perspectives that offer bold, distinctive concepts. While these connections have flourished from a distance, I'm thrilled to be attending SCREEN FOREVER 38, eagerly seeking to deepen these ties and forge new collaborations that will bring an array of captivating stories to audiences worldwide," said Rodrigo.
Thirdly, delegates can hear from and pitch to Ava Mustos, Associate Director of Acquisitions at FIFTH SEASON, a global film and TV studio. Ava attended SCREEN FOREVER 37 earlier in 2023 and will attend again to foster new business relationships in Australia.
FIFTH SEASON’s slate of premium scripted content includes the Emmy-winning Severance for Apple TV+, Jack Thorne’s BBC One drama Best Interests, crime drama Tokyo Vice for Max and Nine Perfect Strangers for Hulu, alongside Australian titles such as courtroom drama The Twelve for Foxtel, comedic drama Strife for Foxtel Group’s Binge, the Amazon Original The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart starring Sigourney Weaver, gripping drama One Night for Paramount+ and dramedy series Wolf Like Me starring Josh Gad and Isla Fisher for Peacock and Stan.
Delegates can look forward to hearing from Ava who will bring valuable insights and understanding of the international market to conference, and potentially have the opportunity to pitch their project to an executive who could breathe life into their project(s).
Ava said: “The last edition of Screen Forever was a great experience and I had so many productive and engaging conversations, as well as being presented with an array of unique local projects. At FIFTH SEASON, we have a robust slate of premium, fresh and talent-driven Australian-rooted content that is ideal for global audiences – including some exciting upcoming projects that we are deficit financing or co-producing with international partners – and SCREEN FOREVER provides an ideal springboard for unearthing these type of collaboration opportunities. I can’t wait to return to the Gold Coast and explore new opportunities with both new and existing partners.”
More information on SCREEN FOREVER 38 can be found at www.screenforever.org.au, and after a completely sold-out event in 2022 and 2023, delegates are encouraged to register early to secure their spot.
The full SCREEN FOREVER 38 program will be announced in mid-February 2024.
SCREEN FOREVER is proudly supported by the Queensland Government, through Screen Queensland.
Screen Producers Australia respectfully acknowledges the people of the Yugambeh language region, the traditional owners of the lands on which we meet. We thank the traditional custodians for welcoming us all onto their lands.
We acknowledge and pay respects to them and all their descendants both past and present. We also acknowledge the many Aboriginal people from other regions as well as Torres Strait and South Sea Islander people who now live in the local area and have made an important contribution to the community.