We acknowledge and respect the Traditional Owners of lands across Australia, their Elders, Ancestors, cultures and heritage, and recognise the continuing sovereignties of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nations.

We respectfully acknowledge the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation, who are the Traditional Owners of the land on which the ACTF is based and pay our respect to their Elders past and present.

We are honoured to have the opportunity to learn from the oldest cultural storytellers in the world and seek to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander practitioners to share their rich culture and perspectives with children in Australia and around the world via stories on screen.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this website may contain images, voices or names of deceased persons in photographs, film, audio recordings or text.

National Screenwriters Conference – Is Kids Leading The Way?

The National Screenwriters Conference is a premier industry event and every year it delights attendees with three days of lectures, masterclasses and more. The ACTF is proud to have sponsored this year’s event, held at the Silverwater Resort, Phillip Island, Victoria from the 9^th to 11^th of March. As always, the event hosted a wealth of talent from Australia and overseas, with experts in everything from pre-school animation to prime time drama all coming together to be inspired.

On Thursday afternoon, ACTF Head of Development and Production, Bernadette O’Mahony chaired a discussion that shone a spotlight on Australia’s recent award winning children’s and family content. The panel titled “IS KIDS LEADING THE WAY?” included speakers Peter Ivan – screenwriter of the hit family film Oddball, Chris Rose – ABC Children’s Television Commissioning Editor and Liz Doran – the AACTA Award winning screenwriter of Ready For This. The session was well attended by screenwriters and producers who were eager to understand the success of recent family films and quality live action children’s dramas. In the last three years alone standout series like Little Lunch, Ready For This, Nowhere Boys and Dance Academy have been adored by audiences and critics alike. Meanwhile 2015 was an outstanding year for Australian film, with family favourites Oddball and Paper Planes winning at the box office races with quality, heartfelt storytelling. It was a pleasure to see so many screenwriters getting inspired to add to Australia’s reputation for producing great children’s entertainment.