AACTA Festival 2027 program and ambassadors announced as tickets go on sale – The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) has unveiled the first line-up of events for the 2027 AACTA Festival, which returns to the Gold Coast from 3 to 7 February 2027. Tickets are on sale now.
AACTA has also named its first 2027 AACTA Festival Ambassadors: Australian actors Chloe Hayden (Heartbreak High), Christopher Chung (Slow Horses, My Brilliant Career), Gemma Chua-Tran (Dustfall, Heartbreak High) and George Pullar (Posthumous).
The 2027 event also brings a new presenting partner, with BINGE now presenting the AACTA Awards. Foxtel Group presented last year’s awards, as TV Central reported when AACTA announced its 2026 Festival line-up, which also featured Hayden.
Over five days, the festival will transform HOTA, Home of the Arts, into a hub of film, television and creativity. It brings together some of the biggest names in Australian and international screen entertainment. It runs alongside the AACTA Awards presented by BINGE and the AACTA Industry Awards Gala.
Through premieres, exclusive screenings, Q&A conversations and live demonstrations, the festival aims to bring audiences closer to the people behind their favourite films and series. AACTA says it will unveil more program highlights, including premieres and special guests, in the coming months.
According to AACTA, the festival continues to establish itself as one of the most important celebrations of Australian screen. It welcomes more than 15,000 visitors to the Gold Coast across hundreds of events and participants.
AACTA Festival 2027 program highlights
The 2027 program lets audiences explore the craft of filmmaking with the people who know it best. It ranges from the creative decisions behind some of cinema’s most memorable moments to the next generation of Australian screen stories.
- Emmy Award-winning costume designer Molly Rogers (Sex and the City, And Just Like That, Ugly Betty) takes audiences inside the wardrobe of The Devil Wears Prada 2.
- Australian director Patrick Hughes goes behind the action of War Machine, which AACTA describes as this year’s most-watched Netflix film.
- Music supervisor Jemma Burns explores how music shapes what we see and feel on screen in a dedicated music deconstruction.
- Acclaimed Australian filmmaker Justin Kurzel breaks down key scenes from Snowtown, Macbeth and Nitram, revealing how he builds tension and draws powerful performances from his cast.
- A director showcase with Jeffrey Walker explores his work on the recent Queensland-shot productions Bull, Who the Hell Is Hamish?, Allen and Fing!.
In addition, with Yellowjackets entering its final season, Australian stars Liv Hewson and Courtney Eaton will lead a discussion on the series’ enduring impact.
Actors Temuera Morrison, Chloe Hayden and Christopher Chung also feature in the program. They are joined by acclaimed storyteller Leah Purcell and bestselling author Diana Reid, who will explore adapting Sense & Sensibility for the screen. Meanwhile, a range of Actor on Actor conversations and Meet the AACTA Nominees sessions will bring audiences closer to Australia’s leading screen talent.
Bruce Beresford, Dean Semler and Owen Paterson
In a rare live demonstration, AACTA Longford Lyell Award recipient Bruce Beresford will rehearse actors on stage in a scene from the upcoming The Ballad of Les Darcy.
Oscar-winning Australian cinematographer Dean Semler will revisit the action and sweeping landscapes of Dances with Wolves and Apocalypto. Australian production designer Owen Paterson also explores the worlds he helped create, from The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert to Captain America.
Christopher Chung on becoming an AACTA Festival Ambassador
I’m incredibly proud to be joining AACTA as a Festival Ambassador. Australia has always been home, and while my career has taken me around the world, it’s only deepened my appreciation for the extraordinary talent and stories that come out of our country. Australian storytelling has such a distinct voice, and it’s exciting to see our industry continue to grow and make its mark on the world stage. I think it’s more important than ever that we champion the diversity of voices and perspectives that make Australian storytelling so unique, while creating opportunities for the next generation of talent. I’m thrilled to be part of a festival that celebrates not only how far we’ve come, but also the exciting future of our industry.
Christopher Chung, AACTA Festival Ambassador
Fortitude Valley and Tough Love world premieres
The screening program includes the world premiere of the Australian BINGE Original Tough Love, starring Miranda Otto, Rick Donald, Jay Ryan and Hugo Johnstone-Burt.
The Queensland production Fortitude Valley will also have a red-carpet world premiere at the festival. Hunter Page-Lochard, Kat Stewart and Rupert Everett lead the cast of the Brisbane-set ABC crime series. Sian Davies directs the series, and AACTA will announce further premieres and screenings.
What the Queensland Government says
Queensland Minister for the Arts John-Paul Langbroek said the AACTA Festival would once again put Queensland in the spotlight.
The AACTAs bring some of the biggest names in film and television to the Gold Coast, showcasing Queensland’s screen industry, creative talent and world-class destinations to audiences around the world. The 2027 event is anticipated to generate more than 10,300 visitor nights and deliver more than $5.8 million for Queensland, supporting our accommodation, hospitality and tourism businesses and the local jobs they create. Through Queensland’s Time to Shine and Destination 2045, the Crisafulli Government is growing our creative economy, backing Queensland’s screen sector and securing the major events that keep Queensland front and centre on the national and international stage.
John-Paul Langbroek, Queensland Minister for the Arts
Screen Queensland CEO Jacqui Feeney also highlighted the program’s local focus.
The 2027 AACTA Festival delivers an array of events connecting audiences and the next generation of Queensland filmmakers with the Australian screen sector’s leading lights. The program profiles acclaimed talent like Queensland director Jeffrey Walker, presents premiere events including the Brisbane series Fortitude Valley, as well as opening industry pathways through the Screen Careers Expo.
Jacqui Feeney, Screen Queensland CEO
PROOF shorts and the Screen Careers Expo
The first short films produced through the PROOF initiative will premiere at the 2027 AACTA Festival. Screen Queensland and the Gold Coast Film Festival deliver the initiative, with support from Invest Gold Coast, Panavision, Sony and The Post Lounge.
The three proof-of-concept shorts, DEADLINE, THE WATER TANK and TICK, TICK, TICK, showcase some of Queensland’s most promising emerging creative teams. They will screen in competition before a special Grand Jury. The jury will then select a winning project with the potential to become a feature film.
We’re thrilled to be returning to the Gold Coast for another year of the AACTA Awards and Festival. The 2027 program brings together an incredible mix of established industry leaders, emerging talent and some of the most exciting voices in Australian screen. The AACTA Screen Careers Expo, presented by Essential Screen Skills, is another important part of the Festival, giving aspiring creatives the opportunity to connect directly with industry professionals, explore career pathways and gain valuable insights into working in the screen industry. We’re proud to create a space that not only celebrates Australia’s screen talent but also inspires and supports the next generation.
Ivan Vukusic, AACTA Awards and Industry Development Manager
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate added his support.
It’s lights, camera and action time for the fourth AACTA Festival on the Gold Coast. Through strong partnerships, we are growing the screen industry and supporting emerging talent locally, and nationally. AACTA plays a pivotal role in this growth and I look forward to the 2027 festival.
Tom Tate, Gold Coast Mayor
Meet the 2027 AACTA Festival Ambassadors
According to AACTA, this year’s ambassadors reflect the diversity and global impact of Australian screen storytelling.
- Chloe Hayden – The Australian actor, author and disability advocate is best known for her breakout role as Quinni Gallagher-Jones in Netflix’s Heartbreak High, which earned her the 2022 AACTA Audience Choice Award for Best Actress.
- Christopher Chung – The Australian actor is a BAFTA Award nominee for his role in the acclaimed series Slow Horses. He also stars in the 2026 television adaptation of My Brilliant Career.
- Gemma Chua-Tran – Since her breakout role in Netflix’s Heartbreak High, she has won an AACTA Award for her work in Lesbian Space Princess and currently appears in Dustfall on ABC. She will soon star in the action comedy feature Kung Fu Deadly and alongside Sydney Sweeney and Noah Centineo in the Netflix feature Gundam.
- George Pullar – The Queensland-born actor, writer and producer is making his mark across Australian film and television, with screen credits including Posthumous and Evil Dead Burn.
Experience Gold Coast CEO John Warn said the city was ready to welcome the festival back.
The Gold Coast is no stranger to the spotlight, and we’re thrilled to once again roll out the red carpet for the AACTA Awards and Festival at HOTA, Home of the Arts. With some of the biggest names in Australian film and television set to descend on our city, AACTA Festival is another opportunity to showcase the Gold Coast as a destination where creativity, culture and world-class events shine. Beyond the red carpet, visitors can experience everything that makes the Gold Coast a star attraction, from our iconic beaches and incredible dining to our thriving arts and cultural scene.
John Warn, Experience Gold Coast CEO
AACTA Festival 2027 key dates and tickets
Tickets are now on sale for the AACTA Awards Ceremony presented by BINGE, the AACTA Industry Awards Gala and Live by the Lake, as well as the festival events. Everything takes place at HOTA, Home of the Arts, on the Gold Coast.
- AACTA Awards Industry Gala: Wednesday 3 February 2027
- AACTA Festival Industry Conference Day: Thursday 4 February 2027
- AACTA Awards Ceremony and Official After Party: Friday 5 February 2027
- AACTA Screen Careers Expo: Saturday 6 February 2027
- AACTA Festival: Wednesday 3 February to Sunday 7 February 2027
The AACTA Awards are presented by BINGE and supported by the Queensland Government, through Tourism and Events Queensland and Screen Queensland, and Experience Gold Coast.
For more TV Central AACTA news, head here. For tickets and the full festival program, visit the AACTA Festival website.