Finalists revealed for the annual AACTA Pitch: Regional Landscapes – Three bold new Australian stories are one step closer to the big screen.
The three regionally based screenwriters will now have the opportunity to develop their scripts through an intensive feature film development program, connecting finalists with acclaimed industry mentors, refine projects for the market and help bridge the gap from concept to production.
This year’s standout projects span gothic horror in the Northern Rivers, an animated adventure through the Blue Mountains, and a wildly original superhero story set in Newcastle.
The finalists will participate in an extended series of one-on-one development sessions, culminating in a script development workshop at AACTA Festival 2027 for the winning project.
THIS YEARS JUDGES:
- Deb Cox, co-founder of Every Cloud Productions, whose credits include The Gods of Wheat Street, East of Everything and Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries.
- Heath Davis, a multi award-winning filmmaker whose work spans Broke, Christmess, Book Week and Locusts.
- Sam Jennings, co-founder of Causeway Films alongside Kristina Ceyton, with credits including The Babadook, Bring Her Back and Talk to Me, with Causeway Films a recipient of the 2026 AACTA Byron Kennedy Award.
This year’s finalists are:
Good Bones — Theo Clarke
A young Aboriginal couple purchases their first home on the outskirts of South Lismore, only to uncover a colonial history that forces them to question everything.
Happy — Agatha Ozdowska
When an albino joey runs away to prove he’s ready to leave his mother’s pouch, he joins forces with a fugitive boxing kangaroo to cross the deadly Blue Mountains, forcing both to confront the trauma and secrets they’ve been hiding.
The Grub —Angela Collins, Adam Deusien
After accidentally swallowing a multicoloured moth before a radiation session for breast cancer, 20-year-old Ruby Gordon wakes up with strange symptoms-slash-superpowers and sets out to take on both her illness and the corporate criminals threatening her regional town.
The recipient of the 2026 AACTA Pitch: Regional Landscapes initiative will receive a comprehensive development package, including:
• Development support for their screenplay and industry pitch
• $5,000 in prize funding, including $1,000 cash and $4,000 toward development
• Industry connections through the Australian Writers’ Guild Pathways program
• Professional script development sessions with expert guidance
• Mentorship and feedback from a panel of industry judges
• Annual memberships to AACTA, Screenworks and the Australian Writers’ Guild
• Two tickets to the Screenworks Regional to Global Screen Forum
• One-on-one meetings with industry professionals at Screenworks Regional to Global
• Two tickets to the 2026 AACTA Awards Ceremony, including a discounted accommodation package
Media Release – AACTA
TV Central AACTA Awards HERE
Finalists revealed for the annual AACTA Pitch: Regional Landscapes
