International Buyers & Producers Ready To Do Business at SCREEN FOREVER 39 – Screen Producers Australia (SPA) today announced exciting details of seven more international guests coming to Queensland’s Gold Coast, all actively interested in working with Australian producers, participating in SCREEN FOREVER 39 sessions and the SPA Connect Market from Tuesday, 6 May – Thursday, 8 May 2025.
This year’s conference is shaping up to host one of the biggest and most impactful international delegations of the past decade. Delegates will gain unparalleled access to thought leaders and decision-makers, promising lucrative networking and deal-making opportunities.
Noel Hedges (UK), EVP of International Acquisitions and Co-productions at Lionsgate, will be on the ground at SCREEN FOREVER. With a history of working closely with independent producers worldwide acquiring TV content and a proven track record of driving global content strategies for one of the world’s leading entertainment companies, Noel will bring invaluable insights into international trends and co-production opportunities.
Noel’s participation in the SPA Connect Market presents opportunities for delegates to connect directly with a key decision-maker shaping the future of TV content worldwide.
Not only participating in the market, Noel will also be a panellist on the Australia vs the world – How to Secure an International Audience session, alongside prominent international distributor Sarah Tong (UK), Director of Sales at Hat Trick International.
Since 2008 Sarah has been running the distribution arm, Hat Trick International (HTI). Under her leadership, HTI has expanded significantly, evolving from an in-house distributor into a global entity representing content from over 30 producers worldwide.
With over 30 years of experience in distribution, Sarah is an expert in licensing and co-financing content across genres, including drama, comedy, factual programming, and entertainment, presenting exciting opportunities for many SCREEN FOREVER 39 delegates.
From across the water, Halaifonua Finau (Nua) (NZ) and Tom Hern (NZ), both Co-Founders of production company Tavake, will attend SCREEN FOREVER for the first time, both representing serious co-producing opportunities for Australian producers, as through Tavake they are developing a diverse slate of local and international projects.
2023 was a milestone year for Writer/Producer Nua. He wrote and produced his first feature film, Red, White & Brass with Executive Producers Taika Waititi and Carthew Neal. The film became an instant Polynesian classic, becoming the year’s number one local grossing film in NZ.
The success continued into 2024 with the acclaimed Tavake series Madam, starring Australian Actor Rachel Griffiths, which won Best Creation at the Monte Carlo TV Festival and Best Comedy at the Asian Academy Creative Awards.
Nua’s business partner is Writer/Producer/Director Tom Hern, who launched into the international indie film scene in 2014 as the sole producer on chess drama, The Dark Horse. In 2020, after years of creative producing, Tom moved into writing, directing, and showrunning his own projects, most recently acting as lead Executive Producer on Tavake’s latest scripted series Madam.
Nua and Tom will both participate in the production partnerships forum as part of SPA Connect and will speak on two panels focusing on Cultural Safety on International Co-productions and a peek behind the scenes of their new production Madam.
Two more guests are Shelley Quinn (NZ), Commissioner, and Tina McLaren (NZ), Senior Commissioner Scripted, both from Warner Bros. Discovery ANZ. Shelley is a factual commissioner, responsible for commissioning factual and entertainment content for Channel Three and the On Demand service ThreeNow. Shelley has worked as a producer in NZ and the UK, and has extensive experience in factual, entertainment, comedy production and development.
Tina is a senior industry practitioner who has produced hundreds of hours of drama, documentary, and reality TV in the NZ screen production sector for over 25 years, and commissions content for Three and the On Demand service ThreeNow, handling scripted productions.
A+E Media Group’s Kylie Munnich (NZ), Vice President, Global Content Sales – UK/ANZ, is the final guest to be announced today. Kylie has 30 years’ experience in film and TV distribution, development, financing, and co-production having worked for several major US studios and independents in Australia and the UK and held the role of CEO at Screen Queensland during the agency’s most considerable period of growth from 2019-2022.
Given her experience and international industry knowledge, Kylie will moderate the Australia vs the world – How to Secure an International Audience session, with Noel Hedges and Sarah Tong as panellists, alongside previously announced international guests Carrie Stein (US), President, Global Scripted Television at Dynamic Television, and Josephine Fontaine (UK) VP Acquisitions and Co-Productions at Newen Connect.
Noel Hedges will also participate in the SPA Connect Market Briefing Series, delivering a briefing on Lionsgate’s strategy and priorities, how the company works with Australian producers, what he looks for when taking pitches and specifically what projects he is looking to find at SCREEN FOREVER 39.
Link to SCREEN FOREVER 39 website HERE.
Media Release – SPA
Link to SPA HERE
TV Central Screen Australia content HERE
International Buyers & Producers Ready To Do Business at SCREEN FOREVER 39
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