Screenworks has unveiled the full program for its 2026 Regional to Global screen forum, with Teresa Palmer, Miranda Tapsell, and some of Australia’s leading commissioners and creatives set to descend on Lennox Head next month.
Taking place September 9th and 10th, the two-day event will feature more than 60 speakers across upwards of 20 main stage sessions and 20 roundtables, alongside more than 30 one-on-one meetings.
Palmer will headline a career spotlight looking back at her film and television work, which includes “Hacksaw Ridge,” “The Clearing” and “The Family Next Door.” She will sit down with writer and executive producer Samantha Strauss, who worked with her on “The Last Anniversary.”
Tapsell will appear alongside co-creator Joshua Tyler and producer Rosemary Blight for a session unpacking “Top End Bub,” while writer-director Adrian Chiarella will discuss his Sundance-acclaimed feature “Leviticus” with newly-appointed Screenworks CEO Lisa Rose.
Other creator sessions will explore upcoming series “My Brilliant Career” with showrunner Liz Doran and co-executive producer Courtney Wise; “Love of an Icon: The Legend of Crocodile Dundee” with Delvene Delaney and Victoria Baldock; and “Taste of the Tropics” with Steph Tisdell, Caden Pearson and Screen Queensland’s Rowena Billard.
“This year’s Regional to Global program brings together an extraordinary depth of talent and leadership from across the Australian screen industry, reflecting exactly why Australia is such a strong player on the global screen stage,” Rose said.
“It’s a rare chance to connect with the film and television community in a genuinely relaxed and open environment, where real conversations happen, lasting connections are formed and careers are shaped.”
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The business side of the industry will also feature prominently. ABC commissioning editors Todd Abbott and Kalita Corrigan will join NITV senior commissioning editor Cieron Cody and SBS head of unscripted Joseph Maxwell for “Commissioner Confidential: What They’re Really Looking For,” examining what makes projects stand out during the commissioning process.
Another panel, “The Visionaries Shaping Modern TV,” will bring together Doran, Strauss (who was also the showrunner for Netflix’s “Apple Cider Vinegar”), “Eden” creator Vanessa Gazy and “Reckless” creator Kodie Bedford. “Invisible Boys” creator Nicholas Verso will moderate.
Attendees will also get a look inside the development process through a mock writers’ room featuring Sara Khan and Tyler, with AJ Kitchener demonstrating how creative conversations and notes are captured in real time.
The 2026 edition will introduce the inaugural Screenworks Lifetime Achievement Award, recognising an outstanding contribution to the Australian screen industry. The award will be presented by Screenworks chair Tracey Mair.
Representatives from Screen Australia, Screen NSW, Screen Queensland, Screen Canberra, the South Australian Film Corporation, Screen Producers Australia, the Australian Writers’ Guild and Australian Directors’ Guild will attend, alongside executives from ABC, SBS, NITV, Foxtel Group and Stan. Tisdell will serve as MC across the two days.
The program also includes the Screenrights Happy Hour and Netflix Opening Night Drinks.
Registrations for the event’s limited-capacity roundtables will open at 9am AEST on August 25th, when single-day tickets will also go on sale. See here for details.
For more information on Regional to Global, see here.