2016 VIC Christmas Party

'All over Australia, all over the industry, all over the age groups, sexes, aspirations and wider politics, the industry is on a campaigning roll' #MakeItAustralian

Joining us tonight at the launch of the #MakeItAustralian campaign? Make sure you're up to date with the latest times and venues around the country: SYDNEY: 6pm, Event Cinemas George Street MELBOURNE: 3pm, ACMI PERTH: 4pm, Luna Cinemas, Oxford Street, Leederville ADELAIDE: 5pm, Media Resource Centre BRISBANE: 6pm, William Galloway Auditorium, QCU HOBART: 5.30pm, Fullers Bookshop

Writers, performers, producers, directors and crew are joining forces to campaign for the future of the screen industry. The campaign will be launched on Monday 18 September at venues around the country. Join Australian Writers' Guild, Australian Directors' Guild, Screen Producers Australia and MEAA by registering yourself to attend the event near you. Events to be held across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Hobart, Perth and Adelaide. #MakeItAustralian

Entries for the 2018 NSW Premier's Literary Awards are open, including the 2018 Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting and the 2018 Betty Roland Prize for Scriptwriting. Entries close Friday 13 October 2017.

Screen Australia’s Indigenous Department are calling for Indigenous screen content makers from around the country who are passionate about environmental issues to apply for a special factual initiative – State of Alarm. Previous screen credits are not essential, but applicants are required to submit a pitch video outlining their concept.

Join us tomorrow night as we chat to one of the nations's best writers, Andrew Bovell. Andrew’s staggering body of work across film, theatre, and television, places him at the very pinnacle of our industry. Andrew is the critically acclaimed writer or co-writer of The Secret River, Lantana, Edge Of Darkness, The Book Of Revelation, Iris, Strictly Ballroom, and Who's Afraid of the Working Class? Andrew, in discussion with playwright and director Brett Cousins, will draw from his 30 years of writing experience, including his journey into the industry, his fight with crippling writers block, and advice on how to achieve excellence in your writing.

Bus Stop Films and Write Night (AWG) are hosting a free event aiming to help screenwriters craft authentic characters with a disability, confidently. To have a diverse film and TV landscape we need to give writers the tools and confidence to write diverse and authentic stories! Join us for an illuminating keynote by the Guardian's film critic, Luke Buckmaster on the representation of disability in Australian Cinema, followed by a panel discussion with esteemed filmmakers Daniel Monks, Emily Dash, disability arts veteran Alison Richardson and Creative Director of Robot Army Ryan Chamley . Hosted by Genevieve Clay-Smith, Co-Founder of Bus Stop Films and 2015 NSW Young Australian of the year.

Want to learn from the best? Come along Wednesday night and spend an evening with Andrew Bovell, 13 September, 6.45pm, at the Dan O’Connell. Andrew, in discussion with playwright and director Brett Cousins, will draw from his 30 years of writing experience, including his journey into the industry, his fight with crippling writers’ block, and advice on how to achieve excellence in your writing.

Huddle against the darkness and gather around the fireside in one of Tasmania’s most historic (and haunted) hotels with three of Australia's most prominent genre writers (Vicki Madden, Shayne Armstrong and Shane Krause) and listen to tales that promise to send a chill up your spine and heed ominous words about how to create terrifying tales and sinister stories of your own. You'll uncover the secrets of how and why genre premises live or die in the national and international film and TV industry as well as how to set and write scenes that wreak maximum tension. There will be sweat-inducing tales from the industry to share and then – if you dare – stay the night in one of Tasmania's oldest and most haunted pubs. This unique overnight experience will begin at 4pm (just before twilight) where introductions will be made, followed by a pub meal before retiring to an open fire in an historic convict pub. Next morning (if there is one) there will be one on one meetings with our ghoulish guests to discuss your own project. When: 4pm Saturday 14 October to midday Sunday 15 October 2017 Where: The Ross Hotel, 35 Church Street, Ross, Tasmania (approximately an hour south of Launceston and 1.5 hours north of Hobart) The Tasmanian Genre Writing Retreat is supported by the Tasmanian Government through Screen Tasmania

We've got your Friday listening sorted! OzPod has 34 of the best, brightest and most innovative names in podcasting in Australia and from around the world presenting a full day of panels, presentations and workshops. Listen along on ABC Extra or through the ABC listen app. For updates follow @OzPodConference on Twitter or join the conversation using #OzPod2017.

Only 8 hours left to register for the Tasmanian Gothic Short Script Challenge! Registered participants have just 48 hours to write an original horror script of 7 pages or less! The challenge is open to anyone, located anywhere in the world. This year again there are three prompts to be incorporated, making this a uniquely difficult competition that inspires highly original and idiosyncratic results! Registrations for the 2017 Tasmanian Gothic Short Script Challenge will close at 11 pm tonight (Australian Eastern Daylight Time).