Masterclass: Filmmaking
The Emerging Writers’ Festival and Writers’ Victoria are thrilled to team up and be the gateway for emerging writers and filmmakers into the world of film and television. In this one-day masterclass on filmmaking, hear from some of Australia’s great screenwriters, directors and producers on both craft, and everything behind-the-scenes of the screen industry. Connect with fellow filmmakers, explore your screenplay with other emerging writers and directors, and acquire battle-tested advice and experience on bringing your story to the big screen.
11am – 12pm
Keynote: Visions Realised
Join award-winning, internationally applauded filmmaker, producer and director Justin Kurzel (Nitram, The Turning, Snowtown) as he offers reflections, wisdom and insights accumulated across the last 25 years of his illustrious career.
12.15pm –1.15pm:
Panel: On Writing, Directing & Producing
Settle into an insightful conversation between producer Anna Charalambous, and screenwriters / directors Hannah Samuel and Domini Marshall as they unearth the biggest lessons, challenges and highlights of their careers in film and television thus far. Hear about screenwriting and directing as an independent artist, as well as from within the writer’s room and on set. Discover how perseverance, flexibility and relationship building have been key in navigating the film and television world.
2.15pm – 4.15pm
Workshop: Screen Sense: Tuning Your Story Development Instinct
In this exclusive, limited capacity workshop, allow award-winning filmmaker Danielle Stamoulos to guide you through a session of crafting strong materials for grant funding and film festival applications. Be given the chance to share an excerpt of your script amongst peers, and learn how to best process and implement notes and feedback on your work.
MASTERCLASS PRESENTERS
Justin Kurzel
Justin’s feature films include SNOWTOWN (2011), which screened in Toronto and International Critics’ Week in Cannes, receiving Special Distinction of the President; MACBETH (2015), which premiered In Competition at Cannes; ASSASSIN’S CREED (2016) produced by New Regency for 20th Century Fox; THE TRUE HISTORY OF THE KELLY GANG (2019); NITRAM (2021), which had its World Premiere at Cannes; ELLIS PARK (2014), a feature documentary premiering at MIFF; and THE ORDER, which premiered at Venice Film Festival in 2024. Justin recently directed the series THE NARROW ROAD TO THE DEEP NORTH, which premiered at the 2025 Berlinale Film Festival.
DANIELLE STAMOULOS
Danielle Stamoulos is a Greek-Australian actor, writer and story developer. Danielle’s film GORGO is the 2025 AACTA Award Winner for Best Australian Short Film. Screened worldwide, including a North American premiere at Santa Barbara International Film Festival and winning Best Performance at the Stellar Short Film Festival. Danielle’s own supernatural cringe comedy online series received Screen Australia development funding and she’s a writer on Co Curious and Powerhouse Museum’s commissioned sci-fi feature: 2 MOONS. She’s also worked in roles across short form, story coverage for theatrical distribution, TV scripted development and script coordinator for shows on Netflix, SBS and ABCiview.
Anna Charalambous
Anna Charalambous is a Melbourne-based Producer best known for Spreadsheet Champions, which premiered at SXSW 2025, then Hot Docs. She has worked on the feature films Paper Champions and The Fort, as well as short films like I Don’t Speak (RODE REEL winner) and VICE originals Party in the Back and Suburban Legends. Recent projects include Australia’s Open 2023 and Ellis Park 2024. Passionate about impact-driven storytelling, Anna has also contributed to projects like 2040 and Regenerating Australia, using film to spark meaningful conversations.
Hannah Samuel
Hannah Samuel is a Naarm/Melbourne based writer. She has written episodes on the upcoming seasons of Heartbreak High (Netflix) and Bay of Fires (ABC), as well as the new STAN comedy thriller series He Had It Coming. Prior to this, Hannah wrote on numerous children’s television series such as the AACTA nominated series The PM’s Daughter and Rock Island Mysteries.
Domini Marshall
Writer/director Domini (she/her) has a Masters in Film and Television from VCA. Her most recent short, Howl, premiered in competition at Berlinale in 2025 and was nominated for the Teddy Awards. Previously, Go with Grace premiered at MIFF and was nominated by the Australian Director’s Guild Awards and Slap was accepted into the MIFF Accelerator Lab. From 2017 – 2018, Domini directed ‘her words’ – an interview-based web series amplifying the voices of women, releasing 50 episodes. ‘her words’ was awarded TOM Organic’s inaugural Female Empowerment Grant and accepted into the Foundation for Young Australians’ Young Social Pioneers program.
TICKETING INFO
Tickets for Masterclass: Filmmaking, presented in partnership by the Emerging Writers’ Festival and Writers Victoria, are now available!
Full Passes are available for the full, in-person event including the Keynote, Panel and Workshop. Full Passes are strictly limited due to capacity limitations for the Workshop portion of the masterclass, get in quick!
Half Passes are available for those wish to attend in-person for the Keynote and Panel. Note, a Half Pass does not include the Workshop which is strictly limited to Full Passes.
Digital Passes are available for those who are unable to attend in-person and includes the Keynote and Panel, streamed digitally.
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