A brand-new, four-day entertainment experience, AACTA Festival, will bring more than 70 events to the Gold Coast in February 2024.
It’s an opportunity to step into a world beyond the screen and join the Australian Academy to go behind the scenes of your favourite films, television shows, and video games. Attendees will hear from some of Australia’s best directors, writers, TikTokers, gamers, and artists.
Things kick off on Thursday with the Industry Awards Ceremony, then with a day of industry events, masterclasses, and creator discussions on Friday. Then on Saturday, the AACTA Awards ceremony will welcome all the stars on the red carpet and it comes to a close on Sunday with an array of screenings, music, kids events, acting workshops, meet-and-greets, and more.
For those wanting to break into the industry, Sunday’s Screen Careers Expo will also offer pathways.
In the cinematic realm, highlights include a behind-the-scenes look at the making of ‘The Matrix’, an animation deconstruction of ‘Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse’, and a deep dive into the stunt work of ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’. Audiences will get an exclusive look at the upcoming Australian film ‘Better Man’ starring Robbie Williams, from Michael Gracey and producer Paul Currie.
'Better Man'
Plus, iconic Australian musician Russell Morris will take part in an exclusive in-conversation with composer David Hirschfelder, and audiences can hear from ‘Mortal Kombat’ director Simon McQuoid on the progress of the film franchise, currently being shot in Queensland.
Many of Queensland’s top writers will attend/be showcased, including ‘Boy Swallows Universe’ author Trent Dalton and ‘Lost Flowers Of Alice Hart’ author Holly Ringland. Attendees can also expect Nick Earls, Lystra Rose, Mathew Condon, Richard Jameson, Tristan Michael Savage, Ben Hobson and more.
The festival will also host some Meet The Creators events, where internationally-renowned talents will take part in panel discussions. Talents like Danny and Michael Philippou (‘Talk To Me’), Warwick Thornton (‘The New Boy’), and the team behind the TV show ‘The Newsreader’. There’ll also be a wide range of topical industry panels, covering things like the future of AI and streaming, First Nations truth-telling and storytelling.
Lights, camera, Gold Coast!
AACTA Festival 2024 is on from 8-11 February at Home Of The Arts (Gold Coast).
