BIFF Industry
Upstream is BIFF's refreshed industry program. Harnessing the world's best minds and talents, Upstream offers local industry and audience a glimpse into the trends, shifts and innovations shaping the global screen industries.
Program line-up
Sat 29 NOV
SUBVERTING STORY STEREOTYPES: GLOBAL FILMMAKERS, GLOBAL GENRES, GLOBAL GOALS
Queens Wharf, Leisure Deck / 12.00 PM
Kath Akuhata-Brown, Jack Manning-Bancroft, Vincent Grashaw, Dru Brown, moderated by Maria Lewis
A road-trip dramedy. An animated odyssey. A reservation-set revenge thriller. A perpetual motion con caper. These filmmakers are expanding the borders of genre moviemaking and redefining what Indigenous stories look like for a modern audience. A candid chat about subverting expectations and chasing great yarns.
IN THE WILDERNESS: CRAFTING IMPACTFUL IMAGES AT THE END OF THE WORLD
Queens Wharf, Leisure Deck / 1.00 PM
Tasha Van Zandt, Kyle Sandilands and Kasimir Burgess moderated by Chris Mead
From remote deserts to untamed coastlines, these filmmakers share the challenges and rewards of creating art and image far from civilisation - where logistics meet creativity and nature calls the shots.
PROOF OF (MIS)CONCEPT(ION): WHY SHORTS ARE NOT AN ENTREE BUT THE MAIN COURSE
Queens Wharf, Leisure Deck / 2.00 PM
Phillipa Campbell, Samm Haillay, Shelly Lauman moderated by Chris Mead
Shorts are how you get to features, right? With our panel of Short Film Palme D'or nominated producers, programmers and filmmakers, this session is essential for filmmakers producing small but thinking big.
ON A SHOESTRING: MAKING IMPACTFUL CINEMA WITHOUT A BUDGET
Queens Wharf, Leisure Deck / 3.00 PM
Abdolreza Kahani, Sophie Somerville, Jaydon Martin moderated by Chris Mead
Resourcefulness, grit, and heart define low-budget filmmaking. This panel dives into how visionary directors make big cinematic statements with small means - and why constraints can be the secret to creativity.
Program line-up
Sun 30 NOV
LOOKING FORWARD, LOOKING BACK: ADVICE FROM HOLLYWOOD HEAVYWEIGHTS
Queens Wharf, Leisure Deck / 12.00 PM
Peyton Reed & Lorenzo di Bonaventura in conversation with Blake Howard
Two Hollywood heavyweights sit down to unpack the shifting sands of storytelling. From Ant-Man to Transformers, these industry powerhouses have shaped blockbuster culture - now they're looking back on the ride, and forward to what's next. Expect candour, craft, and a few stories that never made the press junket. Presented by Screen Queensland
YOU CAN'T WRITE THAT: TACKLING TABOO IN CONTEMPORARY CINEMA
Queens Wharf, Leisure Deck / 1.00 PM
Oscar Boyson, Paolo Marino, Ivona Juka moderated by Chris Mead
When did storytelling get so polite? Three writer/directors push back against the culture of caution, exploring taboo, transgression, and the politics of provocation. A spirited deep-dive into the dangerous art of saying what you're not supposed to.
BACKLASH: THE EVOLVING REPRESENTATION OF GENDER IN CONTEMPORARY CINEMA
Queens Wharf, Leisure Deck / 2.00 PM
Alice Mackao Mackay, Farnoosh Samadi, Rosanne Pel moderated by Gen Fricker
Across the world, we are witnessing a steady erosion of fundamental human rights, from bodily autonomy and gender expression to freedom of speech and creative agency. This panel explores how cinema can function as a form of resistance to repression, creating work that insists on complexity, visibility, and defiance.
SPILLING THE TEA ON CO-PRODUCTIONS: A CANDID CONVERSATION OF A COLLABORATION IN PROCESS
Queens Wharf, Leisure Deck / 3.00 PM
Jane Doolan & Michael Wrenn in conversation with Chris Mead
Love, labour and logistics - co-productions are a marriage of creative minds and funding headaches. Jane Doolan and Michael Wrenn get brutally honest about what it takes to survive (and maybe even thrive) in the tangled dance of collaboration.
