Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Five Australian projects bound for South by Southwest Festival in the US

22/01/2024

22 01 2024 - Media release Five Australian projects bound for South by Southwest Festival in the US

Audrey, Birdeater, The Moogai

Five Australian screen projects have been selected for the 2024 South by Southwest (SXSW) Film & TV Festival which will take place in Austin, Texas from 8-16 March.

Making their respective world premieres are feature film Audrey, documentary short film The Big Wait, and animated augmented reality (XR) project Many Worlds.

Mystery-thriller Birdeater will make its international premiere and the First Nations psychological horror film, The Moogai will also be showcased at SXSW following its world premiere at Sundance Film Festival this month.

Screen Australia's CEO Deirdre Brennan said, Congratulations to the teams behind these unique projects on their SXSW selection. This important recognition highlights the demand for compelling Australian content across all genres and formats globally. Participation in SXSW, a festival known for innovative and ground-breaking work, demonstrates the high calibre and audience appeal of our homegrown stories. I m absolutely thrilled about their selection.

Audrey, the dramedy written by Lou Sanz (The PM's Daughter) and directed by Natalie Bailey (Bay of Fires) will have its world premiere at SXSW Film Festival in the Narrative Feature category. The story follows self-appointed Mother of the Year, Ronnie who has given her daughter Audrey everything. When Audrey selfishly falls into a coma, Ronnie has no choice but to keep her dreams alive by assuming her identity.

Director Natalie Bailey said, I am so thrilled to be invited to premiere Audrey, my debut feature at SXSW Austin in the Narrative Feature Competition. This means so much to myself and the team who worked tirelessly to make this weird tale of suburbia come to life.

Producer Michael Wrenn said on behalf of the production team, For a comedy that walks an edgy fine line, SXSW, with its irreverent indie slant, music focus and comedy side bar - not to mention a focus on inclusion and diversity - is the perfect fit for Audrey and we are tickled pink to be there.

Also making its world premiere in the Documentary Shorts Competition is The Big Wait by writer/director Yannick Jamey. The film is about a remote desert town, which has a population of two and is kept in pristine condition waiting for visitors that never seem to arrive.

First Nations writer/director Jon Bell's debut feature, The Moogai will screen in SXSW's Festival Favourite category. The Moogai is co-produced by Causeway Films' Kristina Ceyton, Samantha Jennings (The Babadook, Talk to Me) and No Coincidence Media's Mitchell Stanley (We Are Still Here, Larapinta). Based on the award-winning short film written and directed by Jon Bell, the feature film stars Shari Sebbens, Meyne Wyatt, Tessa Rose, Bella Heathcote, Jahdeana Mary and Clarence Ryan. The Moogai received development and principal production funding through Screen Australia's First Nations Department.

Screen Australia's Head of First Nations Angela Bates said, Following The Moogai's world premiere at Sundance, and now being selected for SXSW, it's fantastic to see First Nations stories being recognised and celebrated globally. This impressive achievement is a tribute to the talented cast and crew behind the film and underlines the significant impact of our voices and culture on audiences around the world.

Producers Mitch Stanley and Kristina Ceyton said, The team are excited to return to SXSW where the short film was well received, winning the Jury Prize in the Midnight section in 2021. We're honoured to now have the feature version of The Moogai screen at SXSW and are excited to share our film with their supportive audiences once again in 2024.

From debut directing duo Jack Clark and James Weir is mystery-thriller Birdeater, which will make its international premiere in the Festival's Visions section. Produced by Stephanie Troost, Ulysses Oliver and Ben Ferris of Breathless Films, the story follows a bride-to-be who reluctantly joins her fianc 's bachelor party on a remote property in the Australian outback. As the festivities spiral into beer-soaked chaos, uncomfortable details about their relationship are exposed, and the celebration soon becomes a feral nightmare.

Producer Ulysses Oliver and executive producer Ben Ferris from Breathless Films said, We are stoked that our true indie production Birdeater has been selected to compete on such an international stage. It s a real testament to the passion and grit of our talented cast and crew that the film has been acknowledged by a festival renowned for its commitment to innovation and artistic excellence. We are eternally grateful to SXSW for such a significant opportunity, and can t wait to see how the film goes down with international audiences. Yee-ha!

Animated Augmented Reality (XR) project Many Worlds will have its world premiere in the XR Experience Competition.

A history of Australian titles at SXSW is available here.

Download PDF

Media enquiries Maddie Walsh | Publicist

61 2 8113 5915 | [email protected]

Ted Rose | Senior Publicist

61 2 8113 1091 | 61 456 558 679 | ted.rose@screenaustralia.gov.au

All other general/non-media enquiries

Sydney 61 2 8113 5800 | Melbourne 61 3 8682 1900 | [email protected]
LINK: https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/sa/media-centre/news/2024/01-22-fiv...
See more stories from screenaustralia

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

07/04/2026

YEP November 2025 Newsletter

The November 2025 YEP Newsletter highlights a recent YEP Coffee Chat, offering members the chance to connect with industry professionals in an informal setting ...

07/04/2026

YEP December 2025 Newsletter

The December 2025 YEP Newsletter includes a Spotlight on Emily Vail, showcasing her career journey and work in the industry, alongside Mentorship Reflections by...

07/04/2026

US Space Force Selects L3Harris to Strengthen America's Defense with Advanced Space Surveillance

Ground-Based Electro-Optical Deep Space Surveillance (GEODSS) telescope operated...

07/04/2026

Haivision Unveils Makito ONE Live Video Contribution Platform

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

07/04/2026

Neutrik To Unveil TRUE1 Data Connector Series At 2026 NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

07/04/2026

Chris Welcker Deployed Full DPA Arsenal to Record Live Mu...

Catgut Sound Owner and Production Sound Mixer Chris Welcker, CAS, has built a career at the intersection of music and film. A former musician and composer, Welc...

07/04/2026

SDVI Launches Next Generation Rally Platform to Give Medi...

SDVI Corporation today announced the next generation of its Rally media supply chain management platform, introducing a redesigned orchestration engine that rep...

07/04/2026

Avid to Debut Avid Content Core on AWS at 2026 NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

07/04/2026

Frequency Launches Smarter Ways to Operate Streaming Chan...

Frequency, the engine behind many of the world's leading streaming television channels, at NAB 2026 will be launching new Studio services to help content ow...

07/04/2026

Ikegami to Introduce Expanded Range of Broadcast Producti...

Ikegami USA has chosen NAB 2026 in Las Vegas as the launch platform for new additions to its range of broadcast-quality television production equipment. These w...

07/04/2026

Kiloview Advancing Broadcast IP Workflows with a Smarter...

April 19, 2026, Las Vegas Kiloview, an innovative provider of AV-over-IP technologies, will showcase its latest broadcast IP solutions at NAB 2026, presenting...

07/04/2026

Bitmovin Adds Support for SGAI in its Playback Products t...

Bitmovin has announced support for Server-Guided Ad Insertion (SGAI) across its playback products using HLS interstitials, enabling more advanced ad-supported s...

07/04/2026

Synamedia unveils AI by Quortex - a just-in-time AI-plugi...

Synamedia is unveiling AI by Quortex at The NAB show, a just-in-time AI plugin framework that applies intelligence only when needed across video processing, dis...

07/04/2026

Cuez Brings Four New Innovations to NAB 2026 From Story-C...

Cuez will showcase four additions to its cloud-based newsroom, rundown and automation platform at NAB Show 2026 (April 18 22, Las Vegas, Booth N1867): Cuez ...

07/04/2026

Barix Extends Transport Options for Multi-Engine IP Encoder

Barix Extends Transport Options for Multi-Engine IP Encoder Brie Clayton April 7, 2026 0 Comments New for NAB, Barix adds SRT and RIST support to Mult...

07/04/2026

Elite Media Technologies Selects Interra Systems' BATON File-Based QC Solution

Elite Media Technologies Selects Interra Systems' BATON File-Based QC Soluti...

07/04/2026

Tightrope Media Systems to Debut Cablecast LiveBridge for Simultaneous Streaming at NAB 2026

Tightrope Media Systems to Debut Cablecast LiveBridge for Simultaneous Streaming...

07/04/2026

Cuez Brings Four New Innovations to NAB 2026: From Story-Centric Newsroom to Open AI Agent Framework

Cuez Brings Four New Innovations to NAB 2026: From Story-Centric Newsroom to Ope...

07/04/2026

ASG Names Andrea Cummis VP of Systems Engineering

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

07/04/2026

KTVJ Completes Major Signal Upgrade

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

07/04/2026

Hearst's WDSU to Air Million Dollar Rodeo Competition

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

07/04/2026

Grass Valley Launches Future Playmakers Program

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

07/04/2026

Saranyu Technologies Launches MATCH - Multi-View Sports S...

Designed for synchronized multi-stream playback, low-latency delivery, and real-time analytics, MATCH introduces a unified viewing experience for sports broadca...

07/04/2026

Berklee Students to Honor George Martin with Performance of Original Scores

Berklee Students to Honor George Martin with Performance of Original Scores The orchestra, led by associate professor Xander Rovang, will perform several work...

07/04/2026

Netflix Reveals 'ONE PIECE' Expansion With New Original Titles and Extensions Delivering More Adventures for the Straw Hat Crew

Back to All News Netflix Reveals ONE PIECE Expansion With New Original Titles a...

07/04/2026

Harmonic will showcase fiber innovations and a new AI-powered network operations intelligence solution at FTTH Conference 2026 in London.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - April 7, 2026 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced it wi...

07/04/2026

FOX to Integrate Kalshi Forecasts Across FOX News Media and FOX One Platforms

FOX to Integrate Kalshi Forecasts Across FOX News Media and FOX One Platforms NEW YORK, NY (April 7, 2026) - Kalshi, the world's largest prediction market...

07/04/2026

The GAA Championships on RT

THE GAA CHAMPIONSHIPS ARE BACK WITH A BANG LIVE AND FREE TO AIR ACROSS ALL RT PLATFORMS The Sunday Game and The Sunday Game Live return on Sunday 12 April L...

06/04/2026

Fab Five' Reunion Drives TNT and CBS's Experimental Final Four Altcast Built on REMI Workflow

Michigan legends bring a new voice to the broadcast as TNT Sports and CBS Sports...

06/04/2026

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Optikka CEO Daniel Evans on Scaling Sports Content with Programmatic Graphics

From high school sports all the way up to the major leagues, building high-quali...

06/04/2026

Quickplay and TwelveLabs Join AWS Business Outcomes Xcelerator Program

Quickplay, an AI company for the media and entertainment industry, has been accepted into the Advanced tier of the TwelveLabs Ecosystem Partner Program. Quickpl...

06/04/2026

Grass Valley Launches Future Playmakers Program for Students in Sports Production and Media Technology

Grass Valley has announced the Future Playmakers Program, a global initiative to...

06/04/2026

SVG All-Stars: Raasean Robinson, Gerente de Posproduccin y Operaciones de Estudio, FOX Deportes

El l der de operaciones impulsa la producci n en estudio mientras encuentra insp...

06/04/2026

SVG All-Stars: Raasean Robinson, Manager, Post Production and Studio Operations, FOX Deportes

The ops leader helps lead the charge in studio for the Spanish-language broadcas...

06/04/2026

Behind The Mic: SiriusXM Shares 2026 Masters Broadcast Team; ESPN to Produce Over 140+ Hours of Masters Live Coverage

Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...

06/04/2026

NHL Opens Innovation Lab in Partnership with Verizon, New Jersey Devils

The National Hockey League (NHL), in partnership with Verizon and the New Jersey Devils, today announced the opening of the NHL Innovation Lab powered by Verizo...

06/04/2026

ESPN+ To Stream Inaugural Rock League Curling Season

Rock League, a new professional curling league, has announced that ESPN+ will stream its inaugural 2026 season for fans in the United States. The first Rock Lea...

06/04/2026

ASG Appoints Andrea Cummis as VP of Systems Design and Engineering

Advanced Systems Group has announced the appointment of Andrea (Andy) Cummis as Vice President of Systems Design and Engineering. In this role, she will lead de...

06/04/2026

Source Media Group Launches Source Golf, a Creator-Driven YouTube Network Targeting Next-Gen Fans

Backed by Bolt Ventures, the venture brings Bryson DeChambeau, Grant Horvat, and...

06/04/2026

How the NHL's Innovation Lab Will Take Broadcast, Fan, and Team Tech to New Heights

With this environment we can start that collaboration even earlier because we ca...

06/04/2026

K-Pop Artist ENHYPEN Host The Blood Diary,' a New Video Podcast Series From HYBE

Like the immortal lives of vampires, some stories never really end. That's t...

06/04/2026

From Audio to IRL: How Let's Get Haunted' Is Building Community With Spotify RADAR

As podcasting continues to evolve, growth increasingly means building beyond aud...

06/04/2026

FSK Audio update Bark24 Dyn

Multiband dynamics plug-in enhanced California-based developer FSK Audio have released a significant update for their innovative multiband dynamics processo...

06/04/2026

IK Multimedia introduce ToneNET Preset Sharing

Share official & user-created full-rig presets IK Multimedia's latest TONEX update makes it possible for users of the popular amp and effects modelling ...

06/04/2026

Baseball 2026: More AI, Better Viewing Choices

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...