2026 UNTAPPED Development Lab participants announced

2026 UNTAPPED Development Lab participants announced 20 October 2026

Top (L-R): Becki Bouchier, Carly Brand, Leslie Hornung. Bottom (L-R): Joseph Meldrum, Ellen Shanley.

Australians in Film and Screen Australia unveil five emerging Australian screen creatives selected for the 2026 UNTAPPED Development Lab.

Australians in Film (AiF), in partnership with Screen Australia, has today announced the five recipients of the prestigious UNTAPPED Development Lab, an international initiative designed to support Australia's most exciting emerging screen writers and directors to build creative partnerships with the U.S. industry and develop a global network of potential collaborators.

The 2026 UNTAPPED Development Lab recipients are:

Becki Bouchier (Vic) - Writer/Director

Carly Brand (Vic) - Writer/Director

Leslie Hornung (WA) - Writer

Joseph Meldrum (NSW) - Writer/Director

Ellen Shanley (Qld) - Writer

Revamped for 2026, UNTAPPED has evolved from a project-specific development program into a broader professional development initiative focused on equipping emerging Australian creatives with the knowledge, industry connections and skills needed to build sustainable screen careers.

The second stage of UNTAPPED will match each recipient with a leading industry mentor and provide access to a curated program of sessions with Australian and international screen professionals. Through mentorship, industry access and practical career development, participants will deepen their understanding of the global screen landscape and develop strategies for navigating an increasingly international industry.

The Development Lab follows the first stage of UNTAPPED 2026, which began earlier this year with a series of masterclasses featuring some of Australia's most exciting screen talent, including Adrian Chiarella (Leviticus), Kalu Oji

(Pasa Faho), AP Pobjoy (Homebodies) and Jasmine Yang (Glitch Productions).

This year's lab will also include dedicated pitch coaching, providing participants with valuable skills and practical experience. The lab will culminate in a Talent Showcase where participants will present themselves as artists, sharing their creative voice, the stories they want to tell, their experience and career ambitions with leading industry professionals.

Peter Ritchie, Executive Director of Australians in Film, said, UNTAPPED continues to provide essential industry knowledge, access and skills-based development for Australia's best emerging writers and directors.

As we've seen this year with the phenomenal U.S. breakout hits like Obsession and Backrooms, there continues to be significant opportunities for new talent to break through internationally. With the support of our great partners at Screen Australia, we have redesigned UNTAPPED this year to create a more robust professional development accelerator, one that gives emerging Australian creatives the relationships, insight and tools they need to build sustainable global careers.

Screen Australia Head of International & Industry Partnerships Harry Avramidis said, Supporting globally connected talent is critical to the continued success of the Australian screen industry. UNTAPPED equips emerging writers and directors with the necessary skills and industry insights needed to navigate a competitive global marketplace. Together with Australians in Film, we are proud to support this exciting new generation of creators whose ambition, originality and unique perspectives will strengthen Australia's screen sector both at home and globally.

Find out more about the recipients below.

Becki Bouchier (VIC)

Becki Bouchier is a Singaporean-Australian writer and director based in Naarm/Melbourne. Her work spans both comedy and drama, championing female-driven stories. As a recipient of the SBS Emerging Writers' Incubator, Becki spent 12 months working as staff writer for production company Sweetshop & Green, helping to develop their scripted slate of film and television projects. She was nominated for an AWGIE Award and an Australian Directors' Guild Award for her short film Snapshot, which had its world premiere at Austin Film Festival. In 2025, Becki completed the Early Career Writers' Program with Endemol Shine Australia, and worked in the script department for NCIS: Sydney Season 3.

Carly Brand (VIC)

Carly Brand is a queer, female filmmaker based in Naarm/Melbourne. She recently graduated from the VCA with a Master of Film & Television. Her short film Nice Jewish Girl had its world premiere at BFI Flare in 2026 and has since been selected to screen at OUTSOUTH, Rio LGBTQIA , the UK Jewish Film Festival and SJSFF. It was awarded Best Student Female Director and an Outstanding Achievement award for Best LGBTQ Short at Indie Short Fest. Carly is working on a slate of narrative films that explore the thematic strand of unfettered desire. She also supports local productions as a producer and 1st Assistant Director, having worked on more than 10 shorts, features, web series and documentaries in the past year.

Leslie Hornung (WA)

Leslie Hornung is a Western Australian screenwriter and filmmaker based in Perth. He has built experience across writers' rooms, script departments and production on Australian film and television, with credits including Two Birds (ITV/Stan), Mystery Road: Origin (ABC), The Twelve (BINGE), Invisible Boys (Stan), Scrublands: Silver (Stan), Kid Snow and Whale Shark Jack (Stan). Leslie was selected for Screenwest's 2024 Tele Navigator program with his original queer comedy-drama Daddy. His previous work includes the award-winning documentary A Safe Space For All and ATOM Award-nominated Open Up. Leslie's work is driven by distinctly Western Australian stories, queer perspectives and complicated, funny characters rarely afforded the opportunity to take centre stage.

Joseph Mel

LINK:	https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/2026-untapped-development-lab-parti...
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