WIFT producers go to Content London | Television tonight

WIFT Australia has announced four producers selected for the first-ever Content London Catalyst initiative.

Developed by WIFT Australia with support from Screen Australia, Minderoo Pictures and Austrade’s Export Market Development Grant program, the initiative will support female and gender diverse producers to attend Content London 2025.

Participants will receive travel, accommodation, delegation passes and strategic mentorship from Julia Short, former Director of Content at Inside Pictures, David Swetman, Senior VP of Content and Commercial Strategy at All3Media International, and Rakel Tansley, Head of Market and Audience at Screen Australia.

Leanne Tonkes, Chair of WIFT Australia, who will also accompany the delegation, said: “By providing Australian producers with direct exposure to leading international buyers, commissioners and co-producers, we are strengthening Australia’s cultural and economic footprint and enabling lifelong partnerships. We are pleased to be able to offer Miranda, Kauthar, Liliana and Corrie this opportunity and look forward to seeing what comes from it.”

The cohort represents a diverse mix of experience, creative vision and globally focused Australian stories.

Kauthar Abdulalim is an award-winning Australian Muslim producer and filmmaker known for his bold, cross-cultural storytelling. Through her company Blacksand Pictures, she has produced Screen Australia and VicScreen-funded series #MATCHED and Salma’s Season and contributed to major factual works for ABC and SBS. Backed by Screen Australia’s Screen Enterprise investment, Kauthar is expanding internationally, developing a diverse range of scripted and factual projects that champion inclusion and global storytelling.

Miranda Edmonds is an award-winning Australian producer and director and the founder of Cottesloe Films. Dedicated to telling bold, distinctive Australian stories with international resonance, her feature debut Whale Shark Jack was produced in Western Australia earlier this year in association with Southern Light Films, Stan, ACTF, Screen Australia, Screenwest and Minderoo Pictures, and will premiere in 2026.

Corrie Chen is a highly sought-after Taiwanese-Australian writer, director and executive producer, known for her stories of drama and comedy. Her author work on the historical SBS period drama New Gold Mountain earned her an ADG Award for Best Direction in a Miniseries in 2022. Previously, she was executive producer and director of the multi-award winning Homecoming Queens, the first SBS Digital Original.

Liliana Muñoz is an award-winning Australian producer and founder of Maximo Studios, the company behind ABC’s All My Friends Are Racist, a queer Indigenous comedy that won an AACTA Award and was nominated at Series Mania. Liliana, former director of Fremantle and MTV, positions Maximo as an emerging force in globally ambitious Australian storytelling.

Screen Australia Chief Operating Officer Grainne Brunsdon said: “Kauthar, Miranda, Corrie and Liliana form the first Content London Catalyst cohort for 2025, demonstrating the breadth of talent underlying Australian storytelling. Content London, a key industry event on the global calendar, will provide them with an invaluable opportunity to forge important connections with the global film and TV industry, helping them leverage international partnerships and new collaboration across the dynamic landscape.”

“Minderoo Pictures is proud to continue supporting WIFT Australia, following the WIFT CinefestOz Writers Retreat earlier this year. The Content London Catalyst Program is a fantastic initiative that creates vital pathways for talented women and non-binary film producers to create international collaborations and advance their careers,” said Malinda Wink, Executive Director of Minderoo Pictures.

The delegation will travel from Saturday 29 November to 6 December and visit Content London between 1 and 4 December. Additional meetings are planned with London-based companies on December 5.