Australian director Jocelyn Moorhouse was the special guest lecturer at AFTRS on Friday 7 November, speaking to the Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production students on their final day of their three-year degree.
Jocelyn – an AFTRS alum and producer of Muriel’s Wedding, and acclaimed director of films including How to Make an American Quilt (Wynona Ryder, Anne Bancroft, Ellen Burstyn), The Dressmaker (Kate Winslet, Judy Davis) and Proof (Russell Crowe, Hugo Weaving), as well as the series Boy Swallows Universe and Bay of Fires – shared how she built her own career, how her projects came about, the challenges faced along the journey and what she’s learned.
An entertaining and knowledgeable speaker, Jocelyn gave an insider’s view on making it big at home and internationally, and said she hoped she had offered some inspiration to AFTRS graduands as they embark on their screen careers.
Jocelyn’s lecture caps off a year where AFTRS’ BA students have had the privilege of regular industry experts sharing their knowledge, including: Ben Davies, Founder & Executive Producer, Ronde (Creator of Bondi Rescue, Big Miracles, Here Come the Habibs, Netflix’s Territory); Riima Daher, Executive Producer, ITV (Alone Australia, I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, The Voice); Claire Tonkin, Head of Drama, CJZ (My Life is Murder, Darby and Joan, Offspring, Neighbours; Micah Hewson, former Head of Development, ITV and now Vice President at All3Media (Love Island Australia, Sydney Airport, Life on the Outside, Big Brother); Dan Goldberg, Creative Director, Mint Pictures (Great Australian Walks, Great Southern Landscapes, The Bowraville Murders, Finding the Archibald); Alex Walkden – Programmer, SBS On Demand and SBS World Movies; Craig Graham, Fredbird Entertainment & Mint Pictures (Great Australian Road Trips, Air Rescue, The Embassy); Catherine Kelleher, an AWGIE-nominated screenwriter and former Scripted Development Executive, SBS; documentary director Kate Blackmore (Make it Look Real, The Movement, The Woman and The Car); Vanna Morosini, Producer (Are You Tougher than Your Ancestors, Snake Wars); and Writer & Director Darlene Johnson (Stolen Generations, Gulpilil: One Red Blood, The Redfern Story, Irreverent).
Darren Chau, Discipline Lead (Production), said : “These generous special guests form part of the strategy in AFTRS BA Production to closely align with, and better prepare students for, industry, and as an internationally acclaimed filmmaker and AFTRS graduate herself Jocelyn Moorehouse is the perfect guest to enlighten and inspire our graduation year students on their final day before embarking on their own careers. It is a great privilege connecting the industry’s best with the next generation of storytellers and screen practitioners, building on what is already a world-class program.”
