FORTITUDE VALLEY World Premiere

Speakers

• More details about Leigh Mc Grath

  Leigh Mc Grath

  Leigh is an AACTA nominated producer and writer who has worked across multiple storytelling genres, including film and television drama, comedy, and animation for the BBC, Netflix, ABC Studios International, ITV and Fremantle Media. Leigh co-founded Moving Floor Entertainment with Stephen M. Irwin to bring their rich experience in the creation and production of high-quality scripted content to Australian and international screens. Moving Floor has a large and growing slate that spans diverse platforms and genres. A core aspect of Moving Floor’s ethos is to provide springboards for diverse emerging creatives to hone their craft and, in the long term, build a diverse body of local storytelling talent that will continue to create world-class entertainment out of Queensland, Australia. Leigh was co-creator, co-writer and co-executive producer of the hit drama series HARROW. The series was the first international drama production for the Disney-owned ABC Studios International, and stars Ioan Gruffudd in the title role. HARROW was nominated as Most Outstanding Drama Series at the 2018 Logie awards and ran for three successful seasons (2018-2021). It consistently rated in the top ten Australian drama series during its run. In 2019, Leigh co-created the hit network Ten drama series, FIVE BEDROOMS, along with writers Michael Lucas and Christina Bartlett. The series ran for four seasons, and earned multiple industry nominations including the AACTA Awards and Logie Awards. In 2018, Netflix ordered its first Australian original series, the supernatural crime drama TIDELANDS co-created by Leigh McGrath and Stephen M Irwin. Leigh also wrote and co-Executive Produced the series. From 2011-2018, Leigh produced the Kriv Stenders feature film AUSTRALIA DAY starring Bryan Brown, SECRETS & LIES for Network Ten, which was nominated for an AACTA Award for Best telefeature or Miniseries. The show was later remade in USA by ABC Network starring Juliette Lewis and Ryan Phillipe. Leigh also produced the ABC comedy series THE STRANGE CALLS as well as the online drama series: VIKINGS: ATHELSTAN’S JOURNAL and TEXAS RISING: THE LOST SOLDIER for the US History Channel. Leigh has worked extensively both locally and internationally as a Script Producer and Story Editor, including ITV’s long-running police drama series THE BILL. He also worked for the BBCwhere he was involved in the development of series ideas for commissioning. His UK credits include the Emmy Award-winning THE LOST CHRISTMAS starring Eddie Izzard, the BAFTA winning ROY, and ME & MY MONSTERS for Jim Henson Productions. In 2025, Leigh produced the multi-award-winning web-series DESERTED (filmed on Minjerribah/Stradbroke Island), which starred Chinese-Australia actress Shuang Hu.

• More details about Stephen M. Irwin

  Stephen M. Irwin

  Stephen M. Irwin is a showrunner, producer, screenwriter, director and novelist. He has created, produced and written acclaimed television drama series for Netflix, Hulu, ABC Studios International, ABC Australia and Network Ten. Stephen’s critically acclaimed supernatural novels THE BROKEN ONES and THE DEAD PATH have been published around the world. Stephen co-founded Moving Floor Entertainment with Leigh McGrath to bring their rich experience in the creation and production of high-quality scripted content to Australian and international screens. Moving Floor has a large and growing slate that spans diverse platforms and genres. A core aspect of Moving Floor’s ethos is to provide springboards for diverse emerging creatives to hone their craft and, in the long term, build a diverse body of local storytelling talent that will continue to create world-class entertainment out of Queensland, Australia. Stephen was co-creator, co-executive producer and head writer of the forensic crime drama series HARROW starring Ioan Gruffudd, which was the first international drama production for the Disney-owned ABC Studios International and screened on Australia’s ABC. HARROW was nominated as Most Outstanding Drama Series at the 2018 Logie awards and rated in the top ten drama shows at the time of transmission – with a combined average audience of 1.4 million per episode. Stephen also wrote the award-winning miniseries WAKE IN FRIGHT, which won the Silver World Medal for most outstanding drama series at the New York Festivals Film & Television Awards (2018) and was nominated for an AACTA AWARD for Best telefeature or Miniseries as well as Most Outstanding Mini-Series at the 2017 Logie Awards. In 2018, Stephen co-created the Netflix drama series TIDELANDS (along with Leigh McGrath). TIDELANDS was the first Australian original series ordered by Netflix. Stephen also co-executive Produced the series. In 2017, Stephen wrote the feature film AUSTRALIA DAY, which was screened as part of the Official Selection at both the Sydney and Melbourne International Film Festivals in 2017. The film was nominated for two AACTA AWARDs for Best Editing and Best Actor (Bryan Brown). In 2014, Stephen wrote the original crime drama SECRETS & LIES for Network Ten, which was nominated for an AACTA AWARD for Best telefeature or Miniseries. The show was later remade in USA by ABC Network starring Juliette Lewis and Ryan Phillipe. In 2025, Stephen wrote and directed multi-award-winning web-series DESERTED (filmed on beautiful Minjerribah/Stradbroke Island).

• More details about Hunter Page-Lochard

  Hunter Page-Lochard

  Hunter Page-Lochard was most recently seen in the SBS/NITV four-part series RECKLESS and can also be seen in the Stan series CRITICAL INCIDENT and the third series of THE NEWSREADER, where he reprised his role from the second season of the award-winning series for the ABC. His performance in the series earned him the 2024 AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama. Upcoming, he appears in Harvey Zielinski’s debut feature film SWEET MILK LAKE. His other recent credits include the ABC drama series BARONS and the ABC/NBCUniversal critically acclaimed series FIRES. Hunter is currently in production for the upcoming ABC drama series FORTITUDE VALLEY, which he wrote, EP’s as well as stars in. Hunter starred as “Cleverman” in the ABC's groundbreaking series CLEVERMAN, which premiered at the 2016 Berlin Film Festival, aired on SUNDANCE TV in the US, for which he was nominated for the Graham Kennedy Most Outstanding Newcomer Logie Award. Hunter made his feature film debut in Rachel Perkins' award winning film, BRAN NUE DAE. His other feature film credits include KID SNOW, LUNACY, STREAMLINE, SPEAR, which premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, THE SAPPHIRES, which screened in Official Selection at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival and AROUND THE BLOCK which screened at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. His other television credits include hosting Playschool on the ABC, Stan’s series EDEN, ABC / ABC Studios International series HARROW, LES NORTON and SOUL MATES for the ABC, Foxtel’s critically acclaimed series WENTWORTH, TIDELANDS for Netflix, Nine Network's WATER RATS, SBS' EAST WEST 101, and NITV’s series SHADOW TRACKERS. Hunter has appeared on stage in ELEKTRA ORESTES for Belvoir; SUGARLAND for ATYP; Stephen Page's BLAK, KIN (GOMA Tour), BOOMERANG and SKIN for the Bangarra Dance Theatre; BLOODLAND for the Sydney Theatre Company and Adelaide Festival; BLACK DIGGERS for the Queensland Theatre Company and Sydney Festival; and BROTHERS WRECK for Company B, which earned him the ‘Most Outstanding Newcomer’ at the 2015 Glugs Awards and saw him nominated for Best Male Actor in a Play at the 2015 Helpmann Awards. He also won “Best Newcomer” at the 2014 Sydney Theatre Awards for BROTHERS WRECK, BLACK DIGGERS and SUGARLAND. His short films include Adrian Wills' ARCADIA and Wayne Blair's BLACK TALK and THE DJARN DJARNS, which won the Crystal Bear for Best Short Film at the 2005 Berlin International Film Festival. Hunter wrote, directed and starred in the short film DJALI which premiered at the 2018 Sydney Film Festival, and CLOSED DOORS. He directed the ABC’s family show THALU, has written and directed for PLAYSCHOOL, as well as BEEP & MORT and THE WONDER GANG for the ABC and is in development on several television and feature film projects.

• More details about Sian Davies

  Sian Davies

  Sian Davies is an award-winning Australian director whose work spans drama, comedy, film and commercials. She recently directed episodes of the Stan thriller WATCHING YOU and is best known as the set-up director of both seasons of the AACTA and Logie-nominated murder mystery series BLACK SNOW (Stan/Sundance TV), where she established the show's visual language, tone and storytelling approach. Her work on Black Snow and the Foxtel legal drama THE TWELVE earned Australian Directors' Guild Award nominations, while in 2022 she received three ADG nominations and won for her direction of SPREADSHEET (Paramount+) and SURVIVING SUMMER (Netflix). She was again recognised in 2023 with a Highly Commended citation for SURVIVING SUMMER Season 2. Sian's television credits span some of Australia's most acclaimed and popular series, including THE GLOAMING, BLOOM, WENTWORTH, MISS FISHER'S MURDER MYSTERIES, OFFSPRING, RUSH and SATISFACTION. Earlier in her career, she directed Seasons three and four of the International Emmy Award-winning NOWHERE BOYS, helmed all episodes of ABC's political satire THE EX-PM, and received a nomination for Best Direction in a TV Comedy Program for TRUE STORY with Hamish and Andy. Alongside her television work, Sian has also directed a number of acclaimed short films. POETRY AND PIÑATA premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival, while her VCA graduate film BLACKOUT screened internationally at Cannes and Clermont-Ferrand.