AISF and Screen Australia Announce 2026 Writer/Director Delegation
The Australian International Screen Forum (AISF), in partnership with Screen Australia, is pleased to announce the filmmakers selected for the 2026 AISF and Screen Australia Writer/Director program.
Meet the delegation
The program connects a curated group of Australian writers and directors with leading members of the US screen industry, creating opportunities for international relationships, representation, collaboration and career development.
This year’s delegation brings together filmmakers working across feature film, television and digital storytelling, whose work has screened at major international festivals including Berlinale, Busan, SXSW, Rotterdam, Sydney Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival and Series Mania.
Anoop Lokkur | Papunu Films
Anoop Lokkur is an Indian-Australian writer, director and producer. His debut feature, Don’t Tell Mother, premiered at the 2025 Busan International Film Festival before screening at the 2026 Sydney Film Festival. His short Long Distance screened at Melbourne International Film Festival and Palm Springs International ShortFest and was subsequently acquired by Canal+.
Harry Lloyd
Harry Lloyd is a writer/director whose work uses genre to explore identity, power and belonging. Named an IF Rising Talent for Directors in 2026, Harry created the SBS series Homebodies, which premiered in competition at Series Mania and received a Special Mention, before earning two Logie Award nominations. Harry has also directed more than 50 episodes of Neighbours.
Hyun Lee
Hyun Lee is a Korean-Australian writer and director based in Sydney. Her debut feature French Girls premiered at Sydney Film Festival in 2026, while her short Asian Girls premiered at SXSW and has attracted more than one million views online. Her television writing credits include the award-winning Paramount+ series Fake
James Vaughan
James Vaughan is a Sydney-based filmmaker whose debut feature, Friends and Strangers, became the first Australian film selected for Rotterdam’s Tiger Competition. The film won the Special Jury Prize at Jeonju, was named a New York Times Critic’s Pick and appeared in Sight and Sound’s Top 50 films of 2021. His work has screened at festivals including Berlinale, Rotterdam, Viennale and New Directors/New Films.
Luke Eve | More Sauce
Luke Eve is an award-winning Australian director and producer working internationally. An AFTRS graduate, he created the acclaimed digital series Low Life and High Life, followed by the viral lockdown series Cancelled and its feature sequel UnCancelled. His debut feature I Met A Girl starred Brenton Thwaites, and he recently completed Easy, starring Lizzy Greene and Harry Collett.
Manjari Makijany | Asia Pacific Pictures
Manjari Makijany is an Emmy-nominated writer, director and producer based between Sydney and Los Angeles. Her debut feature Skater Girl was acquired by Netflix, while her Disney+ feature Spin received Children’s & Family Emmy nominations for Best Picture and Best Director. She is an alumna of programs including the AFI Directing Workshop for Women and Universal Pictures Directors Intensive.
Sophie Somerville | Excellent Friends and Future Success! Pty Ltd
Sophie Somerville is a multi-award-winning, AACTA-nominated filmmaker and producer. Her shorts Peeps and Linda 4 Eva screened internationally and won consecutive Dendy Awards at Sydney Film Festival. Her debut feature Fwends premiered at the 75th Berlinale, where it received the Caligari Film Award, and was later named among The Guardian’s 10 best Australian films of 2025.
Talia Zucker
Talia Zucker is a filmmaker and actor, Sundance Screenwriters Lab fellow and alumna of the AFI Directing Workshop for Women. Her feature In Vitro premiered at Sydney Film Festival and won the Dark Matters Jury Award at Austin Film Festival. Her short Child premiered in competition at BFI London Film Festival.
Will Howarth | Fictious
Will Howarth is an Australian filmmaker and co-founder of Fictious. A Sundance Screenwriters Lab and Vertigo Fellowship alumnus, he wrote, directed, produced and performed in In Vitro. He is currently producing Closing Night, starring Naomi Watts, Sarah Paulson and Dianne Wiest, and previously wrote, produced and performed in the TIFF-premiering Beast.
Connecting Australian Filmmakers with the US Industry
The AISF and Screen Australia program is designed to give participating filmmakers direct access to the US industry and help build meaningful international relationships around their work and careers.
Through a series of curated sessions and industry introductions, the filmmakers will have the opportunity to engage with US executives, producers, managers and other industry leaders, while gaining practical insight into navigating the American market.
The program forms part of AISF's ongoing work to create a bridge between the Australian and US screen industries and to provide Australian filmmakers with meaningful pathways into the international marketplace.