PROOF

2026 AACTA PROOF in partnership with Screen Queensland and Gold Coast Film Festival

PROOF, is a strategic new film development and short film production initiative, delivered in partnership with Screen Queensland and Gold Coast Film Festival and supported by Invest Gold Coast, Panavision, Sony and The Post Lounge. PROOF bridges the gap between early-stage development and theatrical momentum, placing audience strategy at the heart of the process.

Throughout this year-long program, three Queensland-based creative teams will develop and produce a proof-of-concept short for a mid-budget Australian feature. Each team will receive production funding and support valued at $65,000, along with an opportunity to be paired with an experienced EP and exclusive masterclasses and training on building an online fan base and developing strategic and impactful digital marketing. Team members will also participate in the 2027 Queensland Creative Launchpad and receive complimentary tickets to the AACTA Awards and AACTA Festival where they'll have an opportunity to meet with executives across finance, sales and distribution. 

AACTA is honoured to include three leading figures from the world of exhibition and distribution as part of this year’s selection committee - Claire Gandy, General Manager of Film and Content at Event Cinemas Australia and New Zealand, Greg Denning, Head of Sales and Acquisitions and Development Manager at Studiocanal Australia and Kristian Connelly, CEO of Cinema Nova, Australia’s leading independent cinema.

PROOF has been welcomed as a timely evolution in how Australian features are developed and positioned for audiences.

 The three recipients will receive:

• A $20,000 Production Fund.

• Complimentary equipment hire from Panavision/Sony valued at $15,000.

• Complimentary post production from Post Lounge valued at $30,000.

• 2 x tickets to attend the 2027 AACTA Awards Ceremony on the Gold Coast in February 2027 (date TBC)

• Annual AACTA Professional Memberships for all team members.

• 2 x online workshops focussing on Audience Building and Digital Marketing.

• As agreed, the attachment of an experienced executive producer to help guide the project.

DEADLINE

On the night of his graduation party, a disillusioned prodigy is confronted by his jaded future self who will cease to exist unless he chooses a university degree he doesn’t want to take.

Lachlan Macfarlane	Austin Macfarlane	Sam Lingham

TICK, TICK, TICK

How do you mend a broken heart? Based on a true story, an ordinary man discovers his life-saving heart valve is a ticking time bomb and must join forces with a scrappy Texan lawyer to hold a corporate giant accountable before his time runs out.

Peter Bartels	Ashleigh Lawrence

THE WATER TANK

After an accident leaves a single mother trapped in a water tank on a remote Queensland property, she is stranded and unable to reach her children as they edge closer to disaster - until her nonverbal daughter becomes the architect of their survival.

Allison Brownmoore	Jodie Camilleri

 Executive Producer - DEADLINE -  Rita Artmann 

Rita Artmann is the co-founder/co-creator of production company ArtSpear and associated YouTube channel ArtSpear Entertainment (3.6 million subscribers and over 1 billion views). 

She recently produced ArtSpear's family comedy CLAY, a hybrid live action/animation short film funded by Screen Queensland and is currently producing AACTA Proof short - Deadline for Haven't You Done Well Productions and the Macfarlane Bros. 

Rita was one of the 2024/2025 Screen Producers Australia "Ones To Watch". She has produced and co-created Screen-Australia and YouTube supported mockumentary web series UnTrue Crime; multi-award-winning comedy feature films The Killage and Australiens; skit-comedy series The Void and The Void: Rebooted; and viral animated parody series Toon Sandwich. 

Rita produced the AACTA and SPA nominated anthology web series The Worst That Could Happen. The series has garnered over 10 million views across online platforms.  

Having started her career as an actor, Rita has performed in film, TV, theatre and web series professionally for over 20 years. She has emulated hundreds of popular characters as the sole female voice artist of Toon Sandwich.  

Executive Producer - TICK, TICK, TICK- Tracey Vieira

Tracey Vieira is the Chief Content Officer for Emmy® and BAFTA Award winning film and
television production company Hoodlum, operating globally between Australia, the US and
the UK. Tracey joined Hoodlum in September 2019 after five years as CEO of Screen
Queensland and works across Hoodlum’s full development and market slates.
Since joining Hoodlum, Vieira has worked on expanding Hoodlum’s global slate across
scripted and unscripted television and feature film with productions currently in development
with partners including Netflix, Paramount, ABC, BBC and CBS International amongst
others.

Most recently Tracey has produced the action thriller feature film The Mark, starring Jessica
Alba and Tom Hopper, alongside an all-star Australian cast including Angus Sampson, Mark
Cole Smith, Jessica McNamee and Elsa Pataky on the Gold Coast which will be released in
2026. She also produced and Executive Produced the series Two Years Later recently released on P+
starring Brenton Thwaites and Phoebe Tonkin. She has produced the 2022 Netflix number one global hit A Perfect Pairing, a romantic comedy feature film starring Adam Demos and Victoria Justice, produced feature film Christmas on the Farm for Stan which was released in December 2021, Executive Produced action-thriller feature Land of Bad, starring Russell Crowe and Liam and Luke Hemsworth released in
early 2024 and the AACTA nominated ABC series In Our Blood which premiered in March
2023.

Vieira was named in the 2018 Australian Financial Review 100 Women of Influence and is
the 2016 Telstra Queensland Businesswoman of the Year, currently Chairs the Asia Pacific
Screen Awards, is Chair of Griffith Film School’s Advisory Board and is the current President
of Screen Producers Australia. She was recently recognised for her contribution to film and
television with an Honorary Doctorate from Griffith University.

Executive Producer - THE WATER TANK - Mike Cowap

Mike Cowap is an Executive Producer at Princess Pictures and Co-Founder of Princess Bento Animation Studio, where he oversees a slate of bold, innovative projects across animation and live-action. Known for championing distinctive creative voices and genre-defying storytelling, Mike plays a central role in shaping the company’s global content strategy.

He is currently in post-production on HOTEL HOTEL HOTEL HOTEL, a sci-fi thriller starring Oscar winner Daniel Kaluuya (GET OUT, NOPE), written and directed by Michael Shanks, that he is producing with Adam McKay’s HyperObject for A24. Mike also produced Shanks’s debut feature, the breakout Sundance horror feature TOGETHER, starring Dave Franco and Alison Brie, which sold to NEON in one of the biggest deals in the festival’s history and has been released theatrically around the world, with a global box office total of $50M. In the animation space, Mike executive produced KOALA MAN for Hulu and Disney+, featuring Hugh Jackman and Sarah Snook, as well as three seasons of YOLO: Crystal Fantasy and the cult hit SMILING FRIENDS, both for Adult Swim and Max. He has the Netflix primetime animated series DAD’S HOUSE in late post-production from creators Michael Cusack, Dario Russo and David Ashby, with an upcoming global launch date still to be announced. He also produced the hit live-action comedy SUPERWOG, a breakout success for the ABC and a viral YouTube phenomenon that has amassed hundreds of millions of views. The show's massive fanbase and cultural resonance have led to the Netflix series SON OF A DONKEY that Mike produced, and which was the #1 show on Netflix in Australia for the first week of release.

Across emerging media, Cowap has expanded into premium audio storytelling, producing three original series for Audible further showcasing his versatility as a cross-platform producer. Prior to joining Princess, Mike held senior roles at the Australian Film Commission, South Australian Film Corporation, the UK Film Council, and Screen Australia, where he led groundbreaking initiatives including Skip Ahead and Fresh Blood. He has supported award-winning projects across film, television, VR, interactive media, and gaming, and continues to be a vital force in nurturing next-generation talent.

Mike currently sits on the Expert Advisory Group for Screen Tasmania and is widely regarded for his contributions to innovative storytelling and industry development. 

Claire Gandy

Claire has worked in the entertainment industry for over 16 years, beginning in the film department of Event/Greater Union by becoming a film programmer, where she gained knowledge, skills and contacts in the distribution, exhibition and film making community. With that experience she moved to Dendy Cinemas where she was the National Film, Content and Programming Manager, gaining a greater perspective of the independent landscape, whilst also becoming involved in the acquisitions process at Icon Films, eventually becoming Development and Film Acquisitions Manager in tandem with the Content Management for the cinema side of the business.

In 2017 she was offered the role of General Manager of Content for Event Cinemas, the largest and most successful cinema chain in Australia and New Zealand, where she is focusing on supporting and nurturing Australian and local content, and expanding the film palettes of the Event audiences with interesting and engaging film and content outside of the broader commercial content offerings.

Greg Denning

Greg Denning has a career spanning over 30 years in the entertainment industry, across Exhibition, Distribution and Production businesses, in Sales, Marketing, Programming, Acquisitions and Development roles. He has released over 500 films Theatrically and Programmed many more!

Since 2013 Greg has been with independent powerhouse STUDIOCANAL, as Head of Sales & Acquisitions and Development Manager. In that time, he initiated the STUDIOCANAL CULTIVATOR DEVELOPMENT FUND which produced local AACTA Award winning feature KANGAROO which was the highest grossing Australian film in 2025 at the Australian box office. 

Prior to STUDIOCANAL, Greg has held key executive positions at Icon Film Distribution and Hoyts Cinemas.

He served as the 78th President of The Society of Australian Cinema Pioneers and has previously held the position of President of the Australian Independent Distributors Association.

Kristian Connelly

A film industry professional since 2002, Kristian has worked across the industry in cinema exhibition, film distribution and production. Possessing an innate ability to anticipate audience taste, Kristian has spearheaded the release of countless film titles, overseeing campaigns to achieve high-visibility, industry-best results at a low-cost.

Luke Wheatley

After a significant career in marketing and acquisitions in the international marketplace Luke founded the Brisbane-based production company In Three Production with Beckie Adams in 2019.   Luke has directed and produced all of his recent credits which include the large-screen format feature documentary "Beyond the Reef," the theatrically released documentary "Same Same But Different" and "Grounded".  Recently Luke completed "Black Sunday," which is represented by William Morris Entertainment and is currently in post-production on his latest documentary, "How The West Was Won," produced alongside Ice T and Dante Ross. Luke is scheduled to direct his first feature film, AMNESIA, in July 2026.

As CEO of Film Fantastic, Luke led the strategy for The Brisbane International Film Festival in 2023 and 2024. Since 2023 he has spearheaded the Gold Coast Film Festival which saw its biggest attendance and ticket sales in 2025.  

Ivan Vukusic

Ivan Vukusic is the Awards and Industry Development Manager at AACTA, overseeing AACTA Awards processes while leading initiatives that accelerate careers for emerging screen creatives.

In 2018, he launched AACTA’s industry development arm, creating programs that fast-track early-stage talent into professional opportunities. In 2024, Ivan co-founded the AACTA Screen Careers Expo with Essential Screen Skills - now the largest event of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere - connecting students, career-changers, and educators with pathways, training, and opportunities in the screen industry.

Before AACTA, Ivan worked across production, distribution, acquisition and event management with Vendetta Films, Monster Pictures, Shock Entertainment, and Closer Pictures, and began his career at Walt Disney Studios.

A former music industry professional with Festival Records and Mushroom Records, Ivan is committed to championing creative talent and helping careers flourish.

Thursday 5th March

Applications open 9:00am AEST

Applicants are asked to submit the following:

•  A one-pager – a single page summary of no more than 500 words that includes:

• Title;

• Logline;

• Genre;

• Short synopsis of the proposed feature film;

• Statement on how the proof of concept short film demonstrates the feasibility, cinematic potential, tone, stylistic execution, and key creative elements of the proposed feature film.

• Script for the proof of concept short film of no more than 10 minutes in duration;

• A pitch deck of no more than 5 pages that articulates the vision of both the proof of concept short film and the proposed feature film, and how the proof of concept short film will capture and prove the essential elements of the feature film (tone, aesthetic, stakes, target audience);

• The resumes/CVs of all key creative members of the team;

• Any previous work (i.e. video files for previous productions).

Monday 13th April

Applications close 9:00am AEST

Sunday 3rd May

The three recipients are announced at the 2026 Gold Coast Film Festival.

June - December

Proof of Concepts will move into pre/production

February 2027

The three proof of concept short films will be screened at the 2027 AACTA Festival as part of a showcase event. The Grand Jury prize winner along with the Audience Choice prize winner will be announced.

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