MEDIA RELEASE: Thursday 12 November 2015

JOHN EDWARDS TO DELIVER HECTOR CRAWFORD MEMORIAL LECTURE

Screen Producers Australia is delighted to announce that will deliver the prestigious Hector Crawford Memorial Lecture on Wednesday, 18 November at 10am at the SCREEN FOREVER Conference 2015 to be held at Melbourne’s Crown Conference Centre.

John Edwards is one of Australia’s most successful television producers. He has produced more than 600 hours of television drama and holds over 30 production credits. A master of the one-hour series drama, Edwards is best known for his rich, complex character dramas that have gone on to become era-defining programs. These include the multi-award winning series , and audience favourite , which enters its sixth season for Network Ten in 2016. Love My Way was a landmark in Australian television production as the first high-quality in- house drama to screen on pay television, and The Secret Life of Us together with Edwards’ six-time Logie Award-winning series remain the only two Australian episodic series ever commissioned for primetime in the UK.

Creating works for major national and international networks including Network Ten, Network Seven, Nine Network, ABC, , New Line, BBC, Channel 4 UK and BSky B, Edwards’ further production credits include , Dangerous, Rush, Tangle, Puberty Blues, Party Tricks, and The Beautiful Lie, which currently screens on the ABC. Edwards has also produced mini-series and telemovies including the Golden Globe nominated mini-series On the Beach; Marking Time, winner of 7 AFI Awards, the NSW Premier’s Literary Award, AWGIE Award and others; Do or Die; Children of the Dragon; Tracy; six telemovies in the Cody series; Beaconsfield; and Paper Giants.

Matthew Deaner, CEO of Screen Producers Australia said: “Edwards’ contribution to Australian television drama is incomparable to any other contemporary figure in the country. Across an incredible, prolific career, his creative vision has spawned high-quality Australian drama that has resonated with national and international audiences. It will be a rare opportunity to hear from someone with such experience, intimate knowledge and perceptive insight into the Australian media industry.”

Edward’s productions have won 29 Logie Awards, 39 AFI and AACTA Awards, four People’s Choice Awards, eight ASTRA Awards, more than a dozen craft awards within Australia and a number of international accolades, including three New York Festival Awards and a Golden Globe nomination. In 2011, Edwards was conferred an Honorary Masters Degree by the Australian Film Television and Radio School.

Previous Hector Crawford Memorial Lecture speakers include Phillip Adams AO, Kim Williams AM, Dare Jennings, Peter Garrett, Lachlan Murdoch, Noel Pearson, Margaret Pomeranz, Harold Mitchell AC and Gillian Armstrong.

SCREEN FOREVER 17-19 November 2015, Crown Conference Centre, Melbourne Australia Registrations now open at www.screenforever.org.au.

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Media Enquiries: Miranda Brown | Miranda Brown Publicity ph: 03 9419 0931 mob: 0411 568 781 [email protected] Stephanie Pirrie |Miranda Brown Publicity | ph: 03 9419 0931 mob: 0430 517 722 | [email protected]

SCREEN FOREVER, marking 30 years in 2015, is one of the largest congregations of screen professionals in the southern hemisphere, providing a forum for discussion and debate on local and global trends, issues and challenges facing the business of screen production. Past keynote speakers include Gale Anne Hurd (The Walking Dead, Aliens, The Terminator); Beau Willimon (House of Cards); Emile Sherman (The King’s Speech, Top of the Lake); Pollack (Tootsie); Ted Hope (21 Grams), David Puttnam, Kt, CBE (The Mission), Jon Plowman (The Office), Matthew Weiner (Mad Men) and George Lucas (Star Wars).