There’s been a lot of focus on improving ‘diversity’ on and off screen in recent years, and with it, pressure for culturally diverse filmmakers to speak for their communities and represent migrant stories in certain ways. In this panel we look to the future, exploring the work of three Western Sydney filmmakers who are finding ways to break out of that model, bringing new, authentically authored stories to national and international audiences.

Join producer Sheila Jayadev, writer/director Andrew Undi Lee and writer/actor Randa Sayed in a discussion with Sheila Ngoc Pham about the development process, making of and reception to recent projects including new SBS horror anthology NIGHT BLOOMERS, award winning feature film HERE OUT WEST, and a new Untitled collaboration with the Powerhouse.

How are they finding new ways to authentically tell their stories to Australian and international screen audiences? How can we continue to push expectations of what a ‘migrant story’ is? What are the opportunities and challenges of working with diaspora communities? How is (and isn’t) the industry supporting them to tell stories the way they want to? And what is it that makes Western Sydney storytelling unique?