Ben Lawrence took home the main prize – Best Direction in a Feature Film (Budget $1M+) – at last night’s Australian Directors’ Guild (Adg) Awards, for his debut narrative feature Hearts and Bones.

Held virtually and hosted by Greta Lee Jackson and Nina Oyama, this year’s Adg Awards also saw female directors take home 10 of the 19 prizes – marking the first time ever that women have made up more than 50 per cent of winners.

Among them were Josephine Mackerras, who took home Best Direction of A Feature Film (Budget under $1M) for the French-language Alice; Maya Newell whose In My Blood It Runs saw her win Best Direction of a Documentary Feature, and Emma Freeman, who won Best Direction of a TV or SVOD Mini-Series for Stateless: Episode 3.

The guild suggests this reflects the push for gender parity in the industry. Traditionally, women have been extremely underrepresented in director roles, and last week,...

Deborra-lee Furness.

In 2008 Deborra-lee Furness founded About Change, a not-for-profit organisation which supports and educates families and communities in caring for displaced children – an abiding passion which she will bring to directing episodes of Neighbours.

The actress, who was a regular in Neighbours in 1985, will spend three weeks on the Fremantle show directing scenes in which same-sex couple Aaron (Matt Wilson) and David (Takaya Honda) decide to become permanent carers.

The serial’s executive producer Jason Herbison, who has an adopted daughter with his partner Pete, is familiar with the bureaucracy involved in the adoption process.

Impressed with her work through Adopt Change, Herbison invited her to direct the block with Kate Kendall. The adoption story arc plays out over three months, for which Deborra-lee will serve as a consultant. The episodes will go to air on 10 Peach in June.

“I am thrilled to be collaborating with the team at...

In less than a few days, ABC has fast-forwarded its proposed "Once Upon a Time" spinoff from a nameless idea headed by two talented writers to a full-blown project that includes a cast. That spinoff, taking place in the world of Alice and the White Rabbit, is called "Once: Wonderland," and it now has pretty much all the major character roles -- except for the White Rabbit -- filled. They include Sophie Lowe as Alice, Michael Socha as the Knave of Hearts, and newcomer Peter Gadiot as Cyrus, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Lowe is a virtual unknown to American audiences. Born in England but raised in Australia, the 22-year-old actress made her screen debut in the Australian children's show "Backyard Scientist" in 2005 before taking on a powerful role of Kate Kendall in the Australian ...

Neighbours newcomer Kate Kendall has promised that her on-screen family are heading to Ramsay Street with "secrets" and some "juicy storylines" on the way. Yesterday (November 4), it was announced that the former Stingers actress is taking over the role of Lou Carpenter's daughter Lauren Turner, who will be returning to Ramsay Street in 2013. Lauren arrives back with her husband Matt (Josef Brown) and their teenage children Mason (Taylor Glockner), Amber (Jenna Rosenow) and Bailey (Calen MacKenzie).

Pictured: The Turner family. Kendall told TV Week of the new family: "[Lauren and Mark are] a very (more)...

Neighbours has announced that some of Ramsay Street's most popular characters will be returning next year. Steph Scully (Carla Bonner) will be making a welcome return, as well as Sarah Beaumont (Nicola Charles) and Detective Mark Brennan (Scott McGregor). Lou Carpenter's daughter Lauren Turner (now played by Kate Kendall) will also be coming back, but she will joined by her family to form a new set of characters in Erinsborough. On joining the long-running soap, which will celebrate its 28th year in 2013, Kendall said: "It's exciting to be joining Australia's longest running drama and to be working with such an array of experienced actors. "To be playing a character such as Lauren Turner, who is deeply embedded in the storyline and who of course is (more)...

Australian entrepreneur Kate Kendall is moving to Silicon Valley to team up with the founders of YouTube to help launch publishing website called Zeen.com.

Kendall, founder of The Fetch, an online guide for digital and creative communities, will be heading up marketing and communications for Zeen.com’s parent company Avos.

A launch date for Zeen.com, an online magazine site, has yet to be confirmed.

Kendall met YouTube founders Steve Chen and Chad Hurley through Melbourne entrepreneur Tim Bull, whose company Trunk.ly was acquired by Avos late last year.

Before The Fetch, Kendall was the digital director of Niche Media. She has worked across titles such as Dumbo Feather, The Conversation, Marketing, Desktop and Macworld. She started out as an editor and journalist.

Kendall said in a press release: “I was in town and got chatting to the team over Mexican food, which is always the way.

Amanda Harrison has been announced as the lead role in a new musical version of An Officer and a Gentleman. The Australian actress and singer, who previously played Elphaba in the touring musical Wicked to great acclaim, has accepted the role of factory worker Paula Pokrifki made famous by Debra Winger in the original 1982 movie, the Herald Sun reports. Ben Mingay - who is currently playing Tommy in a Sydney production of Jersey Boys - has been cast as Zack Mayo, the part originally played by Richard Gere. Kate Kendall and Alex Rathgeber have also been confirmed as cast members. The musical is scheduled to debut at the Lyric Theatre in Sydney next May and is being directed by Simon Phillips (more)...