Pitching 101 - The Chinatown Script Pitch Competition

Holding the Chinese red envelope, winner Brendan Wan. From left to right: Judges Lawrence Leung, Screen Presence Founder Lisa Wang, Marissa Nanakhorn Brown, Urvi Majumdar.

🥁 And the winner is… Brendan Wan! 🎉

Brendan took out top honours with his powerful pitch for "The Lucky Country", a historical short reimagining the first meeting between William Ah Ket—Australia’s first Chinese-Australian barrister—and James Minahan, a biracial man denied re-entry into the country of his birth.

With heartfelt conviction and pitch-perfect clarity, Brendan brought to life a story that’s been waiting over 70 years to be told. His pitch was a standout—emotionally resonant, culturally significant, and beautifully delivered.

🎬 Brendan is an AACTA-nominated writer, producer, director and performer based in Melbourne. His work has been featured by ABC, The Age, and Radio National. He’s the creator of the ABC web series Gourmet Lazy, nominated for Best Short Form Entertainment at the AACTAs, and recently wrote and produced Asian Male Lead, which premiered at Flickerfest 2025.

💫 A huge shoutout to our incredible judging panel—Lawrence Leung, Marisa Nanakhorn Brown, and Urvi Majumdar—for their thoughtful insights and unwavering support of emerging storytellers.

👏 Congratulations to the 20 contestants who submitted and the 6 finalists for their creativity and dedication. This competition was a true celebration of diverse voices in storytelling.

👏 And to our brilliant volunteers—thank you for your energy, care, and behind-the-scenes magic that made the event shine.

🙏 We’re deeply grateful to our sponsors, the Melbourne Chinatown Business Association and Konpira Maru Wine Company, and our fantastic partners Asian Cinema Collective, and the Museum of Chinese Australian History for their unwavering support for our community and the stories that matter.

🚀 Screen Presence is excited to continue to support Brendan as he takes "The Lucky Country" to the next stage of development in any way we can. Stay tuned—our finalists will be sharing their reflections in upcoming vox pops, diving into what this experience meant to them and why events like this matter for underrepresented voices, both behind and on our screens.