Research

I am a third year PhD Candidate in screenwriting at Griffith Film School researching the representation of women aged over 40 on screen. In April 2025, I successfully completed the Thesis Candidature Review Milestone.

I presented at the 2023 Screenwriting Research Network Conference on my forthcoming book chapter on Catherine Hill’s screenwriting approach in the Australian feature film Some Happy Day. The book Shaping Global Culture Through Screenwriting: Women Who Write Our Worlds was released in September 2025.

I recently presented at the 2025 Screenwriting Research Network Conference in Adelaide.

My research question is: How do you craft authentic older female lead protagonists who exercise agency to pursue self-determination in a feature film screenplay.

My creative practice research objectives are to:

•Investigate how authentic older female characters exercise agency in screen narratives.

•Utilise screenwriting as a mode of research to craft a feature film screenplay with authentic female lead protagonists over the age of 40 who exercise agency

•Develop a strengths-based framework for storytellers  to craft older female characters.

To potentially create pathways to social and cultural impact around gender inequity as it relates to ageing