Event and Ticketing Details
Dates & Times
Saturday 18 August
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
It's almost like that episode of Arrested Development when Maeby accompanies her father to an audition, and ends up becoming a film exec: Alia Shawkat is calling the shots.
Maeby Fünke, the droll teenage con-artist, was of course the role that made Shawkat famous. In the years since the original Arrested Development series wrapped, Shawkat has sought out offbeat roles in some great film and TV productions – including Whip It, Ruby Sparks, Drunk History and hilarious guest appearances on Portlandia and Broad City. But more recently, she's been racking up writing and producing credits.
In the first season of cult TV comedy Search Party, she was both star and producer. For her recent film, Duck Butter, she's star, executive producer and co-writer. Alongside her film and TV work, Shawkat dabbles in jazz singing and is an accomplished painter.
In Melbourne for the Ethan Hawke-directed biopic, Blaze, which is screening at MIFF, the funny and multi-talented Shawkat will talk to Lorin Clarke about her life, career and charting her own creative course.
MIFF Talks presented by the Age and Melbourne International Film Festival.
Featuring
Alia Shawkat
Alia Shawkat is a highly sought after actress in both film and television. She most recently was seen starring in the second season of TBS’ breakout hit genre-bending mystery comedy, Search Party. The show, which premiered at the 2016 SXSW Film Festival as part of the Official TV Selection category, was called one of the Best TV Shows of 2016 by Vanity Fair, Vulture and BuzzFeed. Shawkat received critical praise for her performance as the show's lead, Dory.
Shawkat features in the independent film Duck Butter, which she co-wrote with Miguel Arteta and executive produced alongside Arteta and the Duplass Brothers. She also stars opposite songwriter and musician Ben Dickey in the indie biopic Blaze, directed by Ethan Hawke.
Well known for her role of Maeby Fünke on FOX’s Emmy Award-winning cult comedy series Arrested Development, Shawkat recently revisited the role with all new episodes of the series for Netflix. She has also recently appeared on Amazon Studios' critical-acclaimed comedy Transparent, and guest-starred on Drunk History, Portlandia, Broad City, and in a recurring role on HBO’s Getting On. In cinema, she starred opposite Janet McTeer in Amber Tamblyn’s directorial debut, Paint It Black.
Born in Palm Springs, California, Shawkat currently lives in Los Angeles. Off screen, she is a talented jazz singer, pianist and accomplished painter and illustrator.
Shawkat’s career began at the age of 11, with her feature film debut as a young Iraqi child in David O. Russell’s Three Kings, opposite George Clooney. In the past few years, Shawkat has been seen in a slew of much-anticipated projects including Netflix’s Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday (produced by Paul Reubens and Judd Apatow), and indie thriller Green Room, alongside Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots and Sir Patrick Stewart.
Her additional feature credits include 20th Century Women, The Intervention, Adam Green’s Aladdin, The Final Girls, Nasty Baby (which she co-produced), The To-Do List, The Oranges, Cedar Rapids, Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut Whip It, and Amreeka, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival.
Lorin Clarke
Lorin Clarke is a writer, director and broadcaster. She has written for stage, television, print and radio and is the television columnist for the Big Issue. Lorin co-presents the daily Stupidly Small podcast with Stew Farrell.
Her play For We Are Young And Free was nominated for the Golden Gibbo Award at the 2007 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Lorin has an arts/law degree.