Animating Tales from Outer Suburbia: A Special Workshop for Students and Emerging Creatives
Tales from Outer Suburbia
Flying Bark is thrilled to share details of an upcoming schools workshop, Animating ‘Tales from Outer Suburbia’, presented by ACMI and the Australian Children’s Television Foundation (ACTF), and inspired by our new premium animated series produced with Highly Spirited Productions.
Tales from Outer Suburbia is a bold, visually distinctive series that brings Shaun Tan’s much-loved stories to the screen through striking design and richly layered storytelling. This special screening and panel event will offer students and emerging creatives a rare look behind the scenes at how the series was made — from story development and illustration through to adaptation and final animation.
The panel brings together an exceptional group of creatives from the series: Shaun Tan (Creative Producer), Noel Cleary (Series Director), and Sophie Byrne (Producer), in conversation with Paul Gartside (ACTF Development Manager). Together, they’ll explore the creative process, the challenges of adaptation, and what it takes to build compelling screen stories for today’s audiences.
This event is designed for Years 10–12 Media Arts and Visual Arts students, tertiary students studying animation, filmmaking, design and visual arts, as well as early-career industry professionals looking to deepen their understanding of animated storytelling.
Can’t make it in person? You can register via the ACTF website to watch the panel live online or receive a recording to view at a time that suits you.
We’re proud to see Tales from Outer Suburbia continuing its journey beyond the screen and into classrooms and creative communities, inspiring the next generation of storytellers to explore how imagination, illustration and animation come together to create something truly special.
Event Details
11am-1pm
Monday, 23 March 2026
Cinema 2, Level 2
ACMI
Federation Square, Melbourne