Wednesday 4 April - Friday 6 April 2018 - RMIT University, Melbourne - WENTWORTH - RMIT Australia
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WENTWORTH
IS THE
NEW
PRISONER
Wednesday 4 April – Friday 6 April 2018
RMIT University, Melbourne
TABLE&OF&CONTENTS&
!
Welcome! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 2!
!
Conference!organisers,!Media!+!Registrations! ! ! ! ! ! 3!
!
Venues!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 4!
!
Schedule! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 5!
!
Keynote!Presentations! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 7!
!
Screening! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 9!
!
Voices!from!the!Inside:!Industry!Panels!! ! ! ! ! ! ! 10!
! !
Paper!Abstracts!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 11!
!
Local!Knowledge! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 27!
!
Index!of!Speakers! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 28!
!
CONFERENCE&SUPPORT&
This!conference!has!been!made!possible!by!the!generous!support!of:!
School!of!Media!and!Communication!at!RMIT!University!
!
School!of!Media,!Film!and!Journalism!at!Monash!University!
!
!
!
School!of!Culture!and!Communication!at!the!University!of!Melbourne!
!
!
! !!
WELCOME&TO&‘WENTWORTH&IS&THE&NEW&PRISONER’& & & & &
RMIT&University,&Melbourne& 4C6&April&2018&
!
Wentworth!(aka!Wentworth!Prison)!is!an!awardVwinning!Australian!prison!drama!series!now!
in!its!fifth!season!and!recently!renewed!for!a!sixth!season.!It!screens!in!Australia!on!Foxtel,!in!
the!UK!on!Channel!5!and!in!the!USA!on!Netflix.!The!series!was!inspired!by!Prisoner!(aka!Cell!
Block!H),!a!groundVbreaking!drama!produced!between!1979!and!1986,!which!was!
internationally!successful!and!led!to!a!cult!following.!Set!in!a!women’s!prison!in!contemporary!
Melbourne,!Wentworth!dramatises!current!cultural!and!political!issues,!and!provides!a!rich!
example!of!creative!and!industrial!screen!practice!that!can!often!be!read!in!the!context!of!its!
predecessor,!Prisoner.!
!
This!conference!unites!those!who!study!and!are!fans!of!Wentworth!and!Prisoner,!with!those!
who!are!or!who!have!been!involved!in!making!the!series,!with!the!aim!of!generating!a!lively!
exchange!of!critical!and!creative!ideas.!!
!
The!conference!organisers!acknowledge!that!our!daily!work!and!the!work!of!this!conference!
take!place!on!the!land!of!the!Wurundjeri!people!of!the!Kulin!nation.!We!recognise!that!this!is!
the!place!of!ageVold!ceremonies!of!celebration,!initiation!and!renewal!and!that!the!local!
Aboriginal!peoples!have!had!and!continue!to!have!a!unique!role!in!the!life!of!these!lands.!We!
pay!respect!to!Wurundjeri!and!other!Aboriginal!Elders!past,!present!and!future!for!their!
custodianship!of!country!and!culture.!We!acknowledge!that!our!work!at!universities!around!
Melbourne!benefits!from!an!uncompensated!and!unreconciled!dispossession!that!began!over!
230!years!ago,!but!which!continues!to!be!resisted!today.!As!we!consider!televisual!fictions!of!
Australian!prisons!at!this!conference,!we!must!reflect!on!the!twin!facts!that!Indigenous!people!
are!vastly!overrepresented!in!Australian!prison!populations!and!vastly!underrepresented!in!
Australian!screen!production.!
!
!
!
& &
Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 2&
CONFERENCE&ORGANISERS&
Associate!Professor!Craig!Batty,!RMIT!University!! craig.batty@rmit.edu.au!
Dr!Tessa!Dwyer,!Monash!University! ! ! tessa.dwyer@monash.edu!
Dr!Radha!O’Meara,!University!of!Melbourne!! ! radha.omeara@unimelb.edu.au!
Dr!Stayci!Taylor,!RMIT!University! ! ! stayci.taylor@rmit.edu.au!
CONFERENCE&MEDIA&
!
The!conference!website!is!available!online!courtesy!of!RMIT!University.!
Registrations!and!updated!programs!are!available!via!the!website.!
!
On!registration!at!the!conference,!participants!will!receive!login!credentials!to!access!RMIT!
wifi.!Australian!participants!can!also!access!Eduroam!wifi.!
!
Contact!conference!organisers!by!email:!governorwentworth@gmail.com!
!
We!suggest!tweeting!the!conference!with!#topdog2018!
!
CONFERENCE®ISTRATIONS&
!
To!attend!the!conference,!please!register!online:&
https://rmit.onestopsecure.com/OneStopWeb/Wentworth_2018!
!
Conference!rates!listed!below!depend!on!how!many!sessions!you!will!attend!and!your!
employment/student!status.!
!
All!paper!presenters!are!requested!to!pay!registration!for!the!full!conference.!
Conference!dinner!and!trivia!night!must!be!registered!and!paid!for!in!addition!to!conference!
registration.!
!
Registration!options:!
•! Full!Conference!(2!days,!full!daytime!catering!and!Friday!drinks!reception)!V!$250.00!!
•! Full!Conference!for!students!and!casual!staff!(2!days,!full!daytime!catering!and!Friday!
drinks!reception)!V!$200.00!!
•! Single!Day!(full!daytime!catering!and!if!Friday,!drinks!reception)!V!$150.00!!
•! Single!Day!for!students!and!casual!staff!(full!daytime!catering!and!if!Friday,!drinks!
reception)!V!$125.00!!
•! Single!Keynote!Presentation!V!$20.00!
•! Conference!Dinner!+!Trivia!(Thursday!5th!April,!not!included!in!Full!Conference!rate)!V!
$50.00! !
Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 3CONFERENCE&VENUES&
!
Most!conference!panels!will!take!place!at:!
!
RMIT&Activator!(#1!on!map!below)!
Level!2,!Building!98!
102!Victoria!St,!Carlton!
!
The!final!panel!will!take!place!at:!
!
‘The&Green&Brain’&RMIT!(#2!on!map!below)!
Level!7,!Storey!Hall!!
Bldg!16,!336!Swanston!St!
Melbourne!
!
!
!
Social!events!will!take!place!nearby.!
!
Screening&+&Drinks& Dinner&+&Trivia&&
(6pm!Wednesday!4!April)! (6.30pm!Thursday!5!April)!
Long!Play! Captain!Melville!(#3!on!map!above)!
318!St!Georges!Rd! 35!Franklin!St!
Fitzroy!North! Melbourne!
! !
This!venue!is!in!the!inner!suburbs!of!Melbourne,! This!venue!is!a!short!walk!from!the!
approximately!5!km!from!RMIT.! RMIT!campus.!
! !
We!recommend!taking!public!transport:!
*!Catch!Bus!250!or!251!from!Lonsdale!Street!
(near!Swantson!Street)!City!to!Holden!Street!
(near!St!Georges!Road)!North!Fitzroy.!
*!Catch!Tram!11!from!Collins!Street,!City!to!St!
Georges!Road,!North!Fitzroy,!near!Holden!
Street.!
!
See!‘Local!Knowledge’!on!page!27!for!more!info.!
Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 4WEDNESDAY(4(APRIL(
Session'+'Time' Events'+'Speakers' Venue'
Screening(+(Drinks( Punishment*(1981)(and(Dangerous*Women((1991)* Long(Play(
6(–(8pm( Exclusive(screening(of(Prisoner(spinHoff(drama(Punishment(and(American(remake(Dangerous*Women,(with( 318(St(Georges(Rd(
introduction(by(Miguel(Gonzalez(of(National(Film(and(Sound(Archive.(Free(entry:(Drinks(+(food(available(for( Fitzroy(North(
purchase(
THURSDAY(5(APRIL(
Session'+'Time' Events'+'Speakers' Venue'
Intake' Confirm(your(registration,(pick(up(a(program(+(name(tag( RMIT(Activator(
8.30(H(9am( Register(online(before(the(conference:(https://rmit.onestopsecure.com/OneStopWeb/Wentworth_2018( Level(2,(Building(98(
102(Victoria(St,(Carlton(
Welcome(to(‘Wentworth(is( A(welcome(to(the(conference(by(Associate(Professor(Adrian(Danks((RMIT)( RMIT(Activator(
the(New(Prisoner’( Including(acknowledgement(that(this(event(takes(place(on(the(land(of(the(Wurundjeri(people( (
9(H(9.15am(
Keynote'' ‘Killers,*Thieves*+*Perverts’:*The*Women*of*Wentworth*Correctional*Centre( RMIT(Activator(
Presentation(1( Kim(Akass((U(Hertfordshire)(Introduced(by(Adrian(Danks( (
9.15(H10.15am(
Morning'Tea' Tea,(coffee(+(refreshments(provided( RMIT(Activator(
10.15(H10.45am( (
Slot'1' Panel:'Doing'Time'Chaired(by(Craig(Batty' RMIT(Activator(
10.45am(–(12.10pm( Timeline*of*‘Doing*Time’*Alexander(Gionfriddo,(Catherine(Gillam(+(Olympia(Barron((AFI(Research(Collection)* (
No*Future*Behind*Bars:*Doing*(Queer)*Time*in*Wentworth*Whitney(Monaghan((Monash(U)*
Recommending*Wentworth:*How*Netflix*“changed*the*show”*Alexa(Scarlata((U(Melbourne)*
Slot'2' Panel:'Queering'the'Cell'Chaired(by(Whitney(Monaghan' RMIT(Activator(
12.10pm(–(1.30pm( Criminality,*Femininity*+*Representation*of*Lesbian*Women*in*Australian*Film*+*TV*Jessica(InnesHIrons((ACU)( (
If*You*have*a*Lesbian*Teenager,*You*Have*Two*Choices:*Lock*her*Away*or*Send*her*Away(Diana(Sandars((U(
Melbourne)(
From*Sunsets*to*Seahorses:*The*‘Bury*your*Gays’*Trope*and*Queer*Female*Representation*in*Wentworth*
Jessica(Ive((U(Wollongong)(
Lunch' Light(meal(provided( RMIT(Activator(
1.30(–(2.15pm( (
Slot'3' Panel:'Breaking'Out:'Remakes'+'the'Transnational'Chaired(by(Alex(Bevan' RMIT(Activator(
2.15(–(4pm( ReUVoicing*Remand:*Prisoner*+(Wentworth*In*the*US*Market(Tessa(Dwyer((Monash(U)( (
Remaking*Remakes:*The*Complicated*Lineage*of*Wentworth’s*Transnational*Remakes(Kirsten(Stevens(
(Monash(U)(
Wentworth/Prisoner*and*the*Transnational*TV*+*Format*Trade(Philippa(Burne((VCA,(U(Melbourne)(
Capadocia*Mexico’s*Prison*Drama*Inspired*by*the*Headlines(Miguel(Gonzalez((National(Film(+(Sound(Archive)(
Slot'4' Panel:'Voices'from'the'Inside:'Creative'Practices'+'Industrial'Contexts'Chaired(by(Radha(O’Meara' RMIT(Activator(
4(–(5.30pm( Including(Kathy(Chambers((Director(of(Photography,(Wentworth),(Kate(Saunders((Production(Designer,( (
Wentworth),(Ros(Tatarka((Production(Coordinator/Manager,(Prisoner)(and(Kevin(Carlin((Director,(Wentworth)(
(Free(time(5.30(H(6.30pm)(
Dinner'+'Trivia' Conference(dinner(+(Trivia(competition,(hosted(by(the(screw(you(love(to(hate,(Stayci(Taylor(+(naïve(new( Captain(Melville(
Extravaganza( inmate,(Lucy(Schmidt((Book(on(conference(website:($50)( 35(Franklin(St(
6.30(–(9pm( Melbourne(
Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 5FRIDAY(6(APRIL(
Session'+'Time' Events'+'Speakers' Venue'
Intake' Confirm(your(registration,(pick(up(a(program(+(name(tag( RMIT(Activator(
8.30(H(9am( Register(online(before(the(conference:(https://rmit.onestopsecure.com/OneStopWeb/Wentworth_2018( Level(2,(Building(98(
102(Victoria(St,(Carlton(
Keynote'' That*was*Then,*This*is*Now:*Feminism,*Television*+*Wentworth( RMIT(Activator(
Presentation(2( Senior(Professor(Sue(Turnbull((U(Wollongong)(Introduced(by(Radha(O’Meara( (
9H10am(
Morning'Tea' Tea,(coffee(+(refreshments(provided( RMIT(Activator(
10H10.20am( (
Slot'5' Panel:'Fans'+'Stalkers'Chaired(by(Tessa(Dwyer' RMIT(Activator(
10.20(–(11.50am( “I’m*not*interested*in*being*polite*or*heterosexual”:*Compulsory*Homosexuality*in*the*Online*Wentworth* (
Fandom(Amanda(Allen((Eastern(Michigan(U)(
Bea*and*the*Freak*Remixed:*ReUimagining*the*Cult*of*Prisoner(Cell(Block(H*through*Wentworth(Craig(Haslop(
(U(Liverpool)(
Sympathy*for*the*Devil:*Monstrous*Discourse,*Unruly*Women,*and*Fans*of*the*Freak(Renee(Middlemost((U(
Wollongong)(
Slot'6' Panel:'Screw'Security'Chaired(by(Radha(O’Meara' RMIT(Activator(
11.50am(–(1.20pm( Wentworth*+*the*Global*Dynamic*Between*Security*Nations*+*Their*Citizens(Alex(Bevan((U(Queensland)( (
Wentworth*+*Orange(is(the(New(Black:*Systemic*Inequality*vs.*Individual*Responsibility*Jessica(Ford((UNSW)*
Prison*Architecture,*Gender*and*the*Gothic*in*Prisoner*and*Wentworth(Kate(Warner((U(Queensland)(
Lunch' Light(meal(provided( RMIT(Activator(
1.20(–(2pm( (
Slot'7' Panel:'Scripting'the'Carceral'Chaired(by(Helen(Milte' RMIT(Activator(
2(–(3.30pm( Writing*Spaces*in*Wentworth*Radha(O’Meara((U(Melbourne)( (
Writing*from*the*(stony)*ground*up:*the*unique*affordances*of*the*prison*as*‘hub’*from*a*script*development*
perspective*Stayci(Taylor((RMIT)*
Script*Development*and*Prisoner/Wentworth*Craig(Batty((RMIT)(
Afternoon'Tea' Tea,(coffee(+(refreshments(provided( RMIT(Activator(
3.30(–(4pm( (
Slot'8' Panel:'Freaks,'Gangs'+'Guests'Chaired(by(Stayci(Taylor' RMIT(Activator(
4(H(5.30pm( Prisoner(Cell(Block(H,(Wentworth,*and*The*Freak:*Discourses*of*Sexuality*and*the*Sociopath(Faye(Davies( (
(Birmingham(City(U)(
“I*want*to*see*Rit*Connors,*and*I*want*to*see*her*now!”*The*WalkUOn*as*the*Messenger*from*Heterotopia(Helen(
Milte((U(Melbourne)(
Asian*Gang*Member*#*3:*Representations*of*Race*+*Diversity*Behind*Bars(Monique(Hameed((Independent(
scholar)(
Slot'9' Panel:'Voices'from'the'Inside:'Casting,'Characters'+'Performance' ‘The(Green(Brain’(RMIT(
5.45(–(7pm( Associate(Professor(Terrie(Waddell((LaTrobe(U)(appeared(as(Lisa(Mullins(in(Prisoner(and(will(moderate(a( Level(7,(Storey(Hall((
conversation(with(Kate(Hood((actress,(writer(and(director,(aka(Prisoner’s(Kath(Maxwell)(and(Jan(Russ((Casting( Bldg(16,(336(Swanston(
Director,(Prisoner,(Neighbours).(Drinks(+(canapes(provided( St,(Melbourne(
Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 6KEYNOTE'PRESENTATIONS'
!
‘Killers,)Thieves)+)Perverts’:)The)Women)of)Wentworth)Correctional)Centre)
Kim'Akass,'University'of'Hertfordshire,'UK)
!
9.15am!Thursday!5!April,!RMIT!Activator!
!
They!fuck!you!up,!your!mum!and!dad.!
They!may!not!mean!to,!but!they!do.!
They!fill!you!with!the!faults!they!had.!
And!add!some!extra,!just!for!you.!
Philip!Larkin!
!
Philip!Larkin’s!words!resonate!with!the!characters!in!both!Prisoner!(1979H!86)!and!Wentworth!
(2013H!).!Prison!guard!or!inmate,!Governor!or!Top!Dog,!the!women’s!narratives!are!indelibly!
and!inextricably!linked!to!the!way!they!were!parented!and!their!parenting!skills.!It!should!be!
no!surprise!that,!with!women!front!and!centre!of!both!series,!the!focus!should!be!on!the!
domestic.!Whether!set!in!the!late!70s,!80s!or!noughties,!the!crimes!and!misdemeanours!of!
Wentworth!Correctional!Centre!are!firmly!linked!to!the!women’s!upbringing,!its!impact!on!their!
emotional!development!and!reproductive!choices.!This!paper!will!argue!that,!by!utilising!an!
explicitly!female!gaze,!and!drawing!on!feminist!theory,!both!Prisoner!and!Wentworth!offer!
hitherto!unseen!perspectives!on!female!causes!of!crime,!how!female!crimes!are!shaped!by!
the!family!and!how!maternity!is!central!to!the!lives!of!these!women,!whether!mothers!or!not.!
'
'
Kim'Akass!is!the!Leader!of!the!Media!Research!Group!and!Senior!Lecturer!in!Film!and!TV!in!
the!School!of!Creative!Arts!at!the!University!of!Hertfordshire.!!She!has!coHedited!and!
contributed!to!Reading!Sex!and!the!City!(IB!Tauris,!2004),!Reading!Six!Feet!Under:!TV!To!
Die!For!(IB!Tauris,!2005),!Reading!The!L!Word:!Outing!Contemporary!Television!(IB!Tauris,!
2006),!Reading!Desperate!Housewives:!Beyond!the!White!Picket!Fence!(IB!Tauris,!2006)!
and!Quality!TV:!Contemporary!American!TV!and!Beyond!(IB!Tauris,!2007).!She!is!coH
founding!editor!of!the!television!journal!Critical!Studies!in!Television!(MUP),!managing!editor!
of!the!website!CSTonline!as!well!as!(with!McCabe)!series!editor!of!‘Reading!Contemporary!
Television’!for!I.B.!Tauris.!!She!is!currently!researching!the!representation!of!motherhood!on!
television!for!a!forthcoming!book!for!I.B.!Tauris:!From!Here!to!Maternity:!Representations!of!
Motherhood!in!the!Media.!
'
'
'
Associate'Professor'Adrian'Danks,!Deputy!Dean!of!Media!at!RMIT!University!will!welcome!
participants!to!this!conference!and!introduce!the!first!keynote!presentation.'Adrian!has!
published!widely!on!the!cinematic!representation!of!place,!the!relationship!of!domestic!
photography!to!cinema,!film!culture,!film!restoration,!found!footage!cinema,!home!movies,!
Australian!and!Iranian!cinema,!and!cinematic!authorship.!!
) )
Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 7KEYNOTE'PRESENTATIONS'
)
That)was)Then,)This)is)Now:)Feminism,)Television)+)Wentworth)
Sue'Turnbull,'University'of'Wollongong)
!
9am!Friday!6!April,!RMIT!Activator!
!
In!1979!when!the!soap!opera!Prisoner!first!appeared!on!Australia’s!Channel!10,!the!youngest!
and!most!vulnerable!of!Australia’s!commercial!TV!networks,!the!bold!new!series!caused!
something!of!a!sensation.!School!teachers,!concerned!parents,!and!other!conservative!voices!
were!united!in!their!condemnation!of!a!show!that!presented!angry!women!engaged!in!
frequent!acts!of!violence,!not!to!mention!the!way!they!talked.!Some!sections!of!the!audience,!
however,!especially!school!children!and!feminist!academics!were!immediately!attracted!to!
Prisoner!for!all!manner!of!reasons,!not!least!the!show’s!willingness!to!put!unglamorous!
women!front!and!centre!while!making!telling!points!about!domestic!violence!and!women’s!
position!in!patriarchy.!Fast!forward!thirtyHfour!years,!and!the!reimagined!Wentworth!surfaced!
rather!more!quietly!on!Foxtel,!a!subscription!service!with!a!relatively!small!audience.!In!this!
instance,!rather!than!being!condemned,!Wentworth!was!acclaimed,!being!nominated!for!a!
slew!of!awards,!and!garnering!a!global!‘niche’!audience!in!the!process.!!!!
!
In!this!presentation,!I!want!to!explore!the!changing!conditions!of!production!and!reception!of!
the!two!series!against!a!backdrop!of!feminist!media!studies,!media!audience!research!and!
the!evolving!television!landscape.!!!!!
!
!
Sue'Turnbull!is!Senior!Professor!of!Communication!and!Media!at!the!University!of!
Wollongong!and!Discipline!Leader!for!the!Creative!Industries.!Her!publications!include!The!
TV!Crime!Drama!(Edinburgh!University!Press!2014)!and!Media!and!Communications!in!
Australia!with!coHeditor!Stuart!Cunningham!(Allen!and!Unwin!2014).!She!is!Chief!Investigator!
on!the!Australian!Research!Council!grant:!Border!Crossings:!The!Transnational!Career!of!the!
TV!Crime!Drama!(DP!160102510).!Sue!also!reviews!crime!fiction!for!the!Fairfax!press!and!is!
Ambassador!for!Sisters!in!Crime,!Australia.!!
!
!
!
!
! !
Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 8SCREENING'
!
6pm!Wednesday!4!April!
Long!Play,!318!St!Georges!Rd,!Fitzroy!North!
!
Free!entry:!Drinks!+!food!for!purchase.!
!
!
!
We!are!pleased!to!present!an!exclusive!screening!of!Prisoner!spinHoff!drama,!Punishment!
(1981)!and!American!remake!Dangerous!Women!(1991)!with!introduction!by!Miguel!
Gonzalez!of!the!National!Film!and!Sound!Archive.!!
!
!
We!are!grateful!to!FremantleMedia!Australia!for!kind!permission!to!screen!this!rarely!
available!material.!FremantleMedia!retains!copyright!of!Punishment!and!Dangerous!Women,!
so!recording!at!the!screening!event!is!not!permitted.!
!
We!thank!Miguel!Gonzalez!for!arranging!access!to!Punishment!and!Dangerous!Women,!and!
selecting!screening!material.!The!National!Film!and!Sound!Archive!is!Australia's!'living'!
archive!–!the!custodian!of!over!2.8!million!items!that!they!not!only!collect,!but!preserve!for!
future!generations!and!share!in!many!diverse!ways.!
!
Punishment!and!Dangerous!Women!presented!courtesy!of!!
!
!
!
!
!
! !
Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 9!
VOICES'FROM'THE'INSIDE:'INDUSTRY'PANELS'
!
Creative'Practices'+'Industrial'Contexts!
'
'
'
Slot'4:!4H5.30pm!Thursday!5!April!
RMIT!Activator!
!
Radha!O’Meara!will!moderate!a!conversation!of!screen!production!professionals,!who!
work/ed!to!create!Wentworth!and!Prisoner.!
!
Kevin'Carlin!(Director,!Wentworth)!
Kathy'Chambers!(Director!of!Photography,!Wentworth)!
Kate'Saunders!(Production!Designer,!Wentworth)!
Ros'Tatarka!(Production!Coordinator/Manager,!Prisoner)!
!
!
Casting,'Characters'+'Performance'
'
'
'
Slot'9:!5.45H7pm!Friday!6!April!
‘The!Green!Brain’!RMIT!
Level!7,!Storey!Hall!!
Bldg!16,!336!Swanston!St!
!
Associate!Professor!Terrie!Waddell!(LaTrobe!University)!appeared!as!Lisa!Mullins!in!Prisoner!
and!will!moderate!a!conversation!with!performers!and!casting!professionals,!who!worked!to!
bring!the!characters!of!Wentworth!and!Prisoner!to!life.!!Drinks!+!canapes!provided.!
!
Terrie'Waddell!(aka!Prisoner’s!Lisa!Mullins)!
Kate'Hood!(actress,!writer!and!director,!aka!Prisoner’s!Kath!Maxwell)!!
Jan'Russ!(Casting!Director,!Prisoner,!Neighbours)! !
Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 10PAPER'ABSTRACTS' In!order!of!schedule.!See!index!on!page!28.! ! Doing'Time''' ' ' ' ' ' Chaired!by!Craig!Batty! Slot'1'10.45am!–!12.10pm,!Thursday!5!April! ! Timeline'of'‘Doing'Time’'' Alexander!Gionfriddo,!Catherine!Gillam!+!Olympia!Barron!(AFI!Research!Collection)! ! The!crime!genre!has!been!a!mainstay!of!Australian!television!from!its!early!days,!with!most! series!focusing!on!police!procedurals!or!courtroom!dramas.!The!prison!drama,!although!a! logical!extension!of!the!crime!genre,!has!not!had!the!same!level!of!production!output.!! This!paper!aims!to!place!the!iconic!Australian!series!Prisoner/!Wentworth!within!a!broad,! historical!context!of!the!‘prison!drama’!genre.!We!aim!to!identify!locate!and!contextualise! programs!that!precede!and!follow!Prisoner!by!creating!a!timeline!of!programs!that!are!set! mainly!within!the!walls!of!a!prison!or!that!use!prison!as!a!primary!subject.!This!timeline!will! also!include!television!shows!where!prisons!are!considered!a!significant!if!not!a!central! theme.! ! Relationships!between!each!show!will!be!explored!by!subdividing!them!into! secondary!groupings!which!may!include!comedy,!melodrama,!gritty!realism!or!other! classifications!that!describe!life!behind!bars.!!By!identifying,!locating!and!contextualising! these!shows!our!research!hopes!to!highlight!and!reveal!interactions!worthy!of!further! consideration!and!analysis.! ! This!paper!will!be!presented!by!the!AFI!Research!Collection!librarians:!Alexander!Gionfriddo,! Catherine!Gillam!and!Olympia!Barron.!The!AFI!Research!Collection!is!Australia’s!premier! library!of!film!and!television!resources.!The!collection!features!a!diverse!range!of!newspaper! clippings!files,!books,!journals,!film!and!television!scripts,!directories,!reports,!film!promotional! material,!and!film!festival!catalogues.!Further!information!about!the!collection!can!be!found!at! www.afiresearch.rmit.edu.au! ! No'Future'Behind'Bars:'Doing'(Queer)'Time'in'Wentworth'' Whitney!Monaghan!(Monash!University)! ! In!recent!years,!time!has!become!a!significant!focus!of!queer!theory.!Many!scholars!have! interrogated!the!relationships!between!temporality,!power,!gender!and!sexuality.!Drawing! upon!this!theoretical!frame,!this!paper!interrogates!what!it!means!to!“do!time”!in!Australian! prison!drama!Wentworth,!a!series!following!a!group!of!inmates!and!correctional!officers!in!a! fictional!Victorian!women’s!prison.! Within!the!prison!system,!time!has!a!central!disciplinary!function.!As!Rosenberg!(2017)! argues!it!is!“a!particularly!effective!tool!to!punish,!control,!homogenize!and!normalize.”!This! paper!explores!these!dynamics!through!close!analysis!of!Wentworth,!revealing!the!centrality! of!time!within!the!series.!Wentworth’s!inmates!are!all!“doing!time”!for!some!reason!or!other,! while!the!correctional!officers!monitor,!control!and!regulate!it.!In!addition!to!this,!Wentworth’s! ensemble!of!inmate!characters!have!been!locked!out!of!what!queer!theorists!have!called! “straight!time”,!a!term!used!to!describe!linear!and!progressive!life!narratives!associated!with! heteronormativity.!This!paper!argues!that!rather!than!simply!represent!its!characters!as! having!no!future!behind!bars,!the!series!enacts!alternative!queer!temporalities.!With!a!specific! focus!on!the!intersections!between!time,!power,!and!sexuality,!this!paper!identifies!significant! tensions!between!these!straight!and!queer!temporal!logics.! ! Whitney!Monaghan!is!an!Assistant!Lecturer!in!Film!and!Screen!Studies!at!Monash!University.! Her!background!is!in!screen,!media!and!cultural!studies!and!her!research!examines!the! representation!of!gender,!queer!and!youth!identities,!digital!culture,!and!new!forms!of!screen! media.!She!is!the!author!of!Queer!Girls,!Temporality!and!Screen!Media:!Not!‘Just!a!Phase’! (Palgrave,!2016).! ! Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 11
Recommending'Wentworth:'How'Netflix'“Changed'the'show”!!
Alexa!Scarlata!(University!of!Melbourne)!
!
In!August!2016,!commissioning!editor!of!Drama!for!Foxtel!Networks,!Penny!Win!was!
interviewed!about!the!then!current!state!of!Australian!television!and!the!projects!she!had!in!
development.!She!was!asked!if!a!fifth!season!of!Wentworth!was!on!the!cards!and!responded:!
“I’m!flying!to!Melbourne!this!afternoon,!and!we’re!having!our!first!cast!readHthrough!tomorrow.!
The!Americans!love!it.!It’s!on!Netflix!over!there.!They!can’t!get!enough!of!it.!It’s!changed!the!
show,!actually”!(as!cited!by!Windsor).!!
!
According!to!Unogs!(2017),!Wentworth!was!licenced!by!Netflix!at!the!beginning!of!2015.!It!is!
currently!available!to!subscribers!in!Canada,!India,!Singapore!and!the!United!States.!
However,!prior!to!its!arrival!on!the!global!subscription!videoHonHdemand!(SVOD)!platform,!
Wentworth!had!already!been!sold!to!distributors!in!90!countries!(Knox,!2016).!So!how!and!
why!did!the!show’s!circulation!in!the!US,!via!Netflix!in!particular,!“change!the!show”?!Looking!
beyond!the!sheer!enormity!of!the!audience!Netflix!was!able!to!make!the!program!available!to!
in!these!regions,!this!paper!will!consider!the!significance!of!the!SVOD’s!genre!tieHin!and!
recommendation!strategies!on!the!production!of!the!later!seasons!of!Wentworth.!Did!
producers!capitalise!on!or!attempt!to!unequivocally!differentiate!the!show!from!the!
established!fandom!of!Netflix!Original!Orange!is!the!New!Black,!for!example?!How!too!did!the!
ability!to!binge!watch!the!series,!as!encouraged!by!the!New!York!Times,!impact!a!new!
audience’s!willingness!to!catchHup!on!previous!seasons,!and!influence!the!intensity,!themes,!
casting,!and!structure!of!episodes!to!come?!Overall,!this!paper!argues!that!Wentworth’s!
international!distribution!and!positive!reception!via!Netflix!was!integral!to!the!continued!
production!of!the!show.!
!
Alexa!Scarlata!is!a!PhD!candidate!in!Media!and!Communications!and!Cultural!Studies!in!the!
School!of!Culture!and!Communication!at!the!University!of!Melbourne.!Her!research!interests!
are!in!the!informal!and!digital!distribution!of!video!content,!media!piracy!and!the!political!
economy!of!transnational!television!programming.!Her!thesis!critically!examines!the!recent!
introduction!of!streaming!services!in!Australia!and!considers!their!impact!upon!the!traditional!
broadcast!and!subscription!industries,!particularly!television!production.!She!has!written!for!
The!Conversation,!is!a!Research!Fellow!for!the!Networked!Society!Institute,!and!is!on!the!
editorial!board!of!the!International!Journal!of!Digital!Television.!
!
!
!
! !
Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 12Queering'the'Cell'' ' ' ' Chaired!by!Whitney!Monaghan! Slot'2'12.10pm!–!1.30pm,!Thursday!5!April! ! Criminality,'Femininity'+'the'Representation'of'Lesbian'Women'in'Australian'Film'+'TV! Jessica!InnesSIrons!(Australian!Catholic!University)! ! Lesbian!women!on!the!Australian!screen!are!predominantly!formulated!from!an!archive!of! masculine!gender!stereotypes.!With!homosexuality!historically!being!outlawed!in!Australia,! and!around!the!world,!lesbianism!has!been!explored!through!the!pursuit!of!criminal!activity,! and!the!punishment!of!such!women!by!the!criminal!justice!system.!This!motif!has!become! known!as!the!lesbianHprisoner!trope,!and!is!enjoying!something!of!a!renaissance!at!present! through!the!popularity!of!shows!such!as!Orange!is!the!New!Black!and!Wentworth.!! ! This!paper!analyses!the!recurring!discourse!of!criminality!as!a!central!frame!for!the! construction!of!lesbian!characters!by!comparing!Prisoner:!Cell!Block!H!with!its!contemporary! counterpart!Wentworth.!This!paper!is!adapted!from!a!research!essay!addressing!selected! examples!of!Australian!films!and!television!programs.!Commonly,!lesbians!in!film!and! television!are!found!to!be!gender!nonHconforming!women!who!have!appropriated!undesirable! masculine!traits!and!these!reoccurring!tropes!are!employed!as!subtle!techniques!for!reading! and!interpreting!screen!texts.!With!the!creation!of!criminal!lesbian!characters!that!challenge! notions!of!femininity!through!their!masculine!identity!expression,!directors!are!reinforcing! dominant!societal!ideologies!of!acceptable!identity!performance!for!women!regardless!of! sexual!orientation.! ! This!paper!draws!on!the!concept!of!the!enduring!lesbianHprisoner!narrative!and!locates!roots! in!the!intrigue!generated!around!the!anomaly!of!lesbian!characters!and!historic!approaches! for!identifying!and!punishing!lesbian!women.!Considering!the!twentyHseven!year!break,!are! we!still!relying!on!repetitive!story!arcs!and!aesthetic!cues!in!the!presentation!of!lesbian! prisoners?!Or!can!our!characters!escape!from!unoriginal!and!outdated!screen!presentations?! ! Jessica!InnesHIrons!is!a!cultural!media!studies!scholar!currently!based!at!the!Australian! Catholic!University!in!Melbourne.!Her!research!centres!on!the!performance!of!screen! identities!and!previously!investigating!representations!of!female!sexual!pleasure!in! advertising!and!representations!of!lesbian!women!in!Australian!film!and!television.!Her!recent! thesis!addressed!screen!identity!performance!and!death!rituals!in!social!media!spaces!that! occurred!in!response!to!the!2016!Pulse!nightclub!shooting!in!Florida.!Jess’!research!interests! include!the!politics!of!queer!cultures!and!media!discourse!and!she!seeks!to!contribute!work! that!betters!our!understanding!of!kind,!honest!and!mindful!media!practices.! ! If'You'have'a'Lesbian'Teenager,'You'Have'Two'Choices:'Lock'her'Away'or'Send'her' Away!! Diana!Sandars!(University!of!Melbourne)! ! It!is!significant!that!the!first!teenage!lesbian!to!feature!in!a!soap!opera!in!Australian!television! appeared!behind!bars,!where!she!stayed!until!her!release!into!Australia’s!rural!outback!a!year! later.!Susie!Driscoll!(Jacqui!Gordon),!who!appeared!in!Prisoner!(1979!–!1986),!was!sixteen! when!she!arrived!at!Wentworth!Women’s!Prison.!Susie!was!sent!to!Wentworth!because!she! managed!to!escape!from!all!of!the!juvenile!facilities!in!which!she!was!placed.!After!her! release,!Susie!was!reHarrested!for!prostitution!and!sent!to!a!halfway!house,!where!she!fell!in! love!with!a!fellow!inmate,!Joanne!and!moved!the!country!to!start!a!life!together.! ! In!this!paper!I!will!argue!that!Susie’s!character!reflects!the!impact!of!the!1970s!feminist!and! gay!and!lesbian!social!movements!on!Australian!screen!media!through!Prisoner's!use!of!the! nonHnormative!sexuality!of!a!teenage!girl!to!identify!“points!of!fragility!and!tension!in!a! dominant!sex/gender!system”!(Catherine!Driscoll).!Within!the!confines!of!Wentworth,!Susie’s! character!operates!as!a!site!of!critique!of!the!heterosexual!romantic!ideologies!that!define! womanhood,!and!in!particular,!motherhood.!The!inmates’!maternal!relationship!with!Susie! and!Susie’s!own!failed!relationship!with!her!mother!literalises!the!social!imprisonment!of!the! suburbs!through!the!geographic!space!of!a!jail.!Once!outside,!Susie’s!new!life!in!the!country! evokes!soap!opera’s!strongest!critique!of!the!patriarchal!nuclear!family!and!the!women! Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 13
exploited!in!this!model!(Ellen!Seiter)!H!there!is!no!place!for!lesbian!teenagers!in!suburbia.!
Susie’s!liminal!status!as!a!teenage!girl!and!a!lesbian!defines!her!as!a!highly!troubling!
exclusion!from!the!standard!against!which!female!subjectivity!is!measured!H!one!with!which!
contemporary!Australian!soap!opera!still!struggles.!
!
Dr!Diana!Sandars!is!a!lecturer!in!the!School!of!Culture!and!Communication!at!the!University!
of!Melbourne.!Diana!has!published!chapters!on!Ally!McBeal,!Buffy!the!Vampire!Slayer!and!
contributed!to!the!academic!journals:!Australian!Screen!Education,!Idiom,!Metro,!
Participations,!The!Refractory,!Screening!the!Past!and!Senses!of!Cinema.!Diana’s!
forthcoming!publications!include:!an!invited!chapter!for!The!Companion!to!Australian!Cinema,!
edited!by!Felicity!Collins,!Jane!Landman!and!Susan!Bye,!Brisbane:!WileyHBlackwell,!and!
“SheZow:!When!the!Superhero!Really!is!a!Child,”!in!Superheroes!&!Me,!Eds!Liam!Burke,!
Wendy!Haslem,!and!Elizabeth!MacFarlane.!
!
From'Sunsets'to'Seahorses:'The'‘Bury'your'Gays’'Trope'and'Queer'Female'
Representation'in'Wentworth!!
Jessica!Ive!(University!of!Wollongong)!
!
Wentworth!is!a!show!that!was!praised!from!Season!One!(2012)!in!fan!communities!for!the!
inclusion!of!an!unashamedly!lesbian!main!character.!When!the!historic!trope!‘bury!your!gays’!
started!circulating!through!fan!spaces!in!2015,!as!a!result!of!The!Last!Tango!in!Halifax,!the!
online!Wentworth!fan!community!became!concerned!with!the!future!of!the!one!main!lesbian!
character,!Franky!Doyle.!While!the!trope!was!a!source!of!concern!for!Franky,!she!survived!a!
near!death!experience!and!was!‘driven!off!into!the!sunset’!by!her!psychologist!lover.!Fans!
praised!and!touted!the!show!as!one!which!defies!the!trope!and!gave!an!‘uncharacteristic’!
happy!ending.!However,!after!Franky’s!happy!ending,!positive!queer!representation!in!
Wentworth!declined.!When,!in!Season!Four!(2016),!protagonist!Bea!Smith!died!after!her!
seasonHlong!coming!out!arc,!the!show!not!only!conformed!to!the!trope!when!it!was!at!its!
highest!use!in!fan!spaces,!but!also!caused!fans!to!critically!assess!the!queer!representation!
within!the!show.!
!
Drawing!from!theorists!such!as!Henry!Jenkins,!Alexander!Doty!and!Stuart!Hall,!I!will!compare!
and!contrast!fan!responses!to!the!different!outcomes!of!Franky!and!Bea’s!narratives!in!
seasons!Three!(2015)!and!Four.!I!will!critically!analyse!Franky’s!narrative!arc!in!Season!Five!
(2017)!to!highlight!the!dismantling!of!positive!queer!representation!in!regard!to!the!core!
characters,!before!assessing!the!queer!representations!of!secondary!characters,!such!as!
Joan!Ferguson!and!Lucy!'Juice'!Gambaro,!and!the!fan!discourse!surrounding!them.!!
!
Ultimately!I!argue!that!Wentworth!portrays!mostly!negative!representations!of!queerness!both!
explicitly!and!implicitly!through!core!and!secondary!characters,!which!went!seemingly!
unnoticed!in!fan!spaces!until!Season!Four.!!
!
Jessica!Ive!is!a!2018!Honours!candidate!at!the!University!of!Wollongong,!where!she!
completed!a!Bachelor!of!Arts!(Dean's!Scholar)!with!a!double!major!in!English!Literatures!and!
History.!She!will!be!pitching!her!Honours!ideas,!on!queer!representation!and!the!fan/creator!
relationship,!at!the!2017!Australasian!Fan!Studies!Network!Conference.!Her!research!areas!
include!fan!studies,!queer!theory,!queer!reading!conventions,!and!queer!representation!and!
identification!onscreen.!!
!
Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 14Breaking'Out:'Remakes'+'the'Transnational'' Chaired!by!Alex!Bevan! Slot'3'2.15!–!4pm,!Thursday!5!April! ! Re_Voicing'Remand:'Prisoner)and'Wentworth'in'the'US'Market'' Tessa!Dwyer!(Monash!University)! ! Today,!reboots!and!remakes!are!ubiquitous,!whilst!historically!they!have!always!held!a! prominent!place!in!film!and!television!production.!Considered!together,!Prisoner!and! Wentworth!provide!the!perfect!means!for!interrogating!such!phenomena,!highlighting!what!is! at!stake!for!regional,!smallHnation!industries!within!such!phenomena,!delineating!the! particular!challenges!and!opportunities!that!remaking!and!versioning!bring!by!flagging! Grundy’s!pioneering!role!in!this!space!and!continuing!legacy!via!Fremantle!Media.!In!this! paper,!I!approach!these!issues!in!relation!to!voice!and!various!reSvoicing!practices.!In!the! Australian!context,!voice,!language!and!accent!have!historically!posed!barriers!to!overseas! distribution,!particularly!in!relation!to!the!US!marketplace!where,!despite!language! commonality,!the!presence!of!Australian!English!has!often!resulted!in!dubbing!(as!famously! occurred!with!the!first!Mad!Max!film)!or!remaking!(as!with!NBC’s!version!of!Kath!&!Kim).! Interestingly,!however,!when!Prisoner!first!crossed!cultures,!breaking!into!US!syndication! television!in!1980,!its!accented!vocals!and!colloquial!slang!remained!intact.!Although!received! wisdom!at!the!time!indicated!US!audiences!were!putHoff!if!not!alienated!by!Australian!English! and!its!distinctive!vocal!traits,!Prisoner!attracted!cult!US!followings!from!coast!to!coast.!When! the!series!was!later!remade!for!the!US!market!as!Grundy!production!Dangerous!Women! (1991)!it!was!reHimagined!and!consequently!reSvoiced!in!the!American!idiom,!yet!this! localisation!effort!mostly!failed!to!resonate!with!audiences,!and!the!series!was!cancelled!after! its!first!season.!By!tracing!the!various!distributions!and!remaking!routes!travelled!by!both! Prisoner!and!now!Wentworth!in!the!US,!a!series!of!questions!emerge!around!issues!of!voice! and!address!within!past!and!present!Australian!television!and!in!relation!to!postHbroadcast!TV! more!broadly.!! ! Dr!Tessa'Dwyer!is!Lecturer!in!Film!and!Screen!Studies!at!Monash!University.!She!is!author! of!Speaking!in!Subtitles:!Revaluing!Screen!Translation!(Edinburgh,!2017),!coHeditor!(with! Claire!Perkins,!Sean!Redmond!and!Jodi!Sita)!of!Seeing!into!Screens:!Eye!Tracking!the! Moving!Image!(Bloomsbury,!2018)!and!president!of!online!journal!Senses!of!Cinema.!! ! Remaking'Remakes:'The'Complicated'Lineage'of'Wentworth’s'Transnational'Remakes! Kirsten!Stevens!(Monash!University)! ! In!2013,!the!German!broadcaster!RTL!announced!its!intention!to!film!Block!B!–!Unter!Arrest! (2015),!a!remake!of!the!Australian!prisonHdrama!series!Wentworth!(2013H),!itself!a!remake!of! the!earlier!Network!10!soap!Prisoner!(1979H1986).!Block!B!presented!a!faithful!translation!of! the!first!season!of!Wentworth!into!the!German!context,!an!approach!that!has!since!then!been! replicated!in!other!territories!such!as!the!Netherlands!with!Celblok!H!(2014H2017)!and! Flanders!(announced!for!2018).!Yet!if!these!remakes!of!the!Australian!series!at!one!level! simply!offer!examples!of!what!Perkins!and!Verevis!have!described!as!‘the!global!explosion!in,! and!cultural!significance!of,!transnational!television!remakes!since!the!beginning!of!the! twentyHfirst!century’!(677),!they!also!point!to!the!complexity!of!this!process.!! As!remakes!of!a!remake,!Block!B!and!Celblok!H!do!not!simply!offer!a!crossHcultural! translation!of!the!2013!Foxtel!series,!but!are!also!by!necessity!engaged!in!a!multiHlayered! process!of!translation!and!remaking!that!functioned!on!several!levels!and!in!connection!to!a! number!of!‘original’!texts.!This!paper!examines!the!complicated!lineage!of!the!German!and! Dutch!remakes!of!Wentworth,!interrogating!their!engagement!with!not!only!the!2013! Australian!series,!but!also!with!its!predecessor!Prisoner!and!the!transnational!remakes!that! show!inspired,!including!the!RTL!series!Hinter!Gittern!–!Der!Frauenknast!(1997H2007).!The! multiple!forms!in!which!the!Wentworth/Prisoner!storyHworld!had!been!encountered!and! reproduced!within!the!NorthHWest!European!context!presents!a!complex!challenge!for! thinking!through!these!shows!as!transnational!remakes!of!a!single!text.!Engaging!with!the! expanding!literature!on!the!phenomenon!of!remakes!and!frameworks!of!‘critical! transculturalism’!(Perkins!&!Verevis),!this!paper!will!interrogate!how!each!of!Wentworth,!Block! Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 15
B!and!Celblok!H!fit!within!the!increasingly!complex!systems!of!intertextual!and!transcultural! exchange!that!are!a!result!of!our!globalised!media!environment.! Dr'Kirsten!Stevens!is!the!author!of!Australian!Film!Festivals:!Audience,!Place!and!Exhibition! Culture!(Palgrave!Macmillan!2016).!She!is!a!teaching!academic!at!Monash!University!where! she!has!taught!units!on!Australian!film!and!television.! ! Wentworth/Prisoner'and'the'Transnational'TV'+'Format'Trade'' Philippa!Burne!(Victorian!College!of!the!Arts,!University!of!Melbourne)! ! Fremantle!Media!is!a!worldwide!production!company,!which!is!known!internationally!for! producing!hundreds!of!local!drama!series!from!a!handful!of!formats.!Many!of!these!formats! which!had!their!origins!in!Australia!in!the!1980s!–!Neighbours,!Sons!and!Daughters,!Prisoner! H!as!well!as!more!recent!series!like!Betty!La!Fea!into!Ugly!Betty!and!multiple!others!–!have! since!become!longHrunning!locally!produced!series!and!serials!in!dozens!of!countries.!The! most!recent!example!of!this!is!the!format!Wentworth!(2013!H),!itself!a!reboot!of!1980s’!cult!hit,! Prisoner.!A!German!remake!was!the!first!announced!in!2014,!made!by!UFA!and!Fremantle! Media!parent!company!RTL’s!broadcast!network!RTL.!From!2014H2017!there!was!a!Dutch! production!of!four!seasons!comprising!46!episodes!which!was!virtually!a!scene!by!scene! remake!of!Wentworth.!And!in!2016,!a!Belgian!remake!began,!scheduled!for!broadcast!in! 2018.!! ! I!propose!to!look!at!the!way!in!which!these!remakes!have!been!approached.!Issues!such!as! culturallyHspecific!crime!and!punishment,!genderHrelations,!humour,!values!and!approaches!to! storyHtelling!all!impact!on!the!production!and!success!of!formatted!shows.!Wentworth,!as!a! femaleHled,!prisonHbased!show!is!of!particular!interest!in!terms!of!depictions!of!violence,! sexuality!and!so!on.!In!industrial!terms,!it!is!interesting!to!look!at!the!various!approaches!to! the!production!of!these!formats.!Is!it!done!via!a!licenseHagreement!in!which!case!the!show!is! produced!entirely!by!the!local,!licensing!production!company,!or!is!the!remake!undertaken!by! Fremantle!Media!itself!through!one!of!its!locally!based!production!companies,!perhaps!with! an!international!Supervising!Producer!and/or!Supervising!Head!Writer!in!place.!Are!scripts! translated!or!fully!redeveloped?!Are!storylines!reused,!or!only!the!basic!concept!taken?!I! would!also!look!at!the!reboot!of!Wentworth!from!Prisoner,!and!the!worldwide!reach!of! Prisoner!itself,!considering!why!Wentworth!has!more!success!as!a!transnational!concept,! than!Prisoner!did.!Issues!of!the!emergence!of!femaleHled!screen!product,!the!appetite!for! darker!story!content,!and!the!proven!strength!of!Fremantle!Media!as!a!provider!of!formats!will! be!considered.! ! Philippa!Burne!is!a!Lecturer!in!Screenwriting!at!VCA,!University!of!Melbourne.!She! began!a!PhD!in!Screenwriting!at!RMIT!in!2017.!From!2004H2006,!she!worked!for! Fremantle!Media!in!the!Worldwide!Drama!Department!during!which!time!she! worked!on!the!development!and!scripting!of!formatted!shows!in!Croatia!(Zabranjena! Ljubav!from!Sons!and!Daughters),!The!Netherlands!(Lotte!from!Betty!La!Fea),! Slovakia!(Medzi!Nami!from!Neighbours),!Poland!(Na!Spolnej!from!Neighbours),!and! the!USA!(Monarch!Cove!from!the!German!telenovella!Bianca).!In!2007,!she!worked! for!RTL!Croatia!on!Ne!Daj!Se,!Nina!adapted!from!the!Columbian!Betty!La!Fea.! ! Capadocia'Mexico’s'Prison'Drama'Inspired'by'the'Headlines'' Miguel!Gonzalez!(National!Film!+!Sound!Archive)! Prisoner!was!a!groundHbreaking!prison!drama!following!the!tropes!of!the!soap! opera/telenovela!genre.!It!developed!a!passionate!following!but!is!largely!considered!‘camp’,! a!guilty!pleasure.!In!the!age!of!HBO/Netflix,!prison!dramas!(including!Wentworth)!have! become!grittier,!darker.!!Melodrama!has!been!replaced!by!character!study,!and!audiences! expect!a!high!level!of!perceived!realism.!! Wentworth!portrays!issues!such!as!domestic!violence,!addiction,!criminal!syndicates!and! corrupt!authorities!–!playing!on!the!Australian!audience’s!distrust!of!figures!of!authority!and! government!institutions.!!What!happens!when!a!country!where!daily!headlines!are!as! Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 16
outlandish!as!a!soap!opera,!and!corruption!is!part!of!everyday!life?!In!a!place!where!reality!is!
stranger!than!fiction,!how!do!you!capture!the!audience’s!imagination?!!
Capadocia!(A!Place!Without!Forgiveness)!is!HBO's!first!series!produced!in!Mexico.!Over!the!
course!of!three!seasons!and!39!episodes,!human!rights!lawyer!Teresa!Lagos!becomes!the!
head!of!Capadocia,!an!experimental,!privatelyHowned!prison.!But!in!the!world's!53rd!most!
corrupt!country,!what!is!meant!to!be!a!stateHofHtheHart!rehabilitation!centre!soon!becomes!the!
perfect!drug!trafficking!machine.!Teresa!will!face!a!greedy!corporation,!deadly!drug!cartels!
and!the!highest!levels!of!power!in!Mexico.!This!paper!will!explore!the!themes!developed!by!
Capadocia,!providing!context!about!the!Mexican!media!landscape!and!the!inspiration!behind!
the!show’s!storylines.!It!will!also!draw!parallels!with!both!Prisoner!and!Wentworth,!analysing!
the!universal!nature!of!prison!drama!tropes.!!
Miguel!Gonzalez!is!the!Media!and!Social!Media!Manager!at!the!National!Film!and!Sound!
Archive!of!Australia.!With!a!background!in!entertainment!journalism!and!film!criticism,!
Miguel’s!work!has!been!published!by!Empire,!Filmink,!Rolling!Stone,!and!Singapore’s!film!
magazine!F***!(yes,!that’s!its!name).!He!is!a!former!editor!of!Encore!magazine,!where!he!
reported!on!Australia’s!audiovisual!industry!and!hosted!industry!forums.!He!is!also!the!
Australian!correspondent!for!Mexico’s!edition!of!Premiere!magazine,!covering!junkets!of!
international!films!shooting!in!Australia!and!New!Zealand,!such!as!Avatar,!Ghost!in!the!Shell,!
etc.!Last!but!not!least,!Miguel!is!a!television!addict!since!childhood,!spending!countless!hours!
watching!Mexican!telenovelas!and!American!teenage!dramas.!Upon!discovering!Prisoner,!he!
devoured!all!692!episodes!and!regularly!sings!‘He!used!to!give!me!roses…’!in!the!shower.!
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Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 17Fans'+'Stalkers' '' ' ' ' Chaired!by!Tessa!Dwyer! Slot'5'10.20!–!11.50am,!Friday!6!April! ! “I’m'not'interested'in'being'polite'or'heterosexual”:'Compulsory'Homosexuality'in'the' Online!Wentworth'Fandom!! Amanda!Allen!(Eastern!Michigan!University)! ! When!Bea!Smith!was!shockingly!killed!at!the!end!of!Wentworth’s!fourth!season,!tweeting!fans! accused!the!show!of!complicity!in!the!“bury!your!gays”!or!“dead!lesbian!syndrome”!trope.!One! of!the!show’s!writers!denied!such!claims,!tweeting!that!Wentworth!had!killed!off!only!one! bisexual!character!(compared!to!eleven!heterosexual!characters),!and!that!six!queer! characters!remained.! ! What!the!controversy!made!apparent!was!a!chasm!between!the!show!and!many!TwitterH using!fans!in!regard!to!the!perceived!importance!of!f/f!relationships!in!Wentworth.!While! Wentworth!has!incorporated!f/f!relationships!into!23%!of!its!portrayed!consensual!romantic!or! sexual!pairings,!fans’!creative!works—particularly!fanfiction—demonstrate!a!much!more! intense!focus!on!f/f!pairings,!with!a!whopping!89%!of!all!Wentworth!fanfiction!on!Archive!of! Our!Own!dedicated!to!narratives!concentrated!on!f/f!ships.! ! This!paper!explores!fans’!intense!investment!in!their!favourite!Wentworth!f/f!ships,!but!does! so!by!contextualizing!their!devotion!in!relation!to!the!rise!of!a!specifically!queer!women’s! online!fan!community.!The!functioning!of!this!community!is!uniquer!it!exists!as!a!gynocentric! culture!that!operates!through!an!inverted!form!of!Adrienne!Rich’s!concept!of!compulsory! heterosexuality.!That!is,!the!TwitterH!and!AO3Hbased!online!Wentworth!fandom!enacts!a!kind! of!compulsory!homosexuality,!in!which!homosexuality!is!the!assumed!norm!and!is!reinforced! by!a!matriarchal!system.!Ultimately,!I!examine!fans’!tweets!and!fanworks!to!demonstrate!the! extent!to!which!their!play!with!their!favourite!f/f!ships—particularly!Freakytits,!Fridget,!and! Frerica—often!correspond!with!the!expansion!and!entrenchment!of!their!own!senses!of!queer! identity.! ! Amanda!K.!Allen!is!an!Associate!Professor!of!English!at!Eastern!Michigan!University.!Her! primary!research!focuses!on!the!intersection!of!midHcentury!adolescent!girl!romance!novels,! Cold!War!studies,!and!women’s!literary!and!employment!history.!She!also!publishes!on! fandom!studies,!particularly!within!the!Harry!Potter!fandom.!Her!foray!into!Wentworth!studies! is!entirely!selfish:!she!is!a!complete!Joan!Ferguson!“stan.”! ! Bea'and'the'Freak'Remixed:'Re_imagining'the'Cult'of'Prisoner)Cell)Block)H'through' Wentworth!! Craig!Haslop!(University!of!Liverpool)! ! Prisoner!Cell!Block!H!stands!out!as!a!key!cult!television!text!of!the!1980s.!!In!the!UK,!its!reH imagination!as!a!musical!and!Maggie!Kirkpatrick’s!guest!appearances!as!‘The!Freak’!in!gay! clubs!across!the!country,!highlighted!the!fan!obsession!with!the!series,!particularly!in!the! LGBTQI+!community.!!Despite!its!casebook!cult!attributes!of!an!obsessive!and!ritualistic! audience,!a!text!that!stood!out!from!the!mainstream!(Janocwich!and!Hunt!2004),!and! hybridised!the!prison!drama!with!soap!and!action!(Eco!1985),!Prisoner!Cell!Block!H!is!rarely! mentioned!in!the!academically!imagined!history!of!the!development!of!cult!TV,!one!all!too! often!seen!through!the!lens!of!teleHfantasy.!!In!this!paper,!I!want!to!explore!the!possibilities!for! the!revived!version!of!Prisoner!Cell!Block!H!–!Wentworth,!as!a!cult!TV!show!in!a!very! different!TV!landscape.!!Wentworth!not!only!features!similar!cultish!attributes!to!its!ancestor,! fast!creating!an!obsessive!audience!and!featuring!now!standard!attributes!for!quality!cult! shows!including!the!flashback!and!narrative!conundrums,!it!also!plays!with!its!own! intertextuality!and!cult!status.!!Wentworth!opened!by!narratively!confounding!the!audience! through!incorporating!past!Prisoner!character!names!but!kept!the!audience!guessing!as!to! the!extent!that!this!new!version!of!the!old!character!would!eventually!‘become’!the!Bea!or! Vera!that!we!remember.!!In!this!way,!Wentworth!becomes!the!ultimate!commodified!cult!text,! a!show!designed!for!the!demands!of!the!TV!audience!today,!but!rewriting!the!historical!roots! of!its!cult!predecessor.!!I!argue!then!that!Wentworth!should!represent!not!only!our!opportunity! to!foreground!quality!soap!drama!as!cult!TV!alongside!teleHfantasy,!but!also!to!acknowledge! Wentworth is the New Prisoner Conference Program 18
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