LEANNE TONKES APPOINTED AS NEW WIFT AUSTRALIA CHAIR
WIFT Australia is proud to announce the appointment of its new Chair of the Board, Victorian producer Leanne Tonkes.
Queensland producer Bobbi-Lea Dionysius has also been appointed as Deputy Chair.
The announcement was made by Tonkes in Western Australia alongside fellow board member Maya Kavanagh at the CinefestOZ Film Festival where WIFT is currently hosting its annual Writers Retreat in partnership with the festival and Minderoo Pictures.
Tonkes is an award-winning producer and CEO of Sense & Centsability, with an expansive slate of work across feature films, television, web series, and live events. Her credits include My Mistress, The Second, My Melbourne, and the internationally awarded series This Is Desmondo Ray!. She is currently producing Prawn Curry Christmas, the 2025 West Coast Visions feature, and Written in the Stars, directed by Fawzia Mirza. She is also a founding board member and current Chair of the Melbourne Women in Film Festival,
Tonkes said, “As incoming Chair of Women in Film & TV Australia, I envision a bold new chapter for the organisation, one driven by deep industry collaboration, national influence, and international strategic alliances that elevate the visibility, agency, and creative leadership of Australian women in screen.”
“Together with my fellow board members, WIFT will cultivate initiatives that not only remove barriers to participation but actively build pathways to leadership, career advancement, and creative control,” she said.
Tonkes inherits the role from the late Queensland Liz Tomkins, whose recent passing was deeply felt across the Australian screen community. Tomkins’ legacy as a dynamic leader and tireless advocate for gender equity transformed WIFT Australia, achieving full national representation for the first time in the organisation’s history, spearheading international partnerships, and launching groundbreaking initiatives such as the ElevateUs Mentorship Program, the Cannes Catalyst Program, and the introduction of the ReFrame Stamp to Australia.
Incoming Deputy Chair Bobbi-Lea Dionysius said, “As we continue to honour the impact Liz left on the organisation, we are delighted to welcome Leanne as our new Chair. With Leanne’s breadth of industry experience and my six-year legacy knowledge of WIFT on the QLD Committee and QLD Chair for the past two years, together we will ensure WIFT continues to grow its impact nationally and globally.”
Tonkes and Dionysius formally commenced their roles as Chair and Deputy Chair respectively on 31 July 2025 for a three-year term each.
WIFT Australia’s Board includes Leanne Tonkes (Chair), Bobbi-Lea Dionysius (Deputy Chair), Jatika Maheshwary, Jacinta Legge-Wilkinson, Annisa Belonogoff, Amanda Browne, Manda Flett, Maya Kavanagh, Dianna La Grassa, Sue Marriott, Yolanda Peart-Smith, Sarah Price, Nadine Torney, Dale Thain, Ursula Woods.