The Screen Producers Association of Australia (SPAA) is to launch SPAAMart, an initiative aimed at presenting Australia's best scripts to potential production partners.

SPAAMart will be part of the annual SPAA conference, which is being held from November 18 to 21 at Melbourne's new Centre for the Moving Image.

However, the timing of the ambitious plan may have to be re-examined once AFM shifts to November from next year - especially with the challenge of getting some international visitors to travel to Australia at all.

SPAAMart's director is Duncan Thompson, artistic director of the New South Wales Film and Television Office's script development programme Aurora and a former project manager at the Australian Film Commission.

Thompson will invite applications from writers, with a deadline of August 22. Five key projects will be selected by him and a panel of experts, along with a further 10 or so others, to present to financiers, distributors and sales agents.

The arrival of SPAAMart is part of SPAA's aim to brand its annual conference as the best time for overseas executives to come to Australia and do business.