My second-year Graduate Diploma Screenwriting student, Claire Phillips, was beaten to the Monte Miller Award for best unproduced screenplay by an unproduced writer for the TV pilot she developed as part of her course work in year one, THE BOX, by none other than an AFTRS staff member (and a great colleague) Mike Jones. Awards were given out at the 45th Annual Australian Writers’ Guild AWGIE Awards on Friday 24th August at Doltone House in Sydney. Another big winner was AFTRS Alumnus, Michael Lucas. Photographs by Maya Newell and Matt O’Keefe.
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- Adrian Chiarella with Michael Lucas, Original Feature Film winner (Photo credit: Maya Newell)
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- Keith Thompson & Tony Briggs, Major AWGIE winners (Photo credit: Maya Newell)
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- Leonie Jones with Mike Jones, Monte Miller Long Form winner (Photo credit: Maya Newell)
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- Cate Shortland & Alice Bell, Mini Series Adaptation winners (The Slap with Emily Ballou, Brendan Cowell & Kris Mrksa) (Photo credit: Maya Newell)
For the full list of winners click on the link below:
http://www.awg.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=448&Itemid=552
Australian Writers Guild
The best of Australian performance writing across feature films, theatre, television, radio, interactive and animation were celebrated at a star-studded affair at Doltone House in Sydney last night as part of the golden 50-year anniversary of the Australian Writers’ Guild. The awards were hosted by iconic Australian comedian and screenwriter John Doyle AM, aka Rampaging Roy Slaven, and attended by industry figures.
The Major AWGIE Award for the most outstanding script of 2012 went to The Sapphires, with writers Tony Briggs and Keith Thompson also collecting the AWGIE for Feature Film Adaptation.
Michael Lucas proved that he is a star on the rise by winning two AWGIE Awards, for Not Suitable For Children in the Feature Film Original category, and Offspring: Episode 206 in the Television Series category. Michael, who wrote the film with his own cancer scare in mind, returned from climbing Mount Killimanjaro to collect his awards.
Susan Smith’s powerful Mabo won the AWGIE Award for the Telemovie Original category, cementing her place as an iconic Australian writer, with past credits including Brides of Christ and The Leaving of Liverpool.
The team of writers behind the absorbing Television Mini Series Adaption The Slap picked up the AWGIE Award while the team of writers behind The Straits were awarded the AWGIE for Television Mini Series – Original.
The sought-after AWGIE Award for Stage went to Lachlan Philpott’s Silent Disco.
Ian Simmons, head writer of Good News Week, was delighted to receive the Fred Parsons Award for Outstanding Contribution to Australian Comedy. Ian was also part of the Good News Week team who were awarded the AWGIE for Comedy – Sketch or Light Entertainment. The team behind Lowdown including Adam Zwar won the AWGIE for Comedy – Situation or Narrative for the hilarious episode One Fine Gay, from the second series of the popular comedy that will air on the ABC in September.
Academy Award nominee and President of the AWG Jan Sardi said, “This year, the 50 year anniversary of the Australian Writers’ Guild, has been the biggest AWGIES to date with over 30 awards being presented. The best of the best in Australian performance writing has been celebrated tonight, a mix of new talent whose star is rising and more established writers that have received the recognition they rightly deserve. Australian scriptwriters are world class and the 45th AWGIE Award winners reflect this.”
Other special awards for the evening included the Dorothy Crawford Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Profession, which went to Kim Williams AM, and the Richard Lane Award for Outstanding Service and Dedication to the Australian Writers’ Guild, which was awarded to Graeme Koetsveld. Graeme was also awarded the Hector Crawford Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Craft in the Field of Script Editing.