Television writer Kris Mrksa was awarded the Australian Writers’ Guild's 2011 FOXTEL Fellowship while Kate McLennan and Kate McCartney received the Kit Denton Disfellowship at the AWGIE Awards last Friday.
Mrksa was recognised for his extensive work in television: he recently wrote episodes one and six of ABC series The Slap and has also written for series including The Secret Life of Us, Packed to the Rafters and Rush. The $25,000 fellowship will allow him to develop a new screen project.
“The paradox for most screenwriters is that as we become more established and experienced, with a greater capacity to develop viable, original concepts, we also find that we’re too busy to do it," Mrksa said, according to a statement.
"So the freedom to experiment with new ideas, without immediate financial pressure, is an invaluable gift to any writer. And that’s what the FOXTEL Fellowship generously provides.”
McLennan and McCartney were awarded the $30,000 Disfellowship, presented by Andrew Denton, for their edgy project Bleak. It is about reaching your thirties, being spat out of a relationship and realising that you've accomplished absolutely none of the things you thought you would.
The original feature film category was won by Jonathan Teplitzky for Burning Man, which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, while the feature film adaptation category was won by Shaun Grant for psychological horror Snowtown.
The original telemovie category was awarded to Peter Gawler for Underbelly Files: Tell Them Lucifer Was Here. In the comedy categories, Chris Lilley was awarded the 2011 Fred Parsons Award for outstanding contribution to Australian comedy while Marieke Hardy received the comedy: situation or narrative award for Laid: Episode 4.
TV screenwriter and author Ian David won the Richard Lane Award for outstanding service and dedication to the Australian Writers’ Guild. He counts Killing Time and Blue Murder among his credits and also received the Australian Centenary Medal in the 2001 Queen's New Years Honours List for his services to Australian society and Australian film production.
The AWGIES are judged solely by other writers, who asses the written script produced, rather than the quality of the final screen project.
The full list of winners are:
2011 AWGIE WINNERS
2011 KIT DENTON FELLOWSHIP
For Courage and Excellence in Performance Writing
Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan
2011 FOXTEL FELLOWSHIP
Fellowship awarded in recognition of a significant body of work in television.
Kris Mrksa
2011 RICHARD LANE AWARD
For Outstanding Service and Dedication to the Australian Writers’ Guild
Ian David
2011 DOROTHY CRAWFORD AWARD
For Outstanding Contribution to the Profession
Currency Press
2011 FRED PARSONS AWARD
For Outstanding Contribution to Australian Comedy
Chris Lilley
2011 HECTOR CRAWFORD AWARD
Outstanding Contribution to the Craft in the Field of Script Editing
Denise Morgan (awarded posthumously)
Major Award
Patricia Cornelius
Stage
Do Not Go Gentle
Patricia Cornelius
Feature Film – Adaptation
Snowtown
Shaun Grant
Feature Film – Original
Burning Man
Jonathan Teplitzky
Documentary – Public Broadcast
The Tall Man
Tony Krawitz
Documentary – Corporate and Training
Ouch! That’s Not Good!
Charles Hamlyn-Harris
Short Film
Heck
Lisa Hoppe and Bobbie Waterman
Comedy – Sketch or Light Entertainment
Good News Week: Australia Decides 2010
Dave Bloustien, Simon Dodd, Bruce Griffiths, Warwick Holt, Paul Livingston and Ian Simmons
Comedy – Situation or Narrative
Laid: Episode 4
Marieke Hardy
Television – Serial
Home and Away: Episode 5215
Cameron Welsh
Television – Series
Rake – Episode 5: R v. Chandler
Peter Duncan
Television Mini Series – Original
Small Time Gangster
Gareth Calverley and Joss King
Telemovie – Original
Underbelly Files: Tell Them Lucifer Was Here
Peter Gawler
Children’s Television – P
Bananas in Pyjamas: Morgan’s Cloud
John Armstrong
Children’s Television – C
My Place: 1868 Minna
Nicholas Parsons
Music Theatre
The Musical Child
Cathryn Strickland
Children’s Theatre
Dr Egg and the Man with No Ear
Catherine Fargher
Community and Youth Theatre
Yet to Ascertain the Nature of the Crime
Roanna Gonsalves with Raimondo Cortese, Damien Millar, Görkem Acaroglu and the company
Theatre for Young Audiences
Moth
Declan Greene
Interactive Media
Bluebird AR
Marissa Cooke, Sam Doust and Amy Nelson
Radio – Original Broadcast
The Clerk Ascending
Gina Schien
Radio – Adaptation
King Tide
Katherine Thomson
2011 MONTE MILLER AWARD – LONG FORM
Diving for Poland – Andrea Rogers
2011 MONTE MILLER AWARD – SHORT FORM
Space – Jill Moylan
2011 JOHN HINDE AWARD
For Excellence in Science Fiction Writing
Matt Ford for Panic at Rock Island