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AWGIE wins for The Water Diviner

Andrew Anastasios and Andrew Knight’s The Water Diviner won the top prize and the gong for best original feature at the 2015 AWGIE Awards.

It was the first time a feature collected the Australian Writers' Guild's Major Award and the gong for original feature since 2012 when Tony Briggs and Keith Thompson won with The Sapphires.

The prize for feature film adaptation was shared by Brendan Cowell for Scarlett Productions'  Ruben Guthrie and Tommy Murphy for Matchbox Pictures' Holding the Man.

Matchbox and Full Clip’s Deadline Gallipoli was named best original TV miniseries, acknowledging the work of writers Jacquelin Perske (also script producer), Stuart Beattie, Shaun Grant and Cate Shortland.

FremantleMedia’s Wentworth Season 3, Episode 3 The Governor’s Pleasure by Stuart Page shared the TV series award with Endemol Australia’s Offspring Episode 511 by Michael Lucas.

Jan Sardi and Mac Gudgeon took the award for best miniseries adaptation for their work on Kate Granville’s The Secret River, produced by Ruby Entertainment.

Katherine Thomson won the original telemovie award for Shine Australia’s House of Hancock and Louise Bowes’ episode of Home and Away was best TV serial.

Tim Pye received the Richard Lane Award, presented by John Doyle. His 30-year career spans Love Child, House Husbands, Old School, The Doctor Blake Mysteries, The Straits, Emerald Falls, All Saints, The Strip, White Collar Blue, Scorched, Stupid, Stupid Man, My Place, Lockie Leonard, SeaChange, Wildside, Changi, Grass Roots, Water Rats and A Country Practice.

Angela Betzien and Patricia Cornelius shared the Australian Writers’ Foundation playwriting award presented by its sponsor Kim Williams.

The Katering Show’s Kate McLennan took the prize for other form of comedy or drama.

The Fred Parsons’ award for outstanding contribution to Australian comedy went to 66-year-old Bill Harding, who started in the mid-1950s with the radio series Family Affair. Among his notable works for television were The Paul Hogan Show, The Norman Gunston Show, Denton, Corridors of Power and Life Support.

The 2015 Dorothy Crawford award for outstanding contribution to the profession was bestowed posthumously on Alan Seymour, who died in March. His credits include The Potato Factory, Sara Dane, The Silver Chair and The One Day of the Year.

AWG president Jan Sardi said the 2015 AWGIEs demonstrate several important milestones for the Australian stage and screen industries. “Not only are many of this year’s recipients multi-talented across platforms but they place the writer front and centre in the creative process of taking an idea from imagination into an award winning script that can attract the highest calibre of production, direction and acting talent – and of course money,” Sardi said.

Thirty-seven AWGIEs were presented at the 48th awards night at Sydney's Doltone House in front of more than 300 TV, film, stage, radio and online writers and guests.

2015 Major Award

The Water Diviner

Andrew Knight

Andrew Anastasios

Feature Film – Original

The Water Diviner

Andrew Knight

Andrew Anastasios

Feature Film – Adaptation (two winners)

1. Ruben Guthrie

Brendan Cowell

2. Holding the Man

Tommy Murphy

Television Mini Series – Original

Deadline Gallipoli

Jacquelin Perske

Stuart Beattie

Shaun Grant

Cate Shortland

Television Mini Series – Adaptation

The Secret River

Jan Sardi

Mac Gudgeon

Telemovie – Original

House of Hancock

Katherine Thomson

Drama or Comedy, Other Form

The Katering Show

Kate McLennan

Television – Series (two winners)

1. Offspring: Episode 511

Michael Lucas

2. Wentworth: Series 3, ‘The Governor’s Pleasure’

Stuart Page

Television – Serial

Home and Away: Episode 6057

Louise Bowes

Comedy – Sketch or Light Entertainment

Legally Brown: Series 2

Joel Slack-Smith

Comedy – Situation or Narrative

Please Like Me: Series 2, ‘Scroggin’

Josh Thomas
 

Stage

Jump for Jordan

Donna Abela

Music Theatre

Little Bird

Nicki Bloom

Children’s Theatre

The Boy at the Edge of Everything

Finegan Kruckemeyer

Community and Youth Theatre

The Gap

Patricia Cornelius

Angela Betzien

Melissa Reeves

Theatre for Young Audiences

Marlin

Damien Millar

Children’s Television – P

Guess How Much I Love You: ‘Make A Rainbow’

Charlotte Rose Hamlyn

Children’s Television – C

Skinner Boys: ‘Festival of the Ancestors’

David Witt

Animation

The New Adventures of Figaro Pho: ‘The Fear of Zombies (Romerophobia)’

Bruce Griffiths

Interactive Media

Secrets & Lies

Stephen Irwin

Lucas Taylor

Dominic Morris

Radio – Original Broadcast

Like a Writing Desk

Aden Rolfe

Short Film

Welcome to Iron Knob

Dave Wade

Documentary – Public Broadcast

Sam Klemke’s Time Machine

Matthew Bate

Sandy Cameron

Documentary – Corporate and Training

Dying to Talk: Exploring Death and End of Life Issues

Peter Flynn

2015 SPECIAL AWARDS

Australian Writers’ Guild

2015 RICHARD LANE AWARD

For Outstanding Service and Dedication to the Australian Writers’ Guild

Tim Pye

Australian Writers’ Guild

2015 DOROTHY CRAWFORD AWARD

For Outstanding Contribution to the Profession

Alan Seymour

Posthumous award

Australian Writers’ Guild

2015 FRED PARSONS AWARD

For Outstanding Contribution to Australian Comedy

Bill Harding

Australian Writers’ Guild

2015 DAVID WILLIAMSON PRIZE

In Celebration and Recognition of Excellence in Writing for Australian Theatre

Finegan Kruckemeyer

Australian Writers’ Guild

2015 MONTE MILLER AWARD – LONG FORM

The Man from the Moon

Gemma Crofts

Australian Writers’ Guild

2015 MONTE MILLER AWARD – SHORT FORM

The Brooch

Elizabeth Dias

2015 AUSTRALIAN WRITERS’ FOUNDATION PLAYWRITING AWARD

Supported by Kim Williams AM

Patricia Cornelius

Angela Betzien