Werner Film Productions scored a hat-trick of wins and Origma 45’s Shayda and See-Saw Films’ The Royal Hotel shared Feature Film Production of the Year honours as the Screen Producers Australia (SPA) Awards were held on the Gold Coast on Thursday evening.
Hosted by actor and comedian Matt Okine, the ceremony recognised 20 production companies across 16 competitive categories to conclude this year’s Screen Forever conference.
The good news continued for Werner Film Productions following the announcement of its acquisition by BBC Studios Australia on Monday, with the company winning the children’s and drama series categories for Crazy Fun Park and the second season of The Newsreader, respectively, as well as taking home the Media Super Production Business of the Year Award.
It was also a big night for Wooden Horse, which won Telemovie or Miniseries Production of the Year for The Clearing, and was named Breakthrough Business of the Year.
Origma 45 and See-Saw Films were not the only joint winners to be announced, as Flying Bark Productions’ 100% Wolf: Book of Hath and Windmill Pictures Beep and Mort couldn’t be separated in the race for Animated Production of the Year, and Guesswork Television and OK Great Productions’ Deadloch and Bunya Productions and Heiress Films’ In Limbo were both crowned Comedy Program or Series Production of the Year.
The ceremony also saw Amy Parry named as the recipient of the $20,000 Ones To Watch Screen Internship grant, supported by Screen Australia, and Marungka Tjalatjunu (Dipped In Black) received the annual SDIN Award. Every Cloud Productions co-founders Fiona Eagger and Deb Cox were recognised with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
In congratulating the winners, SPA CEO Matthew Deaner said Australia’s production community continued to thrive in the face of a rapidly changing landscape.
“Each winner exemplifies the creativity, innovation, and dedication that define our industry and showcase the vital role producers and production businesses play in sharing our unique stories and culture with audiences worldwide,” he said.
“It was an honour to stand among industry leaders as we celebrated the success of local stories and businesses, showcasing the incredible talent and resilience of our creative sector.”
The complete list of winners is as follows:
Animated Production of the Year (joint winners)
100% Wolf: Book of Hath (ABC), Flying Bark Productions
Beep and Mort (ABC), Windmill Pictures
Children’s Series Production of the Year
Crazy Fun Park (ABC), Werner Film Productions
Comedy Program or Series Production of the Year (joint winners)
Deadloch (Amazon Prime Video), Guesswork Television and OK Great Productions
In Limbo (ABC), Bunya Productions and Heiress Films
Documentary Program or Series Production of the Year
Ningaloo Nyinggulu (ABC), Artemis Media and Matter of Factual
Drama Series Production of the Year
The Newsreader S2 (ABC), Werner Film Productions
Entertainment Production of the Year
Hard Quiz S9 (ABC), Thinkative Television
Feature Documentary Production of the Year
Harley & Katya, Stranger Than Fiction Films
Feature Film Production of the Year (joint winners)
Shayda, Origma 45
The Royal Hotel, See-Saw Films
Online Series Production of the Year
Touch the Sky, Nora & R.D. Productions
Reality Series Production of the Year
The Great Australian Bake Off S7 (Foxtel Group), BBC Studios Australia
Short Film Production of the Year
Jia, Niu Studios and Toprock Productions
Telemovie or Miniseries Production of the Year
The Clearing (Disney+), Wooden Horse
Business Awards
Breakthrough Business of the Year – Wooden Horse
Media Super Production Business of the Year – Werner Film Productions
Services & Facilities Business of the Year – Princess Bento Studio
Screen Business Export Award – Goalpost Pictures
Individual Awards
Lifetime Achievement Award – Fiona Eagger and Deborah Cox, Every Cloud Productions