Stuart Beattie, Beck Cole and Alice Addison are among the local screenwriters nominated for this year’s AWGIE Awards.
Hosted next month by the Australian Writers’ Guild, the annual awards recognise and celebrate excellence in performance writing – for film, TV, documentary, radio and theatre.
Academy Award-nominated screenwriter and newly-elected president of the Australian Writers’ Guild, Jan Sardi, said the foundation of all great productions was the script – and this is the chance to reward those who created those foundations.
“The nominations for this year's AWGIE awards clearly demonstrate the high standard of Australian performance writing,” Sardi said in a statement.
“Some of the writers honoured today are familiar names, underscoring the consistent excellence of their work and ongoing contribution to our industry. Equally exciting are the new names and titles reflecting the breadth and vibrancy of Australian scriptwriting talent.”
Such talent who could pick up gold include: Ben C. Lucas (Wasted on the Young), Cole (Here I Am) and Jonathan Teplitzsky (Burning Man) – who were all nominated in the original film category – while Beattie (Tomorrow, When The War Began), Addison (The Hunter) and Shaun Grant (Snowtown) have a chance for gold in the film adaptation category.
Addison has also been nominated for a children’s television award for her work on ABC series My Place: 1808 Sarah. She joins Nicholas Parsons (My Place: 1868 Minna) and Rachel Spratt (Gasp!: Fish Stick).
Other TV writers – Peter Gawler and Kris Mrksa, who both wrote Underbelly Files scripts – will battle each other in the Telemovie original category, while Peter Duncan (Rake), Jacqueline Perske (Spirited) and Mia Tolhurst (City Homicide) will be up against each other in the TV series category.
Writers from Good News Week, Laid, East West 101, Home and Away, Neighbours and Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo also have a chance of adding gold to their trophy cabinet.
The 44th annual AWGIE Awards will be held on September 23 at Doltone House, Sydney.
NOMINEES FOR THE 2011 AWGIE AWARDS:
MONTE MILLER AWARD: SHORT FORM
Falling on Deaf Ears – Paul Bugeja
Liv – Pauline Findlay
Space – Jill Moylan
The Mind Job – J.J. Winlove
MONTE MILLER AWARD: LONG FORM
Lucid – Philip Denson
Gifted – Laura Greaves
Sox – Steve Harrison
The Non-Believers – Steve Mitchell
Diving for Poland – Andrea Rogers
Falling Star – Megan Shields
SHORT FILM
Two Ships – Nicky Arnall
Heck – Lisa Hoppe with Bobbie Waterman
Tethered – Craig Irvin
After The Credits – Josh Lawson
The Palace – Anthony Maras
INTERACTIVE
Only one nomination and the winner will be announced on the night.
DOCUMENTARY: PUBLIC BROADCAST
The Tall Man – Tony Krawitz
The Long Walk of Brother Benedict – Linda Neil
DOCUMENTARY: CORPORATE & TRAINING
Only one nomination and the winner will be announced on the night.
RADIO: ORIGINAL
Water Tight – Donna Cameron
Weeds Etc. – Nöelle Janaczewska
The Clerk Ascending – Gina Schien
RADIO: ADAPTATION
The Stepping Stars of Boronkowice – Nöelle Janaczewska
King Tide – Katherine Thomson
STAGE
Do Not Go Gentle – Patricia Cornelius
Love Me Tender – Tom Holloway
Namatjira – Scott Rankin
Furious Mattress – Melissa Reeves
MUSIC THEATRE
The Cockatoos – Sarah Carradine
The Musical Child – Cathryn Strickland
COMMUNITY & YOUTH THEATRE
Yet to Ascertain the Nature of the Crime – Roanna Gonsalves with Raimondo Cortese, Damien Miller, Görkem Acaroglu and the company of actors
Ithaca Road – Robert Kronk
CHILDREN'S THEATRE
Dr Egg and the Man with No Ear – Catherine Fargher
The African Musician – Afeif Ismail
The Girl who Forgot to Sing Badly – Finegan Kruckemeyer
THEATRE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES
Moth – Declan Greene
Romeo and Juliet Intensive – Ned Manning
CHILDREN’S TELEVISION: P CLASSIFICATION
Only one nomination and the winner will be announced on the night.
CHILDREN’S TELEVISION: C CLASSIFICATION
My Place: 1808 Sarah – Alice Addison
My Place: 1868 Minna – Nicholas Parsons
Gasp!: Fish Stick – Rachel Spratt
COMEDY: SKETCH OR LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT
Good News Week: Australia Decides 2010 – Dave Bloustein, Simon Dodd, Bruce Griffiths, Warwick Holt, Paul Livingston and Ian Simmons
Good News Week: Episode 3.30 – Dave Bloustein, Simon Dodd, Bruce Griffiths, Warwick Holt, Paul Livingston and Ian Simmons
Good News Week: The First Cut – Dave Bloustein, Simon Dodd, Bruce Griffiths, Warwick Holt, Paul Livingston and Ian Simmons
COMEDY: SITUATION OR NARRATIVE
Laid: Episode 4 – Marieke Hardy
Housos: Pregnant – Paul Fenech
Review With Myles Barlow: Series 2 Episode 1 – Phil Lloyd with Trent O’Donnell
TELEVISION: MINI SERIES ORIGINAL
Small Time Gangster – Gareth Calverley and Joss King
East West 101 – Season 3: The Hero’s Journey – Vanessa Bates, Michael Miller, Michelle Offen, David Ogilvy, Katherine Thomson, Kristine Wyld with Steve Knapman
Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo – Christopher Lee
TELEVISION: SERIAL
Home and Away – Episode 5215 – Cameron Welsh
Neighbours – Episode 6018 – Anthony Morris
TELEVISION: SERIES
Rake – Episode 5: R v. Chandler – Peter Duncan
Spirited – Episode 7: Riders on the Storm – Jacquelin Perske
City Homicide – Episode 83: Last Man Standing – Mia Tolhurst
TELEMOVIE ORIGINAL
Underbelly Files: Tell Them Lucifer Was Here – Peter Gawler
Underbelly Files: The Man Who Got Away – Kris Mrksa
FEATURE FILM: ADAPTATION
The Hunter – Alice Addison
Tomorrow, When the War Began – Stuart Beattie
Snowtown – Shaun Grant
FEATURE FILM: ORIGINAL
Here I Am – Beck Cole
Wasted on the Young – Ben C. Lucas
Burning Man – Jonathan Teplitzky