The writers of All Is True, Hotel Mumbai, Relic, Ride Like a Girl and The Favourite have been nominated for best original feature film in the 52nd annual AWGIE Awards.
Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears (Deb Cox) and True History of the Kelly Gang (Shaun Grant) are the contenders for the feature film adaptation category.
Andrew Knight scored two nominations, for Ride Like a Girl (shared with Elise McCredie) and for TV series or miniseries for an episode of ABC’s Jack Irish, competing with Bloom (Glen Dolman), Secret City: Under the Eagle (Matt Cameron) and The End (Samantha Strauss).
Ben Elton wrote All is True, John Collee and Anthony Maras wrote Hotel Mumbai, Christian White and Natalie Erika James scripted Relic and Tony McNamara and Deborah Davis collaborated on The Favourite.
In the running for telemovie or miniseries up to four hours are The Cry (Jacquelin Perske), Lambs of God (Sarah Lambert) and On the Ropes (Tamara Asmar, Adam Todd and Ian Meadows).
For the C classification children’s original or adapted, animated or performed award the nominees are Hardball (Guy Edmonds and Matt Zeremes), Mustangs FC (Alix Beane) and The Deep (Cleon Prineas).
In the situation or narrative comedy category there are two nominations for Rosehaven (Luke McGregor and Celia Pacquola), one for The Family Law (Benjamin Law and Kirsty Fisher) and two for Upright (Leon Ford; Tim Minchin).
Comedy – sketch or light entertainment is a two-horse race between Orange is the New Brown (Joel Slack-Smith and Heidi Regan with Nazeem Hussain, Richard Thorp, Penny Greenhalgh and Sophie Braham) and The Weekly with Charlie Pickering (Gerard McCulloch, Charlie Pickering, Kynan Barker, Chris Kennett, Adam Richard with Justin Kennedy and Eleanor Robertson).
The documentary award looms as a tight contest between Ghosthunter (Ben Lawrence), The Art of the Game (Matthew Bate) and The Pacific: In the Wake of Captain Cook with Sam Neill (Sally Aitken with Owen Hughes, Meaghan Wilson-Anastasios, David Alrich and Sam Neill).
For the animation prize there are two nominations for Beat Bugs (Kate Mulvany; Thomas Duncan-Watt) plus Berry Bees (Joel Slack-Smith), Monstrous (Bruce Griffiths with Jasper St Aubyn West) and Spongo, Fuzz & Jalapeña (Simon Dodd).
For the first time in many years, the stalwarts of the serial category Home and Away (Margaret Wilson) and Neighbours (Jason Herbison) face competition from ABC newcomer The Heights (Hannah Carroll Chapman).
The short film award contenders are Fitting (Bronwen Noakes with Emily Avila), Here There Be Monsters (Drew Macdonald), Judas Collar (Alison James) and Stray (Katherine Chediak Putnam with Dean W Law).
Awards will be presented across 18 categories including feature film, television, documentary, theatre, audio, animation and interactive media. Individual category winners will be eligible for the Major Award, given to the most outstanding script of the year.
Past winners have included Lost & Found (2018), The Drover’s Wife (2017), The Code (2014 and 2016), The Water Diviner (2015), The Sapphires (2012), Animal Kingdom (2010) and Cloud Street (1999).
The 52nd annual AWGIE Awards will be presented on Thursday August 22 at the City Recital Hall, Sydney. Tickets go on sale next week.
For the full list of nominees go here