Craig Silvey’s family feature Runt was best in show at the WA Screen Culture Awards on the weekend, converting all four of its nominations, including Narrative Feature Film with a budget over $1m.
The WA-made feature, which has already passed $5.5 million at the Australian box office, follows the titular stray dog as he comes under the care of eleven-year-old girl Annie Shearer (LaTorre), and becomes a key part of the plan to save her family’s farm in the country town of Upson Down. It was also recognised with Outstanding Achievement in Writing, Production Design, and Original Music.
Other multiple winners included Frank Rijavec’s Genocide in the Wildflower State, a documentary that explored the history of state-run eugenics and racial assimilation in 20th-century Western Australia, which took home Outstanding Achievement in Directing and Performance; and William Turner’s short film Esperance to Fremantle, winner of Innovation in Student Film and Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography.
Sunday’s ceremony included two Special Industry Awards – the Independent Spirit Award, presented to Cinema Australia editor and WA Made Film Festival founder Matthew Eeles, and the Contribution to Industry Award, given to casting director Annie Murtagh-Monks and the Perth Actors Collective.
The full list of winners is below:
Innovation Awards
- Narrative Feature Film with budget under $1m presented by Limitless Studios
- Stubbornly Here
- Stubbornly Here
- Narrative Feature Film with budget over $1m presented by Spinifex Brewing
- Runt
- Runt
- Feature Documentary / Non Fiction presented by Zarephath Wines
- Renee Gracie: Fireproof
- Renee Gracie: Fireproof
- Short Film presented by AFTRS and Edith Cowan University
- Re-Imagining Our Futures: Birthing
- Re-Imagining Our Futures: Birthing
- Student Film presented by SAE University College
- Esperance to Fremantle
- Esperance to Fremantle
- Television
- Our Medicine
- Our Medicine
- Web Series or Online Content presented by RevStream
- Yhonnie Scarce: The Light of Day
- Yhonnie Scarce: The Light of Day
- Animation
- Bird Drone
- Bird Drone
- Music Video
- Psycho by Alyssa Dalao, featuring Wiz – Joshua Black
- Psycho by Alyssa Dalao, featuring Wiz – Joshua Black
- Game Design presented by Nostalgia Box
- Courier Tale
- Courier Tale
- Commercial Content presented by Broadcast Gurus
- Drive The Dream with Daniel Ricciardo
- Drive The Dream with Daniel Ricciardo
- Alternative Content (including Moving Image, Installation Art, Virtual Reality, 360°, Augmented Reality etc) presented by PAV
- 3SDC to the Power of 4 Screens
Outstanding Achievement Awards
- Directing presented by City of Vincent
- Genocide in the Wildflower State – Franko Rijavec
- Genocide in the Wildflower State – Franko Rijavec
- Cinematography or Visualisation presented by Camera Electronic
- Esperance to Fremantle – Joe Henderson
- Esperance to Fremantle – Joe Henderson
- Writing presened by Scoop Digital
- Runt – Craig Silvey
- Runt – Craig Silvey
- Performance presented by PAC Screen Workshops
- Genocide in the Wildflower State – Kelton Pell
- Genocide in the Wildflower State – Kelton Pell
- Performance Under 18s presented by Filmbites
- Shed – Mani Shanks
- Shed – Mani Shanks
- Production Design (incl. costume, set design, hair and makeup etc) presented by Perth Property Co
- Runt – Clayton Jauncey, Terri Lamera
- Runt – Clayton Jauncey, Terri Lamera
- Editing presented by Sandbox
- The Recipe for Jam – Ryan Silvey
- The Recipe for Jam – Ryan Silvey
- Sound or Sound Design
- Before Dawn – Brad Habib, Colin Graham, Cate Cahill, John Simpson, Alexander Blocher, Tam Glover, Holly Miller, Joanne Carwardine, Sean Tinnion
- Before Dawn – Brad Habib, Colin Graham, Cate Cahill, John Simpson, Alexander Blocher, Tam Glover, Holly Miller, Joanne Carwardine, Sean Tinnion
- Original Music presented by Soundbyte
- Runt – Iain Grandage