Melbourne actor Ryan Corr has been awarded the 2011 Australians in Film (AiF) Heath Ledger Scholarship.
The announcement was made at the AiF Breakthrough Awards, which honoured actors Joel Edgerton and Teresa Palmer, and director David Michôd, at the Thompson Beverly Hills.
Corr is currently working in Australia but was introduced by actor Rachel Griffiths and made his acceptance speech via videotape.
Corr was most recently seen as Coby Jennings on the Seven Network’s top rating hit Packed to the Rafters and has also starred in Underbelly: The Golden Mile and Tangle.
His film credits include Where the Wild Things Are, Piranha and NIDA-film Before the Rain.
Last year, the 22-year old won the Out of the Box IF Award, which recognises actors likely to make the jump from TV to the big screen. He also was nominated at the 2010 Logie Awards in both the categories of Most Outstanding New Talent and Most Popular New Male Talent.
The AiF Heath Ledger Scholarship provides talented Australian actors in the early stage of their careers the chance to travel to the US to further their training and international acting opportunities. It includes a cash award of $US10,000, a V Australia return airfare from Australia to the US, and a one-year full-time scholarship to Stella Adler Acting & Theatre, Los Angeles.
The two 2011 runners-up, Sarah Snook and Luke Arnold, also will receive return airfare flights, while the four top applicants will receive a Showcast VIP package for international exposure. All fifteen finalists will receive a Quickflix annual subscription.
The judging panel is comprised of: Frances O’Connor (actor), Jason Isaacs, Ann Fay (Maura Fay Group casting agent), Gregor Jordan (Australian director), Kate Ledger (Heath Ledger’s sister), April Webster (casting director) and Rob Marsala (AiF board member).