Female directors have taken the lion’s share of nominations for this year’s Australian Directors’ Guild (ADG) awards, with Sian Davies and Stef Smith each securing three nods and their counterparts dominating the feature film categories.
Davies is recognised across drama, comedy, and children’s, nominated for Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Drama Series Episode for The Twelve, Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Comedy Series Episode for Spreadsheet, and Best Direction in a Children’s TV or SVOD Drama Series Episode for Surviving Summer.
Smith is also represented across three separate categories, including Best Direction in an Online Series Episode for It’s Fine, I’m Fine, Best Direction in an Interactive or Immersive Project for Moving Portrait Series and Best Direction of Commercial Content for Baroque In Bloom – Australian Brandenburg Orchestra,
Vying for the Best Direction in a Feature Film (budget $1M or over) award are Cate Shortland (Black Widow), Christine Luby (The Curious Case of Dolphin Bay), Claire McCarthy (The Colour Room), Justin Kurzel (Nitram), Leah Purcell (The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson), Sophie Hyde (Good Luck To You, Leo Grande), and Thomas M Wright (The Stranger).
Purcell earned another nod for The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson in the Debut Feature Film category alongside Danny Cohen (Anonymous Club), Del Kathryn Barton (Blaze), JJ Winlove (June Again), Philippa Bateman (Wash My Soul In The River’s Flow), and Renée Webster (How to Please a Woman).
Joining Davies in the Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Drama Series category are double nominee Arnie Custo for separate episodes of Home and Away, Emma Freeman for The Newsreader, Daina Reid for Shining Girls, Fadia Abboud for the second season of Five Bedrooms, Kevin Carlin for the eighth season of Wentworth, Wayne Blair for the second season of Total Control.
Three directors from ABC anthology Fires — Ana Kokkinos, Kim Mordaunt and Michael Rymer — are up for Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Mini-Series, alongside Corrie Chen for New Gold Mountain.
There are twice as many nominees in the Best Direction in a Documentary Feature category, which features Alec Morgan and Tiriki Oius (Ablaze), Ben Lawrence (Ithaka), Danielle Ortega (Carbon – The Unauthorised Biography), Jennifer Peedom and Joseph Nizeti (River), John Hughes and Tom Zubrycki (Senses of Cinema), Penelope McDonald (Audrey Napanangka), Rogue Rubin (Lion Spy), and Tosca Looby (Strong Female Lead).
Speaking about this year’s field, ADG executive director Alaric McAusland said record numbers of entries across multiple categories had led the guild to extend its nominee lists across the TV and SVOD drama series, student and short film prizes.
“The significantly increased numbers and quality across our short film categories this year is particularly thrilling to see and a strong indication of the terrific emerging storytelling talent we have here in Australia,” he said.
This year’s ceremony will also feature the announcement of the ‘JC’ John Clabburn Award, named after the renowned 1st AD who died in April last year. The prize is given to 1st AD’s or any screen practitioner in the director’s department that ADG members feel have consistently embodied JC’s spirit of collaboration and support for the craft of directing over their careers.
The 2022 ADG Awards will be held from 3pm on December 8 at The Actors Centre, Leichhardt. Ticketing information here.
The full list of nominees:
Best Direction in Commercial Content
James Chappell – The Voice – 2022 Promo
Jasmin Tarasin – Bianca Spender- Online Brand Film
Matisse Ruby – Tabula Rasa
Matisse Ruby – Beethoven and Bridgetower
Stef Smith – Baroque In Bloom – Australian Brandenburg Orchestra
Tak Nakano – The Rookies 2021 – E5
Best Direction in an Interactive or Immersive Project
Ben Joseph Andrews – Gondwana
Michela Ledwidge – A Clever Label
Stef Smith – Moving Portrait Series
Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Mini-Series Episode
Ana Kokkinos – Fires – E2
Corrie Chen – New Gold Mountain – E2
Kim Mordaunt – Fires – E3
Michael Rymer – Fires – E6
Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Drama Series Episode
Emma Freeman – The Newsreader – E1
Arnie Custo – Home And Away – E7621
Arnie Custo – Home And Away – E7745
Daina Reid – Shining Girls – S1, E3
Fadia Abboud – Five Bedrooms – S2, E6
Kevin Carlin – Wentworth – S8, E20
Sian Davies – The Twelve, E8
Wayne Blair – Total Control – S2, E4
Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Documentary Series Episode or Documentary One-Off
Chris Thorburn – The Family Court Murders E3
Dena Curtis – Back To Nature – E8
Ella Wright – Stage Changers
Nick Robinson – Puff: Wonders of the Reef
Rhian Skirving & John Harvey – Off Country
Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Comedy Series Episode
Darren Ashton – Spreadsheet – E2
Jeffrey Walker – Young Rock – S2
Matthew Moore – The Great – S2, E6
Shaun Wilson – Frayed – S2, E2
Sian Davies – Spreadsheet – E5
Best Direction in a Student Film
Becki Bouchier – Snapshot
David Robinson-Smith – Mud Crab
Domini Marshall – Go with Grace
Emma Jackson – Walk Run Strive
Grace Tan – Lucky Peach
James Menelaus – Rush Tadpoles
Lilli Corrias-Smith – Before We’re Gone
Ruby Challenger – MumLife
Best Direction in a Short Film
Brietta Hague – Baltasar
George-Alex Nagle – Mate
John Sheedy – Tarneit
Jordan Giusti – Reptile
Madeleine Gottlieb – You and Me, Before and After
Nash Edgerto – Shark
Toby Morris – Ishmael
William Duan – Tuī Ná
Best Direction in a Music Video
Aimee-Lee Xu Hsien Curran – Pinkish Blu – Old Blue
Riley Blakeway – Thom Pringle – INVINCIBL3
Taylor Ferguson – Boy & Bear – State of Flight
W.A.M. Bleakley – Didirri – Begin Again
W.A.M. Bleakley – Confidence Man – Feels Like A Different Thing
Best Direction in a Feature Film (Budget under $1M)
Aaron Wilson – Little Tornadoes
Craig Boreham – Lonesome
Genna Chanelle Hayes – AKONI
Martin Wilson – Pieces
Best Direction in a Mobile-First Online Series Episode
Hannah McElhinney – TransAthletica – E9
Imogen McCluskey – Love Bug – S2, E11
Kyle Portbury – Hunted
Thomas Pollard – AFLW x AAMI – E4
Best Direction in a Debut Feature Film
Danny Cohen – Anonymous Club
Del Kathryn Barton – Blaze
JJ Winlove – June Again
Leah Purcell – The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johson
Philippa Bateman – Wash My Soul In The River’s Flow
Renée Webster – How to Please a Woman
Best Direction in a Feature Film (Budget $1M or over)
Cate Shortland – Black Widow
Christine Luby – The Curious Case of Dolphin Bay
Claire McCarthy – The Colour Room
Justin Kurzel – Nitram
Leah Purcell – The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson
Sophie Hyde – Good Luck To You, Leo Grande
Thomas M Wright – The Stranger
Best Direction in a Documentary Short Subject
Emma Jackson – Walk Run Strive
Kathryn Millard – The Bystander Story
Lauren Rose Beck – Prepping Australia – S1, E1
Madeleine Mytkowski – Betty and Bushy
Naomi Ball – Who I Am
Olivia Martin-McGuire – Freedom Swimmer
Best Direction in a Documentary Feature
Alec Morgan and Tiriki Onus – Ablaze
Ben Lawrence – Ithaka
Daniella Ortega – Carbon – The Unauthorised Biography
Jennifer Peedom and Joseph Nizeti – River
John Hughes & Tom Zubrycki – Senses of Cinema
Penelope McDonald – Audrey Napanangka
Rogue Rubin – Lion Spy
Tosca Looby – Strong Female Lead
Best Direction in Animation
Sarah Harper – Monkie Kid – S3
Ian Brown – Alien TV – S2
Tom Noakes, Will Goodfellow, and Greg Sharp – Fight Dirty – Salvatore Ganacci
Best Direction in a Commercial Advertisement
Tom Noakes – Mattress FIRM – Spiral in the Diner
Hailey Bartholomew – Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital Foundation – Incredible Gift
Michael Spiccia – Hyundai Tucson – Tomorrow Wants Its Car Back
Shannon Murphy – Tena – #LastLonelyMenopause
Tim Bullock – Gulf Western Oil – Lone Rider
Tom Campbell – Boys Do Cry – Gotcha4Life
Best Direction in an Online Series Episode
Liam Fitzgibbon – Hot Department: Dark Web – E4
Aaron McCann – Hug the Sun E4
Laura Clelland and Gabriel Willie – Long Black
Monica Zanetti – Iggy & Ace E4
Sam Rogers – Discontent – S1, E1
Stef Smith – It’s Fine, I’m Fine – S1, E1
The Esben Storm Award for Best Direction in a Children’s TV or SVOD Drama Series Episode
Sian Davies – Surviving Summer – E7
Erin White – The PM’s Daughter – S1, E9
Isaac Elliott – MaveriX – S1, E5
Isaac Elliott – MaveriX – S1, E3
Julie Kalceff – First Day – S2, E1
Julietta Boscolo – The PM’s Daughter – S1, E2
Richard Jeffery – Bluey – S3, E26