Western Australian social impact documentary Hard As Puck is the recipient of Screenwest’s 2024 Brian Beaton Award.
The feature documentary, which is set to follow an oddball team of Western Australian para-ice hockey players vying for a place on the national team, will receive up to $20,000 in funding and in-kind mentor support from members of the Brian Beaton Working Group.
Hard As Puck is directed by AACTA and Australian Directors’ Guild Award-nominated Isaac Elliott (We Are Sexual Beings, MaveriX), and produced by WA filmmaker Chanel Bowen in her feature debut. Noel Smyth (Gloriavale) also produces, with WA’s Bec Bignell (Homespun) and Ian Hale (Black Cockatoo Crisis) on board as executive producers.
Bowen was one of Screen Producers Australia’s 2023 ‘Ones to Watch’ and was the 2020 Screenworks Regional Screen in LA Program recipient, undertaking an internship with Animal Logic Entertainment in the US.
She is also a trained access coordinator and is passionate about increasing and sustaining the ongoing inclusion of deaf, disabled and neurodivergent (DDN) talent in the screen industry.
“The current atmosphere and excitement of the Paralympics highlights the need for para-sport and disability stories regularly – not just every four years,” she said.
“Receiving the Brian Beaton Award commends the efforts of our entire team. The support we’ve received from the disability community, the market, Screen Australia and Screenwest has been incredible. As a first-time feature producer, I’m looking forward to the rest of the journey of bringing Hard as Puck to audiences.”
The award honours the memory of WA documentary maker Brian Beaton by awarding a grant to a WA social impact project that needs further support to reach its potential. Beaton and his business partner, Celia Tait, produced shows including Who Do You Think You Are?, Saving Andrew Mallard, Shaun Micallef’s Stairway to Heaven, The Dreamhouse and Desperately Seeking Sheila.
“Congratulations to the Hard As Puck team for their ongoing tenacity and commitment to bring this important documentary to the screen – matched by the tenacity and commitment of the cast of athletes who strive for excellence,” said Brian Beaton Award co-founder Celia Tait.
“Sport is a universal language, bringing people together, and promoting teamwork and tolerance – all things that Brian Beaton valued and understood well.”
The filmmakers have also launched a crowdfunding campaign via the Documentary Australia Foundation: https://documentaryaustralia.com.au/project/hard-as-puck.
Filming is set to begin in Western Australia in late-2024.