Filmmaker Thomas Atkin has won the Australian Writers’ Guild (AWG)’s John Hinde Award for Excellence in Science-Fiction Writing with dystopian thriller Kin.
Set in an alternate society where one birth is enforced per woman, the feature follows a second-born named Eleanor, who is blackmailed by a powerful family to become their secret surrogate.
Atkin, whose script was selected by the judges out of over 130 entries thanked the AWG and the estate of John Hinde for their “ongoing commitment to nurturing Australian creators”.
“As a writer constantly drawn to the expansive imagination and thrilling experiences this genre showcases on-screen, receiving an award for excellence in science-fiction writing is an exciting opportunity and quite flattering,” he said.
Kirsty Zane’s black comedy Harold, Electra & Our Lord, David Attenborough joined Tony Radevski’s Risen in being runners-up in the Unproduced category.
The three projects will now be inducted into AWG’s Pathways Showcase, with Atkin receiving up to $5000 in professional development support to develop Kin further.
The John Hinde Award was established as part of a bequest from the late Australian film critic John Hinde, whose vision was to see future generations of Australian science-fiction screenwriters celebrated through industry opportunities.
Earlier this year, screenwriter Thomas Duncan-Watt received the John Hinde Award in the Produced category for the animated sci-fi series Space Nova.
Past winners in the Produced category include Shelley Birse’s The Commons, Lucas Taylor’s Eleven Eleven, and Cris Jones’ The Death and Life of Otto Bloom.
Past winners in the Unproduced category include David Peterson’s Untethered, Steve Mitchell’s Cowtown, Georgina Love’s Pig, and C.S. McMullen’s Awake.