ALUMNI AWARD-WINNERS 2020 International recognition
Film and television
NIDA’s graduates continue to lead on the world stage, both as performing arts practitioners at the height of their craft, and as global cultural leaders.
In the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) awards:
NIDA graduate Sarah Snook (Acting, 2008) was nominated for a PrimeTime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her starring role in HBO’s series Succession which won a Golden Globe for Best Television Series and Critic’s Choice Award for a Drama Series. Sally Riley (Directing, 1993), ABC TV’s Head of Drama, Comedy and Indigenous, was formally invited to join the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science (AMPAS) – the governing body of the Oscars. Cate Blanchett (Acting, 1992) was selected to preside over the international jury at Venice Film Festival 2020. Festival director Alberto Barbera said, ‘her commitment in the artistic and humanitarian fields and to the protection of the environment, as well as her defence of the emancipation of women in a film industry still coming to terms with male prejudice, have made her an inspiration for society as a whole.’ Australian awards Australia’s cultural scene is enriched by NIDA graduates’ creativity and skills in a wide arena of creative endeavour, recognised by awards and opportunities across a range of fields including writing, acting, short film, visual arts, radio and leadership.
→ Shannon Murphy (Directing, 2007) won Best Direction in Film for Babyteeth which also won Best Film presented by Foxtel; → Essie Davis (Acting, 1992) won the AACTA Award Best Supporting Actress in Film for Babyteeth; → Darren Gilshenan (Acting, 1988) won the AACTA Award Best Guest or Supporting Actor in a Television Drama for Stateless; → Cate Blanchett (Acting, 1992) won the AACTA Award Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama for Stateless; → Cate Blanchett (Acting, 1992) won Best Telefeature or Mini Series for coproducing Stateless; → Steven Vidler (Acting, 1983) shared the award for Best Indie Film for Standing Up For Sunny, which he wrote and directed; → Chris Taylor (Playwrights Studio, 1995) shared the award for Best Comedy Series for Upright; and → Jennifer Kent (Acting, 1991) was awarded the Byron Kennedy Award – which recognises the impact of Australian low-budget genre filmmaking and celebrates outstanding creative enterprise within the screen industry – for her international success on awardwinning film, The Babadook.
→ A Sunburnt Christmas cowritten by Gretel Vella (Writing for Performance, 2017), Elliott Vella (Writing for Performance, 2019) and Timothy Walker (Acting, 2018) was selected as one of five finalists in the AACTA Pitch competition. The film went on to be produced by Every Cloud Productions and was recently released as a Stan Original Film. → Beatrix Christian (Playwrights Studio, 1990) won the AWGIE for Best Feature Film (Original) for Hearts and Bones, which starred Hugo Weaving (Acting, 1981), with costume designer Rita Carmody (Design, 2007) and set dresser Jacqui Schofield (Design, 2013). → Emme Hoy (Writing for Performance, 2017) was shortlisted for the Monte Miller Award in the Short Form Category at the AWGIE’s. → Tamara Asmar (Playwrights Studio, 2003) was shortlisted for the Betty Roland Prize for Scriptwriting for episode one of SBS miniseries On the Ropes. → Timothy Walker (Acting, 2018) won Best Director at Far South Film Festival for his short film Kin. → Jack Ellis (Acting, 2014) won Best Actor at the sixth annual SmartFone Flick Fest for Hollow Hands. → Bridie McKim (Acting, 2018) and Sophie Wilde (Acting, 2019) were named Casting Guild of Australia's Rising Stars of 2020 as performers the potential to break out on the world stage. Theatre Suzie Miller (Playwrights, 2000) won two of the Australian Writer’s Guild Awards’ highest honours for her critically acclaimed one-woman play Prima Facie: the 2020 Major Award ($20,000) and the David Williamson Prize for Excellence in Writing for Australian Theatre. The commissioning company, Griffin Theatre Company, received $80,000 to commission, develop and program a new Australian work. Prima Facie was directed by Lee Lewis (Directing, 2003) and starred Sheridan Harbridge (Acting, 2006).
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