AustLit logo

AustLit

The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

Notes

  • Inaugurated in 2011 and first presented in 2012 (for the 2011 award year).

Latest Winners / Recipients

Year: 2019

winner form y separately published work icon The Nightingale Jennifer Kent , ( dir. Jennifer Kent ) Australia : Causeway Films , 2018 9595628 2018 single work film/TV historical fiction

'Set in 1825, Clare, a young Irish convict woman (Aisling Franciosi), chases a British officer (Sam Claflin) through the rugged Tasmanian wilderness, bent on revenge for a terrible act of violence he committed against her family. On the way she enlists the services of an Aboriginal tracker named Billy (Baykali Ganambarr), who is also marked by trauma from his own violence-filled past.'

Source: Screen Australia.

Year: 2018

winner form y separately published work icon Sweet Country Steven McGregor , David Tranter , ( dir. Warwick Thornton ) Australia : Retroflex Lateral Pty Limited , 2017 10406376 2017 single work film/TV crime thriller western

'Sweet Country is set in 1929 in the outback of the Northern Territory. It is the story of a young boy called Philomac, who witnesses Sam, an Aboriginal stockman, kill station owner Harry Marsh in self defence. Sam and his pregnant wife Lizzie go on the run and a posse pursues them across the outback. The posse cannot catch Sam, as he is a clever man and an expert bushman. Eventually for the health of his pregnant wife, Sam gives himself up. A trial is held in town and when the truth comes out in the courtroom about Sam's actions, he is acquitted. Justice has been served. Philomac and Sam set off on their journey home, but soon after leaving town, a shot rings out and Justice is crushed…' (Publication summary)

Year: 2017

winner form y separately published work icon Ali’s Wedding Andrew Knight , Osamah Sami , ( dir. Jeffrey Walker ) Australia : Matchbox Productions Pty Ltd , 2017 8368900 2017 single work film/TV

'After a reckless lie sets off a catastrophic chain of events, Ali, the son of a Muslim cleric, finds himself caught between his sense of duty to his family and following his heart. Based on real events, Ali’s Wedding is an irreverent, warm-hearted comedy, and an affectionate and vivid portrait of Islamic life in Australia. ' (Source: Screen Australia)

Year: 2014

winner form y separately published work icon The Babadook Jennifer Kent , ( dir. Jennifer Kent ) Australia : Causeway Films , 2013 Z1912336 2013 single work film/TV horror (taught in 2 units) A single mother, plagued by the violent death of her husband, battles with her son's fear of a monster lurking in the house, but soon discovers a sinister presence all around her.

Year: 2013

winner (Feature Film) form y separately published work icon The Rocket Die Rakete Kim Mordaunt , ( dir. Kim Mordaunt ) Australia : Red Lamp Films , 2012 Z1908219 2012 single work film/TV 'A boy who is believed to bring bad luck to everyone around him leads his family and a couple of ragged misfits through Laos to find a new home. After a calamity-filled journey, to prove he's not cursed he builds a giant rocket to enter the most lucrative but dangerous competition of the year: the Rocket Festival.' (Source: Screen Australia website)
X