Matchbox Pictures’ Nowhere Boys: Two Moons Rising, the third season of the children’s sci-fi adventure show, has won the International Live Action category at the 2018 British Academy of Film and Television Arts Children’s Award.
Beating out competitors from Disney and Nickelodeon, the trophy went to series creator and AFTRS alumnus Tony Ayres (Certificate in Scriptwriting, 1989), third season set-up director, alumnus, and current AFTRS Head of Directing Rowan Woods (Specialist Extension Certificate in Scriptwriting, 1993), and producer Beth Frey.
Of the experience, Woods says, “In 2017, with fellow Heads of Department and Course Leaders, I was helping to design the new MAS and BA curriculums at AFTRS while also finalising post-production on Nowhere Boys: Two Moons Rising. It was a hairy ride. Then, two years later, what the f**k! This BAFTA win is an ace surprise for me and a huge recognition for the awesome NWB team!
“As a director, the challenge of translating original, exciting writing to the screen, will make you weak at the knees, in a good way! Nowhere Boys: Two Moons Rising was a huge challenge for a small Aussie TV show. It required a brand-new cast, all-new locations and the design of VFX worlds and creatures! Fortunately, the NWB team has it all. Smart, creative, super-skilled producers, cast and crew.
“To students: The skilled-up, professional director needs to be loose, inventive and in-control. That’s not possible without key creatives, across all disciplines, firing as one. Bingo. Easy-peasy. Not.”
This is the third time the ABC ME series has been nominated for a BAFTA award, and the first time it has won. Nowhere Boys has also collected an International Emmy Kids Award in 2016 and an AACTA Award in 2014.
Nowhere Boys: Two Moons Rising is currently available to stream on ABC iview, and you can catch Rowan sharing his top tips for emerging directors on the AFTRS YouTube channel.