At the 2019 Graduation Ceremony, Master of Arts Screen: Screenwriting graduate Nathan Mewett was announced as the 2019 European Union Film Award recipient.
As the winner, Nathan will have his film screened at the 2019 International Film Festival Innsbruck in Austria. The prize includes return flights and accommodation to attend the festival in May.
Entries from 2018 graduands were judged on the film submitted, and a proposal explaining how attendance at the Festival would further their career. The selection panel comprised representatives of AFTRS, the Austrian Embassy in Canberra, and the Delegation of the European Union to Australia.
On their return, the winner will make a presentation on the festival to the Embassy, EU delegation and AFTRS.
Each year a different European film festival hosts the award winner. The Award is presented by the Delegation of the European Union to Australia, and the European member state that is home to the hosting festival.
Nathan Mewett is a Western Australian filmmaker who has worked in various roles in the industry for nearly 15 years. Nathan’s current focus is directing and his Masters at AFTRS was screenwriting which strengthened his storytelling skills. Nathan has a broad background, having been raised in the Western Desert and initially starting out with experimental works, he builds on his eclectic influence to create challenging and unique works.
Nathan’s short Sol Bunker featured in many national and international festivals and was followed up with Yulubidyi—Until the End (Best Film, Flickerfest 2019) which is a collaboration with Martu director Curtis Taylor. This partnership has extended into the current short Jadai: The Broome Brawler, which will premiere at Sydney Film Festival 2019 and is a proof of concept for a feature film that the team is developing.