Alumni shorts, features and series have secured a total of 20 nominations at the 2020 ATOM Awards, one of Australia’s longest-running film and media awards celebrating the best of local screen content from the education and screen industry.
Thirteen alumni works are contending for prizes in 11 out of the 30 categories in this year’s Tertiary & Industry Awards, which cover feature films, television series, animation, short fiction, educational resources, web series, websites and apps.
Vying for four awards is I Want to Make a Film About Women by director, producer and writer Karen Pearlman (Master of Arts (Film & Television) Editing, 2000), featuring original music by Caitlin Yeo (Graduate Diploma in Screen Composition, 2002) and production design by Valentina Iastrebova (Diploma in Screen Design, 2016). The short film is in the running for the Best Documentary, Best Documentary – History, Best Documentary – Short Film (30 minutes or less) and Best Docudrama prizes. In recent months the short has won St Kilda Film Festival’s Best Direction Award, CinefestOz’s $5,000 Best Direction Prize, claimed an ADG nomination and has been selected for Sydney, Brisbane and Revelation Film Festivals, among others.
Also competing in the Best Documentary category are Richard Leplastrier – Framing the View, written, directed and produced by Anna Cater (Master of Arts (Film and Television) Documentary, 1997), lensed by Bonnie Elliot (Master of Arts: Film, Television and Digital Media Cinematography), Peter Coleman (Diploma in Grading, 2017) and Simon Smith (Diploma Cinematography, 1979), and edited by Lindi Harrison (Specialist Extension Certificate Editing, 1993); as well as Morgana, edited by Julie-Anne De Ruvo (Master of Arts (Film & Television) Editing, 2001).
AFTRS alumni works make up three of the four nominees in the Feature Film category: Parish Malfitano’s Bloodshot Heart, Ian Watson’s Unsound – both made with a team full of AFTRS graduates – and Mark Lamprell’s Never Too Late, showcasing the work of composer Angela Little (Master of Arts: Film, Television and Digital Media Screen Composition, 2007), graphic artist Jonah Booth-Remmers (Graduate Certificate: 3D Animation, 2009) and foley mixer Stuart Melvey (Master of Arts Screen, 2018).
After debuting on ABC Me in June, Are You Tougher Than Your Ancestors? created, written and produced by Vanna Morosini (Advanced Diploma in Screenwriting: Series Television, 2016) has claimed two nominations: Best Children’s Television Series and Best Factual Television Series. Competing against it for Best Children’s Television Series is First Day, written, directed and produced by alumna Julie Kalceff. The ABC Me series has been recently picked up by Hulu in the United States, BBC in the UK and by broadcasters in Finland, Norway, Sweden and Taiwan.
Cornel Ozies’ (Graduate Diploma in Cinematography, 2011) Our Law and Damon Gameau’s 2040, shot by Hugh Miller (Master of Arts (Film and Television) Cinematography, 2002) are contending for the Best Documentary – General prize.
Director/producer Robynne Murphy’s (Certificate in Directing, 1973) Women of Steel is recognised twice, nominated in the Best Documentary – History category and Best Documentary – Social and Political Issues alongside Ili Baré’s The Leadership, produced by Greer Simpkin (Graduate Certificate in Business Administration (Creative Industries), 2010) and edited by Lindi Harrison (Specialist Extension Certificate Editing, 1993).
The Leadership and 2040 both make a second appearance, this time in the Best Documentary – Science, Technology and the Environment category.
Rounding out the list is Ben Steel’s The Show Must Go On, produced by Sue Maslin (Master of Screen Arts and Business, 1993) which is a contender for the Best Documentary – Arts award.
The winners will be announced in the ATOM awards ceremony on Thursday 26 November.
See the full list of nominations here.
ALUMNI WORK NOMINATED AT THE 2020 ATOM AWARDS
Best Children’s Television Series
Are You Tougher Than Your Ancestors?
Creator/producer/writer: Vanna Morosini (Advanced Diploma in Screenwriting: Series Television, 2016)
First Day
Writer/director: Julie Kalceff
Cinematographer: Velinda Wardell (Master of Arts: Film, Television and Digital Media Cinematography, 2005)
Costume designer: Rebecca Romans (Graduate Certificate in Costume Design, 2013)
Sound recordist: Martin Demian (Graduate Diploma in Sound, 2012)
Sound designer: Lana Kristensen (Graduate Diploma in Sound, 2014)
Grip: Marcus Stimson (Graduate Certificate in Editing Drama, 2011)
Best Factual Television series
Are You Tougher Than Your Ancestors?
Best Fiction Feature Film
Bloodshot Heart
Director/screenwriter/producer: Parish Malfitano (Bachelor of Arts (Screen), 2017; Foundation Diploma, 2014)
Sound mixer: Stuart Melvey (Masters in Screen: Sound, 2018)
Supervising editor: Karen Pearlman (Master of Arts: Film & TV Editing, 2000)
Unit production manager: Levi Meltzer (Bachelor of Arts (Screen), 2017)
Second assistant camera/substitute first assistant camera: Lucca Barone-Peters (Bachelor of Arts (Screen), 2017)
Runner: Jai Love-Lapan (Bachelor of Arts (Screen), 2017; Foundation Diploma, 2014)
Runner: Matthew Ford (Bachelor of Arts (Screen), 2017)
Featured extra: Oliver Levi-Malouf (Bachelor of Arts (Screen), 2018)
Extra: Mariella Solano (Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production, 2019)
Never Too Late
Director: Mark Lamprell
Music: Angela Little (Master of Arts: Film, Television and Digital Media Screen Composition, 2007)
Graphic artist: Jonah Booth-Remmers (Graduate Certificate: 3D Animation, 2009)
Foley mixer: Stuart Melvey (Master of Arts Screen, 2018)
Unsound
Director: Ian Watson (Graduate Certificate Screen: Creative Producing, 2018)
Producer: Tsu Shan Chambers (Graduate Certificate Screen: Creative Producing, 2018)
Editor: Scott Walmsley (Master of Arts: Film & Television, 2008)
Cinematographer – Kent Marcus (Graduate Diploma of Cinematography, 2013)
Co-Producer/Assistant Editor/Data Wrangler – Brian Chambers (Diploma of Editing, 2018)
Best Documentary
I Want to Make a Film About Women
Director/producer/editor: Karen Pearlman (Master of Arts (Film & Television) Editing, 2000)
Music: Caitlin Yeo (Graduate Diploma in Screen Composition, 2002)
Production design: Valentina Iastrebova (Diploma in Screen Design, 2016)
Morgana
Directors: Isabel Peppard, Josie Hess
Editor: Julie-Ann De Ruvo (Master of Arts (Film & Television) Editing, 2001)
Richard Leplastrier – Framing the View
Writer/director/producer: Anna Cater (Master of Arts (Film and Television) Documentary, 1997)
Cinematographers: Bonnie Elliot (Master of Arts: Film, Television and Digital Media Cinematography, Peter Coleman (Diploma in Grading, 2017), Simon Smith (Diploma Cinematography, 1979)
Editor: Lindi Harrison (Specialist Extension Certificate Editing, 1993)
Best Docudrama
I Want to Make a Film About Women
Best Documentary – General
2040
Director: Damon Gameau
Cinematographer: Hugh Miller (Master of Arts (Film and Television) Cinematography, 2002)
Our Law
Director/screenwriter: Cornel Ozies (Graduate Diploma in Cinematography, 2011)
Best Documentary – Short Film (30 Minutes or Less)
I Want to Make a Film About Women
Best Documentary – Social and Political Issues
The Leadership
Director: Ili Baré
Producer: Greer Simpkin (Graduate Certificate in Business Administration (Creative Industries), 2010)
Editor: Lindi Harrison (Specialist Extension Certificate Editing, 1993)
Women of Steel
Director/producer: Robynne Murphy (Certificate in Directing, 1973)
Editor: Rowena Crowe (Master of Arts: Film, Television and Digital Media in Documentary, 2005)
Best Documentary – Science, Technology and the Environment
2040
The Leadership
Best Documentary – History
I Want to Make a Film About Women
Women of Steel
Best Documentary – Arts
The Show Must Go On
Director: Ben Steel
Producer: Sue Maslin (Master of Screen Arts and Business, 1993)
