Celebrating the impressive talent base, whilst promoting the work of local screen creatives, the nominees for the 17th annual South Australian Screen Awards (SASAs) have been announced.
Among the nominees for Best Feature film is the coming-of-age feature film Girl Asleep, which takes a look at the world through the weird and wonderful mind of a teenage girl with great performances by Australians Bethany Whitmore, Eamon Farren, Harrison Feldman, Danielle Catanzariti and Amber McMahon.
Also nominated in the Best Feature category is Rock in a Hard Place – a local look at Adelaide’s music scene in the 90’s, and Crew Cut – the story of a low level crook who takes the boss’s son into the outback for one last job.
There is also strong competition in the Best Short Film category, which includes Everything is Connected – an exploration of Ngarrindjeri art, culture, belonging and survival, and My Little Sumo, about Australian girl Daisy who will stop at nothing to achieve her championship quest – which has been accepted into major international festivals such as Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film and the Oscar accredited, Flickerfest.
As SA’s highest film accolades, the SASAs exhibit, celebrate, support and promote South Australian talent in the film industry and help local film-makers gain the attention of the established film industry. Last year’s awards recognized the contribution of women to the local screen industry, with 65% of all awards going to women (compared to an average of 14% of the Academy Awards).
Director/producer Claire Bishop took home one quarter of the 20 categories for her insightful short documentary looking at growing up in Whyalla called Iron Child including the Flinders University Best Short Film Award, Australian International Documentary Conference’s Best Documentary, and Anomaly Studios’ Best Direction.
The brilliantly crafted time travel comedy, The Infinite Man – which also received the Silver Raven at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival – picked up the hotly contested South Australian Film Corporation’s Best Feature Award.
“The South Australian Screen Awards play a critical role in recognising the best new talent in South Australia’s screen industry,” said Gail Kovatseff, Director Media Resource Centre. “The Awards give the next generation a platform to launch their reputation and careers.”
With 17 categories – including Best Short, Best Feature, Best Documentary and Best Music Video – there is more than $20,000 of prizes to be won. Winners will be announced at The Gala Award Night held at the Mercury Cinema on Friday 13 May and hosted by noted film critic and writer for Guardian Australia, Luke Buckmaster.
For more information, visit: www.mrc.org.au for details.
Image: Harrison Feldman and Bethany Whitmore star in Girl Asleep – photo courtesy of Windmill Theatre