The evening recognised the 76 Film Victoria supported film, television and games projects that were screened across 2016.
Film Victoria’s CEO, Jenni Tosi paid tribute to the achievements of Hector and Dorothy Crawford (Crawford Productions) and the many writers, directors and producers who paved the way in the 60s and 70s to establish Melbourne as the home of great television drama and iconic Australian feature films.
The recipients of the 2017 Greg Tepper and Tim Richards Awards were also announced and presented to Kitty Green and Lisy Kane
The 2017 Greg Tepper Award recipient: Kitty Green
Director and Editor Kitty Green was awarded the 2017 Greg Tepper Award, in recognition of her continuing success as a filmmaker with an original and authentic voice.
Kitty’s edgy and fresh approach to documentary storytelling has strengthened the profile of Australian factual content creators internationally. Her 2013 breakthrough feature Ukraine Is Not a Brothel which profiled Ukraine’s feminist movement ‘Femen.’ captured the attention of global audiences and media. Her follow up feature The Face of Ukraine: Casting Oksana Baiul consolidated Kitty’s profile as a skilful documentary filmmaker.
Kitty’s latest work Casting JonBenet premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January this year, receiving strong reviews. Netflix acquired worldwide rights to the documentary for release in 2017.
Rita Walsh, Associate Producer on Casting JonBenet accepted the award on Kitty’s behalf.
Kitty said: “I couldn’t be more grateful to Film Victoria and their support of my career as a filmmaker. I consider my work to be a hybrid of fiction and nonfiction and that often makes it difficult to categorise so to receive an award for my contribution to the film industry in general is absolutely amazing and exciting.”
The 2017 Tim Richards Award recipient: Lisy Kane
Melbourne-based games producer Lisy Kane received the 2017 Tim Richard’s Award in recognition of her skills as a leading female games developer and her efforts to encourage and support women working in the games industry.
Lisy’s expertise as a games producer saw her work on the highly successful game Armello for indie studio League of Geeks and Hand of Fate by Defiant Development.
Lisy is passionate about changing the underrepresentation of women working in technology and the games industry. This saw her become a co-founder of Girl Geek Academy to encourage women to learn technology and launch their own businesses.
Lisy was a recipient of a Film Victoria Women in Games Fellowship in 2016 and in January 2017 joined the Forbes ‘30 Under 30’ gaming list, the only Australian to do so.
Acknowledging the award Lisy said: “I was completely floored about the news of receiving this award. The past recipients are studios I admire greatly and am honoured to be listed among them and to represent all the hard work that League of Geeks and Girl Geek Academy have achieved so far.”
A few highlights from Film Victoria supported projects of 2016
Reflecting on the successes of 2016 Film Victoria CEO, Jenni Tosi said: “Across features, television and games Victorian creatives and technicians continue to shine. The number of high quality projects supported by Film Victoria in 2016 is testament to the skills and talent of the many passionate individuals who contribute to Victoria’s reputation for screen production and we congratulate and thank them for their efforts and commitment.”
It was a prolific year for documentary features produced out of Victoria including The Will to Fly, In the Shadow of the Hill, The Family, Monsieur Mayonnaise, On Richard’s Side and Remembering the Man.
Narrative features enjoying festival and box office success included Tanna, Looking for Grace, Downriver, Red Dog: True Blue and Lion whilst Doctor Strange, Deadpool and Ghostbusters highlighted the talents of Victoria’s VFX specialists.
New television productions making strong debuts included Molly, The Wrong Girl, The Beautiful Lie, Barracuda and Tomorrow When the War Began whilst returning crowd favourites The Katering Show, Offspring, Upper Middle Bogan, The Doctor Blake Mysteries, Jack Irish and Please Like Me continued to shine.
On the factual side, Revolution School, DNA Nation, Lukewarm Sex and First Contact Series 2,cut through while Little Lunch Specials, Nowhere Boys: Two Moons Rising, You’re Skitting Me and Kuu Kuu Harajuku kept the kids and teens entertained.
Melbourne’s booming games sector continued to catch the eye of critics worldwide with Agent A: A Puzzle in Disguise, Disney Crossy Road and Puzzle Wiz creating a buzz.