The achievements of leading screen practitioners were recognised at the event, with the announcement of the Greg Tepper and Tim Richards Awards. Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley joined Film Victoria CEO Jenni Tosi in presenting the awards.
The 2016 Greg Tepper Award recipient: Gristmill
Gristmill received the 2016 Greg Tepper Award in recognition of their achievements in film and television production and their contribution to Victorian screen culture.
Gristmill is a leading producer of comedy for film and television, with achievements including the successful children’s series Little Lunch, debut feature Now Add Honey and the third series of Upper Middle Bogan, which is set for an American remake after US network CBS commissioned a pilot episode.
The 2016 Tim Richards Award recipient: Hipster Whale
Hipster Whale was the recipient of the 2016 Tim Richards Award, acknowledging the outstanding achievement Hipster Whale has garnered in the Australian and international marketplace and their contribution to the Victorian games industry.
Recognised as leaders in their field, independent game development studio Hipster Whale has produced the global hits Crossy Road, which has been downloaded over 100 million times, Pac-Man 256 and Shooty Skies, in collaboration with Mighty Games. Hipster Whale recently announced a partnership with Disney Interactive to produce Disney Crossy Road.
2015 Victorian screen highlights
It was an impressive year for Victorian features, with The Dressmaker, Paper Planes, Oddball, Holding the Man, Tanna and That Sugar Film delighting local and international audiences.
Victorian TV dramas also made a mark, with new releases including The Secret River, The Beautiful Lie and Glitch and the popular return of Wentworth, Please Like Me and The Doctor Blake Mysteries which continued to attract large audiences.
Victorian visual effects talent were important in bringing to life blockbuster features including The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, Ant-Man, Ted 2 and Avengers: Age of Ultron.
And the Victorian games industry had another outstanding year, with the multi-award winning Armello, along with Screencheat, Space Dust Racers and Framed each receiving strong critical reception and engaging global audiences.