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2022 ADG Awards

Winners Announced







WINNERS ANNOUNCED 2022 ADG AWARDS –

THOMAS M. WRIGHT, LEAH PURCELL, SIAN DAVIES, CORRIE CHEN, EMMA FREEMAN

TAKE OUT MAJOR AWARDS

Thomas M Wright has been awarded Best Direction in a Narrative Feature Film (Budget $1M or over) for the worldwide hit film The Stranger, with Leah Purcell awarded Best Direction in a Debut Feature Film for The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson and Best Direction in a Narrative Feature Film (Budget under $1M) awarded to Aaron Wilson for Little Tornadoes at the 2022 ADG Awards ceremony, held in Sydney today at The Actors Centre.

In television, women have dominated the winner’s list with Corrie Chen, Sian Davies and Emma Freeman taking out major awards.

Sian Davies won two 2022 ADG Awards - Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Comedy Series Episode for SpreadsheetEpisode 5 - Banjos and Dirty Duck and The Esben Storm Award for Best Direction in a Children's TV or SVOD Drama Series Episode for Surviving Summer, Episode 7 - For Laynah.

Corrie Chen won the award for Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Mini-Series Episode New Gold Mountain, Episode 2 – Righteousness and Emma Freeman won the award for Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Drama Series Episode for The Newsreader, Episode 1 - Three, Two, One ...

““It is fantastic to see an increased diversity in ADG Awards winners this year. Whilst there’s more to do, it does reflect that equitable representation is on its way to becoming a reality amongst Australian directors.  My congratulations to all the winners and nominees and my thanks to all those ADG nominees and members who celebrated our craft at today’s gala awards ceremony,” said ADG Executive Director Alaric McAusland.

The ADG Award for Best Direction in a Documentary Feature went to Alec Morgan and Tiriki Onus for their film Ablaze; Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Documentary Series Episode or Documentary One-Off was awarded to Rhian Skirving and John Harvey for Off Country; Best Direction in a Documentary Short Subject was awarded to  Olivia Martin-McGuire for Freedom Swimmer; Best Direction in a Mobile-First Online Series Episode was awarded to Hannah McElhinney for TransAthletica, Episode 9 - Performance Testing; and Best Direction in Animation was awarded to Sarah Harper for Monkie Kid, Series 3.

Other ADG Award winners announced today were Liam Fitzgibbon for Best Direction in an Online Series Episode - Hot Department: Dark Web, Episode 4 - Sad Women, Brietta Hague for Best Direction in a Short Film – Baltasar, David Robinson-Smith for Best Direction in a Student Film-  Mud Crab, Matisse Ruby for Best Direction in Commercial Content- Tabula Rasa, Tom Noakes for Best Direction in a Commercial Advertisement - Mattress FIRM: Spiral in the Diner, Riley Blakeway for Best Direction in a Music Video - Thom Pringle-  Invincibl3 and Ben Joseph Andrews for Best Direction in an Interactive or Immersive Project for Gondwana.

As previously announced, The Cecil Holmes Award was awarded to Samantha Lang. The Cecil Holmes Award is the Australian Directors Guild’s highest honour. It goes to exceptional individuals who have advocated for Australian directors’ advanced craft and careers. 

Veteran first assistant director Peter McLennan received The 'JC' John Clabburn Award awarded since 2021 to honour 1st AD ‘JC’ John Clabburn who passed away under tragic circumstances earlier that year. It is awarded annually to a 1st AD or any screen practitioner in the Director’s Department that ADG Members feel have consistently embodied JC’s spirit of collaboration and passionate support for the craft of directing over their careers.


LIST OF 2022 ADG AWARD WINNERS

  • Best Direction in a Narrative Feature Film (Budget $1M or over) - Thomas M Wright - The Stranger 
  • Best Direction in a Narrative Feature Film (Budget under $1M) - Aaron Wilson - Little Tornadoes 
  • Best Direction in a Short Film - Brietta Hague - Baltasar
  • Best Direction in a Student Film - David Robinson-Smith - Mud Crab 
  • Best Direction in a Documentary Feature - Alec Morgan & Tiriki Onus - Ablaze
  • Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Documentary Series Episode or Documentary One-Off - Rhian Skirving & John Harvey – Off Country
  • Best Direction in a Documentary Short Subject - Olivia Martin-McGuire - Freedom Swimmer 
  • Best Direction in a Mobile-First Online Series Episode - Hannah McElhinney - TransAthletica, Episode 9 - Performance Testing 
  • The Esben Storm Award for Best Direction in a Children's TV or SVOD Drama Series Episode - Sian Davies - Surviving Summer, Episode 7 - For Laynah
  • Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Drama Series Episode - Emma Freeman - The Newsreader, Episode 1 - Three, Two, One ...
  • Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Mini-Series Episode - Corrie Chen - New Gold Mountain, Episode 2 - Righteousness
  • Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Comedy Series Episode - Sian Davies - Spreadsheet, Episode 5 - Banjos and Dirty Duck 
  • Best Direction in an Online Series Episode - Liam Fitzgibbon - Hot Department: Dark Web, Episode 4 - Sad Women 
  • Best Direction in Animation - Sarah Harper - Monkie Kid, Series 3
  • Best Direction in Commercial Content - Matisse Ruby - Tabula Rasa
  • Best Direction in a Commercial Advertisement - Tom Noakes - Mattress FIRM: Spiral in the Diner 
  • Best Direction in a Music Video - Riley Blakeway- Thom Pringle - Invincibl3 
  • Best Direction in an Interactive or Immersive Project - Ben Joseph Andrews - Gondwana
  • Best Direction in a Debut Feature Film - Leah Purcell - The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson 
  • The 'JC' John Clabburn Award - Peter McLennan 
  • The Cecil Holmes Award - Samantha Lang 


Media enquiries: 

Tracey Mair, TM Publicity

traceym@tmpublicity.com


NOMINEES ANNOUNCED FOR 2022 AUSTRALIAN DIRECTORS' GUILD AWARDS 

The Australian Directors' Guild has today announced the nominees for the 2022 ADG Awards. 

It's a breakthrough year at the Awards for women directors in Australia.   

Receiving three nominations is Sian Davies, recognised for her work across drama, comedy and children’s programs.  Sian has been nominated for Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Drama Series Episode for The Twelve Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Comedy Series Episode for Spreadsheet and Best Direction in a Children's TV or SVOD Drama Series Episode for Surviving Summer

Stef Smith has also received three nominations in three different categories. She has been nominated for Best Direction of Commercial Content for Baroque In Bloom - Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, for Best Direction in an Online Series Episode for It's Fine, I'm Fine, and for Best Direction in an Interactive or Immersive Project for Moving Portrait Series. 

For the first time ever, women dominate the major feature film categories with five out of the seven directors nominated for Best Direction in a Feature Film (Budget $1M or over) being women and four of the six nominees in the Best Direction in a Debut Feature Film category also being women.  

Nominated for Best Direction in a Feature Film (Budget $1M or over) are Cate Shortland (Black Widow), Christine Luby (The Curious Case of Dolphin Bay), Claire McCarthy (The Colour Room), Justin Kurzel (Nitram), Leah Purcell (The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson), Sophie Hyde (Good Luck To You, Leo Grande) and Thomas M Wright (The Stranger).  

Leah Purcell has received two feature film nominations. She is also nominated in the Best Direction in a Debut Feature Film category alongside Danny Cohen (Anonymous Club), Del Kathryn Barton (Blaze), JJ Winlove (June Again), Philippa Bateman (Wash My Soul In The River's Flow) and Renée Webster (How to Please a Woman). 

Three directors have received two nominations each. They are Arnie Custo for his work on two episodes of Home and Away; Matisse Ruby, who has received two nominations, both in the Best Direction in Commercial Content category, for Tabula Rasa and for Beethoven and Bridgetower, and W.A.M. Bleakley who has received two nominations in the Best Direction in a Music Video category for Didirri - Begin Again and Confidence Man - Feels Like A Different Thing. 

Joining Arnie Custo and Sian Davies as nominees in the Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Drama Series Episode category are Emma Freeman for The Newsreader, Daina Reid for Shining Girls, Fadia Abboud for Five Bedrooms Series 2, Kevin Carlin for Wentworth Series 8 and Wayne Blair for Total Control Season 2.  

In a year of powerful documentaries, there are eight nominees In the Best Direction in a Documentary Feature category. They are Alec Morgan and Tiriki Oius for Ablaze, Ben Lawrence for Ithaka, Danielle Ortega Carbon - The Unauthorised Biography, Jennifer Peedom and Joseph Nizeti for River, John Hughes and Tom Zubrycki for Senses of Cinema, Penelope McDonald for Audrey Napanangka, Rogue Rubin for Lion Spy and Tosca Looby for Strong Female Lead.  

Three directors of the series Fires received nominations in the Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Mini-Series Episode category. They are Ana Kokkinos, Kim Mordaunt and Michael Rymer.  Corrie Chen rounds out the nominations in this category for her work on New Gold Mountain.  

Also to be announced at the ADG Awards ceremony will be the recipient of the ‘JC’ John Clabburn Award.  At its 2021 Annual Awards, the ADG honoured 1st AD ‘JC’ John Clabburn who passed away under tragic circumstances earlier that year with his award presented posthumously to his family during last year’s ceremony. The ADG continues to recognise significant contributions in support of Australian directors and the craft of directing with the ADG Board bestowing the ‘JC’ John Clabburn annually. It is awarded to 1st AD’s or any screen practitioner in the Director’s Department that ADG Members feel have consistently embodied JC’s spirit of collaboration and passionate support for the craft of directing over their careers. 

ADG Executive Director Alaric McAusland said: ’We’ve had record numbers of entries across numerous categories this year, this demonstrates increasing industry engagement in our awards as well as acknowledgement of their prestige and their importance in recognising a director’s craft. Because of this, we’ve taken the decision this year to extend our nominee lists across our TV & SVOD Drama Series, Student and Short film categories. The significantly increased numbers and quality across our short film categories this year is particularly thrilling to see and a strong indication of the terrific emerging storytelling talent we have here in Australia’ 

Tickets to the ADG Awards will be available here with significant discounts for ADG Members:  https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/464019463707 

The ADG thanks all of its director jurors for their time and careful consideration in judging The Awards and its generous industry supporters without whom the awards would not happen including Principal Awards Partner ASDACS and Venue Partner Actors Centre Australia.  

Here is a full list of nominees. 







SAVE THE DATE - ADG AWARDS - 08.12.2022


We thrilled to announce that our prestigious Annual Screen Director Awards

will be presented at a gala ceremony in Sydney on

Thursday December 8th 2022. 

Stay tuned to our socials for more details on the event and for ticketing and we’ll be regularly updating this page with news including Nominee reveal. 



2022 ADG AWARD REGULATIONS NOVEMBER UPDATE


The ADG Awards Committee has determined two changes will be made to its published award guidelines for the 2022 ADG Awards.

1.The two award categories of Best Direction in an Online Drama Series Episode and Best Direction in an Online Comedy Series Episode have been consolidated into a single new award – ‘Best Direction in an Online Series Episode’ – that is, both comedy and drama projects are eligible and will be judged in this category.

2.A commercial project of below ten minutes but which is not a traditional TV commercial spot will be eligible to enter Best Direction in Commercial Content category.


2022 ADG AWARDS CATEGORIES

1. Best Direction in a Debut Feature Film

2. Best Direction in a Narrative Feature Film (Budget $1M or over)

3. Best Direction in a Narrative Feature Film (Budget under $1M)

4. Best Direction in a Short Film

5. Best Direction in a Student Film

6. Best Direction in a Documentary Feature

7. Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Documentary Series Episode or Documentary One-Off

8. Best Direction in a Documentary Short Subject

9. The Esben Storm Award for Best Direction in a Children's TV or SVOD Series Episode

10. Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Drama Series Episode

11. Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Comedy Series Episode

12. Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Miniseries Episode

13. Best Direction in an Online Series Episode

14. Best Direction in a Mobile-First Online Series Episode

15. Best Direction in Animation

16. Best Direction in a Commercial Advertisement

17. Best Direction in Commercial Content

18. Best Direction in a Music Video

19. Best Direction in an Interactive or Immersive Project

If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at awards@adg.org.au . Good luck. 

2022 ADG AWARDS SPONSORS

The ADG Awards are made possible with the generous support of our industry partners. 

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To visit the ADG 2021 AWARDS page, go to: Australian Directors' Guild - ADG AWARDS 2021