What a beautiful way to end the year. Last Friday, we held the 40th edition of our annual ADG Awards at Actors Centre Australia in Leichhardt. The turn-out was great with some of Australia’s most exciting creative voices finally able to come together in person to celebrate an incredibly diverse and strong range of work.

A huge congratulations to all our nominees and especially those that picked up a win. The caliber of this year’s entries was phenomenally high and you should all be so very proud of yourselves.

Thank you to every judge, sponsor, host, presenter and nominee for making this year’s awards possible. And most of all, thank you to our ADG members to which we owe everything to. We can’t wait to see you again next year!

Photos by James D. Morgan

2021 ADG AWARDS CEREMONY - VIDEO

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE ADG AWARD WINNERS!

 Here is the full list of winners. 

1. Best Direction in a Feature Film (Budget $1M) • Shannon Murphy - Babyteeth
2. Best Direction in a Feature Film (Budget under $1M) • Thomas Wilson-White - The Greenhouse
3. Best Direction in a Short Film • Cloudy Rhodes - Beautiful They
4. Best Direction in a Student Film • Andréas Giannopoulos - Friends of Mine
5. Best Direction in a Documentary Feature • Wayne Blair & Nel Minchin - Firestarter: The Story of Bangarra
6. Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Documentary Series Episode or Documentary One-Off (TV one- hour) • Laurence Billiet - Freeman
7. Best Direction in a Documentary Short Subject (Under 45 mins) • Jaina Kalifa and Amelia Paxman - Lost Contact
8. Best Direction in a Movie Made for TV or SVOD • Christiaan Van Vuuren - A Sunburnt Christmas
9. The Esben Storm Award for Best Direction in a Children's TV or SVOD Drama Program Episode • Richard Jeffery - Bluey – Sleepytime
10. Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Drama Series episode • Shannon Murphy - Killing Eve, Series 3 Episode 5
11. Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Drama Serial episode • David Gould - Home and Away - E7591
12. Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Miniseries Episode • Claire McCarthy - The Luminaries - E2
13. Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Comedy Program episode • Max Miller - Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House of Fun – S1 E1
14. Best Direction in a Web/Online Drama Series Episode • Hannah Lehmann - Two Sides - S2 E8
15. Best Direction in a Web/Online Comedy Series Episode • Henry Stone - A Life in Questions: Wisdom School with Aaron Chen 
16. Best Direction in an Animation Project • Jake Duczynski - Cooked
17. Best Direction in Commercial Content • Stef Smith - Shower Talk with Celeste Barber 
18. Best Direction in a Commercial Advertisement • Sanjay De Silva - Flybuys: Give a Flybuys 
19. Best Direction in a Music Video • Chloe de Brito - ‘Keep It Up’ by Sonny Grin
20. Best Direction in an Interactive or Immersive Title • Aaron Wilson - IOPU

2021 ADG AWARDS NOMINEE LIST

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

• Seth Larney - 2067
• Shannon Murphy - Babyteeth
• Maziar Lahooti - Below
• Robert Connolly - The Dry
• Unjoo Moon - I Am Woman
• Glendyn Ivin - Penguin Bloom

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

• Serhat Caradee - A Lion Returns
• David O'Donnell - Under My Skin
• Thomas Wilson - White The Greenhouse
• Catherine Hill - Some Happy Day
• Michael Bentham - Disclosure

3. Best Direction in a Short Film

• Cloudy Rhodes - Beautiful They
• Jordan Giusti - Grevillea
• Lucy Knox - Hot Mother
• Alisha Hnatjuk - Jean
• Jasmin Tarasin - The Story of Lee Ping

4. Best Direction in a Student Film

• Mariella S. Solano - Alba
• Stephanie Begg - Echo Pines
• Andréas Giannopoulos - Friends of Mine
• Marko Cvijanovic - Kafana
• Jenny Hicks - The Stranger

5. Best Direction in a Documentary Feature

• Catherine Dwyer - Brazen Hussies
• Wayne Blair & Nel Minchin - Firestarter: The Story of Bangarra
• Christopher Amos - Hating Peter Tatchell
• Matthew Walker - I'm Wanita
• Kriv Stenders - Slim & I

6. Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Documentary Series Episode or Documentary One-Off (TV one-hour)

• Laurence Billiet - Freeman
• Cathy Henkel & Sam Lara- Laura's Choice
• Cian O’Clery - Love on the Spectrum
• Nial Fulton & Sarah Ferguson - Revelation
• Tosca Looby - See What You Made Me Do

7. Best Direction in a Documentary Short Subject (Under 45 mins)

• Rachel Lane - Faithfully Me
• Derek Ho - Forgiveness Day
• Jaina Kalifa and Amelia Paxman - Lost Contact
• Sophie Raymond - Recorder Queen
• AP Pobjoy - Why Did She Have to Tell the World?

8. Best Direction in a Movie Made for TV or SVOD

• Christiaan Van Vuuren - A Sunburnt Christmas
• Chrys Phillips - Madison and the Happiness Jar
• Rosie Lourde - Romance on the Menu

9. Best Direction in a Children's TV or SVOD Drama Program Episode

• Richard Jeffery - Bluey – Sleepytime
• Peter Andrikidis - The New Legends of Monkey
• Hayley MacFarlane - Dive Club
• Darren Ashton - Hardball – Staties!
• Guy Edmonds - Hardball – You’re A Star

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

• Shannon Murphy - Killing Eve, Series 3 Episode 5
• Jocelyn Moorhouse - Wakefield, Series 1 Episode 8
• Nash Edgerton - Mr Inbetween, Series 3 Episode 1
• Daniel Nettheim - Halifax: Retribution, Series 1 Episode 7
• Wayne Blair - Mystery Road, Series 2 Episode 4
• Gracie Otto -Bump, Series 1 Episode 6

11. Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Drama Serial episode

• David Gould - Home and Away - E7591
• Scott Major - Neighbours – E8573
• Tenika Smith - Neighbours - E8490
• Tenika Smith - The Heights – S2 E24

12. Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Miniseries Episode

• Daniel Nettheim - Line of Duty – S6 E1
• Natalie Bailey - Run– E5
• Kate Woods - The Good Lord Bird - E6
• Claire McCarthy - The Luminaries - E2
• Natalie Bailey - The Unusual Suspects – E3

13. Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Comedy Program episode

• Jonathan Brough - Aftertaste S1 E1
• Max Miller - Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun - S1 E1
• Helena Brooks - Drunk History: Australia - S1 E3
• Jonathan Brough - Rosehaven - S4 E1
• Jessie Oldfield and Adam Murfet - Why Are You Like This? - E3
• Shaun Wilson - The Young Offenders - S3 E3

14. Best Direction in a Web/Online Drama Series Episode

• Megan Riakos - Deadhouse Dark – E2
• Libby Butler - Loving Captivity E5
• Logan Mucha - Scattered - E33
• Stevie Cruz-Martin - The Tailings - S1 E5
• Hannah Lehmann - Two Sides - S2 E8

15. Best Direction in a Web/Online Comedy Series Episode

• Henry Stone - A Life in Questions: Wisdom School with Aaron Chen
• Joelene Crnogorac - All the Way to the Top – E1
• Grace Feng Fang Juan - Girl, Interpreted
• Joshua Longhurst - Ding Dong I’m Gay S1 E6
• Nick Kozakis - Earners
• Jenna Owen & Vic Zerbst - The War on 2020

16. Best Direction in an Animation Project

• Alexs Stadermann - 100% Wolf
• Jacquie Trowell - 100% Wolf: Legend of the Moonstone - S1 E22
• Jake Duczynski - Cooked
• David Webster - Kangaroo Beach
• Sarah Harper - LEGO: Monkie Kid - S2 E10
• Pablo de la Torre - SPACE NOVA - S1 E7

17. Best Direction in Commercial Content

• Jemma Cotter - Respectful Intimate Relationships
• Gemma Lee - Live Liberated
• Matisse Ruby - Love and Transfiguration
• Toby Morris - Space: A Skate Odyssey
• Stef Smith - Shower Talk with Celeste Barber

18. Best Direction in a Commercial Advertisement

• Michael Spiccia - Aware Super: Brand 90'
• Sanjay De Silva - Flybuys: Give a Flybuys
• Sanjay De Silva - Google: Helping You Help Others
• Michael Spiccia - Hyundai Santa Fe: Little Angels
• Tim Bullock - Toyota Highlander: Heroes

19. Best Direction in a Music Video

• Riley Blakeway - 'Gold Chains' by Genesis Owusu
• Chloe de Brito - ‘Keep It Up’ by Sonny Grin
• Mick Soiza - ‘Miracles’ by Jarryd James
• James Chappell - ‘Supermarket Riots’ by LUPA J
• Sanjay De Silva - ‘Times Up’ by Sampa The Great

20. Best Direction in an Interactive or Immersive Title

• Samantha Lang - Boumiera (Brown Lake)
• Aaron Wilson - IOPU
• Zoe Pepper - Sun Runners
• Matthew Sleeth - The First Cut Is the Deepest

The 2021 ADG Awards has 20 categories:

1. Best Direction in a Feature Film (Budget $1M or over)
2. Best Direction in a Feature Film (Budget under $1M)
3. Best Direction in a Short Film
4. Best Direction in a Student Film
5. Best Direction in a Documentary Feature
6. Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Documentary Series Episode or Documentary One-Off (TV one-hour)
7. Best Direction in a Documentary Short Subject (Under 45 mins)
8. Best Direction in a Movie made for TV or SVOD
9. Best Direction in a Children's TV or SVOD Drama Program episode
10. Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Drama Series episode
11. Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Drama Serial episode
12. Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Miniseries episode
13. Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Comedy Program episode
14. Best Direction in a Web/Online Drama Series episode
15. Best Direction in a Web/Online Comedy Series episode
16. Best Direction in an Animation Project
17. Best Direction in Commercial Content
18. Best Direction in a Commercial Advertisement
19. Best Direction in a Music Video
20. Best Direction in an Interactive or Immersive title