Ashleigh Cummings Wins This Year’s Heath Ledger Scholarship

By Travis Johnson

Ashleigh Cummings is the recipient of this year’s Heath Ledger Scholarship, having been selected from a field of 12 finalists by a committee that included Abbie Cornish, Toni Collette, Paramount Pictures Head of Casting Joseph Middleton, producer Basil Iwanyk, casting director Sherry Thomas, and director, Phillip Noyce.

Already a familiar face on Australian screens, Cummings has been seen in Stuart Beattie’s Tomorrow, When the War Began, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, and Puberty Blues. “Heath has, and will always be, a powerful source of inspiration to me,” Cummings said. “So to receive this award is inordinately humbling. I’d like to sincerely thank AiF and the beautiful Ledger family for supporting young artists in our passionate endeavours to continue in Heath‘s wake; hopefully making waves in both professional and personal realms, as he did. That is certainly my mission; and my path is immediately more fertile with the opportunities provided by the Scholarship. My deepest ‘thanks’ just doesn’t match the monumental gratitude I feel!”

Thanks to the scholarship. Cummings will receive a USD$10,000 cash fund, a two year scholarship at the Stella Adler Academy of Acting and Theatre in Los Angeles, two flights to LA, a seven day Californian trip from Visit California, USD$5,000 worth if visa and immigration services, and$500 worth of Uber credit to get around LA. Also included are mentorship packages with dialect coach, Joy Ellison, and meetings with casting giants Joseph Middleton, Joanna Colbert, and Lora Kennedy, plus a six month scholarship with the Ivana Chubbuck Studio.

Scholarship patron, Kim Ledger, said, “We understand the judges found it extremely difficult to make final selections this year. On behalf of Heath‘s family and Australians in Film please accept our warmest congratulations and best wishes for greater success going forward.”

Runner ups Harley Bonner and Sara West each receive a round-trip ticket to plus a scholarship to attend masterclasses at Screenwise Film & TV School in Sydney.