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.’
The Awards will be held on December 8 from 3pm at the Actors Centre Australia in Sydney.
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.
FULL LIST OF NOMINEES BELOW:
| Best Direction in Commercial Content | |
| James Chappell | The Voice – 2022 Promo |
| Jasmin Tarasin | Bianca Spender- Online Brand Film |
| Matisse Ruby | Tabula Rasa |
| Matisse Ruby | Beethoven and Bridgetower |
| Stef Smith | Baroque In Bloom – Australian Brandenburg Orchestra |
| Tak Nakano | The Rookies 2021 Episode 5 – The Art of Suffering |
| Best Direction in an Interactive or Immersive Project | |
| Ben Joseph Andrews | Gondwana |
| Michela Ledwidge | A Clever Label |
| Stef Smith | Moving Portrait Series |
| Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Mini-Series Episode | |
| Ana Kokkinos | Fires Episode 2 – Everything’s Gone |
| Corrie Chen | New Gold Mountain Episode 2 – Righteousness |
| Kim Mordaunt | Fires Episode 3 – Stay or Leave |
| Michael Rymer | Fires Episode 6 – A Summer Lost |
| Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Drama Series Episode | |
| Emma Freeman | The Newsreader Episode 1 Three, Two, One… |
| Arnie Custo | Home And Away Episode 7621 |
| Arnie Custo | Home And Away Episode 7745 |
| Daina Reid | Shining Girls Series 1, Episode 3 – Overnight |
| Fadia Abboud | Five Bedrooms Series 2, Episode 6 – Twenty-Seven Weeks |
| Kevin Carlin | Wentworth Series 8, Episode 20 – Legacy |
| Sian Davies | The Twelve, Episode 8 |
| Wayne Blair | Total Control Season 2, Episode 4 |
| Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Documentary Series Episode or Documentary One-Off | |
| Chris Thorburn | The Family Court Murders Episode 3 – Outwitted |
| Dena Curtis | Back To Nature Episode 8 – Red Earth Heart |
| Ella Wright | Stage Changers |
| Nick Robinson | Puff: Wonders of the Reef |
| Rhian Skirving & John Harvey | Off Country |
| Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Comedy Series Episode | |
| Darren Ashton | Spreadsheet Episode 2 – Whose Dick is This? |
| Jeffrey Walker | Young Rock Season 2 – Let the People Decide |
| Matthew Moore | The Great Season 2, Episode 6 – A Simple Jape |
| Shaun Wilson | Frayed Series 2, Episode 2 |
| Sian Davies | Spreadsheet Episode 5 – Banjos and Dirty Duck |
| Best Direction in a Student Film | |
| Becki Bouchier | Snapshot |
| David Robinson-Smith | Mud Crab |
| Domini Marshall | Go with Grace |
| Emma Jackson | Walk Run Strive |
| Grace Tan | Lucky Peach |
| James Menelaus Rush | Tadpoles |
| Lilli Corrias-Smith | Before We’re Gone |
| Ruby Challenger | MumLife |
| Best Direction in a Short Film | |
| Brietta Hague | Baltasar |
| George-Alex Nagle | Mate |
| John Sheedy | Tarneit |
| Jordan Giusti | Reptile |
| Madeleine Gottlieb | You and Me, Before and After |
| Nash Edgerton | Shark |
| Toby Morris | Ishmael |
| William Duan | Tuī Ná |
| Best Direction in a Music Video | |
| Aimee-Lee Xu Hsien Curran | Pinkish Blu – Old Blue |
| Riley Blakeway | Thom Pringle – INVINCIBL3 |
| Taylor Ferguson | Boy & Bear – State of Flight |
| W.A.M. Bleakley | Didirri – Begin Again |
| W.A.M. Bleakley | Confidence Man – Feels Like A Different Thing |
| Best Direction in a Feature Film (Budget under $1M) | |
| Aaron Wilson | Little Tornadoes |
| Craig Boreham | Lonesome |
| Genna Chanelle Hayes | AKONI |
| Martin Wilson | Pieces |
| Best Direction in a Mobile-First Online Series Episode | |
| Hannah McElhinney | TransAthletica Episode 9 – Performance Testing |
| Imogen McCluskey | Love Bug Season 2, Episode 11 |
| Kyle Portbury | Hunted |
| Thomas Pollard | AFLW x AAMI Episode 4 Best Clanger Ever |
| Best Direction in a Debut Feature Film | |
| Danny Cohen | Anonymous Club |
| Del Kathryn Barton | Blaze |
| JJ Winlove | June Again |
| Leah Purcell | The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johson |
| Philippa Bateman | Wash My Soul In The River’s Flow |
| Renée Webster | How to Please a Woman |
| Best Direction in a Feature Film (Budget $1M or over) | |
| 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 |
| Thomas M Wright | The Stranger |
| Best Direction in a Documentary Short Subject | |
| Emma Jackson | Walk Run Strive |
| Kathryn Millard | The Bystander Story |
| Lauren Rose Beck | Prepping Australia Series 1, Episode 1 – The End of Days |
| Madeleine Mytkowski | Betty and Bushy |
| Naomi Ball | Who I Am |
| Olivia Martin-McGuire | Freedom Swimmer |
| Best Direction in a Documentary Feature | |
| Alec Morgan and Tiriki Onus | Ablaze |
| Ben Lawrence | Ithaka |
| Daniella Ortega | Carbon – The Unauthorised Biography |
| Jennifer Peedom & Joseph Nizeti | River |
| John Hughes & Tom Zubrycki | Senses of Cinema |
| Penelope McDonald | Audrey Napanangka |
| Rogue Rubin | Lion Spy |
| Tosca Looby | Strong Female Lead |
| Best Direction in Animation | |
| Sarah Harper | Monkie Kid – Season 3 |
| Ian Brown | Alien TV – Season 2 |
| Tom Noakes, Will Goodfellow & Greg Sharp. | Fight Dirty – Salvatore Ganacci |
| Best Direction in a Commercial Advertisement | |
| Tom Noakes | Mattress FIRM – Spiral in the Diner |
| Hailey Bartholomew | Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital Foundation – Incredible Gift |
| Michael Spiccia | Hyundai Tucson – Tomorrow Wants Its Car Back |
| Shannon Murphy | Tena – #LastLonelyMenopause |
| Tim Bullock | Gulf Western Oil – Lone Rider |
| Tom Campbell | Boys Do Cry – Gotcha4Life |
| Best Direction in an Online Series Episode | |
| Liam Fitzgibbon | Hot Department: Dark Web Episode 4 – Sad Women |
| Aaron McCann | Hug the Sun Episode 4 – The Dark World |
| Laura Clelland & Gabriel Willie | Long Black |
| Monica Zanetti | Iggy & Ace Episode 4 |
| Sam Rogers | Discontent Series 1, Episode 1 – Sandra Part 1 |
| Stef Smith | It’s Fine, I’m Fine – Series 1, Episode 1 – Have You Had A Cry Today? |
| 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 |
| Erin White | The PM’s Daughter Series 1, Episode 9 – A Date with Destiny |
| Isaac Elliott | MaveriX Season 1, Episode 5 |
| Isaac Elliott | MaveriX Season 1, Episode 3 |
| Julie Kalceff | First Day Season 2, Episode 1 |
| Julietta Boscolo | The PM’s Daughter Series 1, Episode 2 – It’s Complicated |
| Richard Jeffery | Bluey Season 3, Episode 26 – Fairytale |
