2012 Australian Directors Guild (ADG) Awards – winners

The Australian Directors Guild (ADG) held their 30th Anniversary ADG Awards last night at the Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney. The event was hosted by Craig Reucassel and Chris Taylor of the comedy group The Chaser.

The surprise winner for Best Direction in a Feature Film was Julia Leigh for her controversial debut film Sleeping Beauty. She had been up against Brendan Fletcher for Mad Bastards and presumed front-runners Justin Kurzel for Snowtown and Kriv Stenders for Red Dog.

For the Documentary Feature catergory, there was a tie between Tony Krawitz (The Tall Man) and Bob Connolly and Sophie Raymond (Mrs Carey’s Concert). Krawitz also received the Finders Award, given by the ADG and the Directors Guild of America Finders series to an ADG Awards feature film entry which is yet to secure US distribution, to screen in Los Angeles to key industry figures including distributors.

Also winning two awards each were Matt Saville and Jeffrey Walker. Saville won for TV Drama Series with The Slap and TV Mini Series for Cloudstreet. Walker had received three nominations and won for Angry Boys (along with Stuart McDonald and Chris Lilley) and the Esben Storm Award for Children’s TV with H20: Just Add Water.

Stephen Wallace was presented the Cecil Holmes Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Australian Directors Guild by Gillian Armstrong.

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Complete list of winners for the 30th Annual Australian Directors Guild Awards

Best Direction in a Feature Film
Julia Leigh for Sleeping Beauty

Best Direction in a Documentary Feature category – TIE
Tony Krawitz for The Tall Man
Bob Connolly and Sophie Raymond for Mrs Carey’s Concert

Best Direction in a TV Drama Series
Matthew Saville for The Slap (Ep 3 – Harry)

Best Direction in a Documentary Series
Ivan O’Mahoney for Go Back to Where You Came From

Best Direction in a Stand Alone Documentary
Phoebe Hart for Orchids: My Intersex Adventure

Best Direction in a TV Mini Series
Matthew Saville for Cloudstreet

Best Direction in a Telemovie
Emma Freeman for Hawke

Best Direction in a TV Comedy
Jeffrey Walker, Stuart McDonald and Chris Lilley for Angry Boys

Best Direction in a TV Drama Serial
Geoffrey Nottage for Home & Away (Ep 5215)

Best Direction in TV Reality Program/Light Entertainment – TIE
Ken Connor and Kathy Chambers for RocKwiz – On the Road
Mark Adamson for Dancing with the Stars and Craig Melville

The Esben Storm Award for Best Direction in a Children’s TV Program
Jeffrey Walker for H20: Just Add Water (Series 3)

Best Direction in a Television Commercial
Damien Toogood for Sydney Dogs and Cats Home

Best Direction in a Music Video
Steve Rogers for Jack Ladder ‘Cold Feet’

Best Direction in an Original Online Project
Dario Russo for Danger 5: The Diamond Girls

Best Direction of a Short Film
Ashlee Page for The Kiss

Best Direction in a Student Film
Epiphany Morgan for The Room

Cecil Holmes Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Australian Directors Guild
Stephen Wallace

Finders Award
Tony Krawitz, The Tall Man

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Nominees for the 30th Annual Australian Directors Guild Awards

Best Direction in a Feature Film
Brendan Fletcher for Mad Bastards
Justin Kurzel for Snowtown
Julia Leigh for Sleeping Beauty
Kriv Stenders for Red Dog

Best Direction in a Documentary Feature category
Tony Krawitz for The Tall Man
Rhys Graham and Natasha Gadd for Murundak – Songs of Freedom
Bob Connolly and Sophie Raymond for Mrs Carey’s Concert
Tom Zubrycki for The Hungry Tide

Best Direction in a TV Drama Series
Matthew Saville for The Slap (Ep 3 – Harry)
Peter Andrikidis for East West 101 (The Price of Salvation)
Jet Wilkinson for Crownies (Ep 22)
Peter Duncan for Rake (Ep 1 – R vs Murray)

Best Direction in a Documentary Series
Ivan O’Mahoney for Go Back to Where You Came From
Paul Scott for Outback Fight Club
Jacob Hickey for Immigration Nation

Best Direction in a Stand Alone Documentary
Phoebe Hart for Orchids: My Intersex Adventure
Celeste Geer for Then The Wind Changed
Robert Nugent for Memoirs of a Plague
James Bradley for Ochre & Ink

Best Direction in a TV Mini Series
Matthew Saville for Cloudstreet
Jeffrey Walker for Small Time Gangster

Best Direction in a Telemovie
Peter Andrikidis for Blood Brothers
Shawn Seet for Underbelly: Tell Them Lucifer Was Here
Emma Freeman for Hawke

Best Direction in a TV Comedy
Trent O’Donnell for Laid
Jeffrey Walker, Stuart McDonald and Chris Lilley for Angry Boys
Trent O’Donnell for Review with Myles Barlow (Series 2)

Best Direction in a TV Drama Serial
Geoffrey Nottage for Home & Away (Ep 5215)
Jonathon Dutton for Neighbours (Ep 6188)
Scott Hartford Davis for Home & Away (Ep 5292)
Ralph Strasser for Neighbours (Ep 6065)

Best Direction in TV Reality Program/Light Entertainment
Ken Connor and Kathy Chambers for RocKwiz – On the Road
Mark Adamson for Dancing with the Stars and Craig Melville
Nathan Earl for Lawrence Leung’s Unbelievable (Ep 1)

The Esben Storm Award for Best Direction in a Children’s TV Program
Jeffrey Walker for H20: Just Add Water (Series 3)
David Scott for LEGO Star Wars: The Padawan Menace
Rachel Ward for My Place (1828 Alice)
Michael James Rowland for My Place (1878 Henry)

Best Direction in a Television Commercial
Damien Toogood for Sydney Dogs and Cats Home
Sean Meehan for Sleep Walker
Bruce Hunt for Subaru XV ‘Carwash’
Sean Meehan for Volkswagen ‘Cross Country’

Best Direction in a Music Video
Guy Verge Wallace for Wrecking Ball
Steve Rogers for Jack Ladder ‘Cold Feet’

Best Direction in an Original Online Project
Glendyn Ivin for Playground
Dario Russo for Danger 5: The Diamond Girls
Paul Goldman for Sydney Opera House – Ship Song Project

Best Direction of a Short Film
Ashlee Page for The Kiss
Dimitrios Pouliotis for Unfinished Thoughts
Craig Irvin for Tethered

Best Direction in a Student Film
Epiphany Morgan for The Room
Billie Pleffer for B I N O
David Easteal for The Father
Corrie Chen for Wonder Boy