Gold Coast Film Festival Announce Winners In Online Ceremony
The Gold Coast Film Festival last night awarded $20,000 in cash and prizes to filmmakers across 17 awards at its Screen Industry Gala Awards, which was shifted online due to the global pandemic.
Documentaries were the big winners in the live-stream ceremony with SLIM & I, Kriv Stenders’ documentary on Joy McKean taking out the PKF Best Australian Film Award and indie documentary MORGANA, co-directed by Josie Hess and Isabel Peppard taking out the Blackmagic Design Best Australian Independent Film Award.
Post-production house,The Post Lounge won the inaugural Queensland Screen Business of the Year Award and special FX Makeup and Prosthetics specialist Jason Baird was awarded Gold Coast Screen Professional of the Year.
In partnership with Surfers Paradise Alliance, $8000 in cash prizes were awarded for national short film competition SIPFEST: Shorts in Paradise.
Yulubidyi – Until The End by WA’s Nathan Mewett & Curtis Taylor took out the top prize of Best Film, winning $3000, with Brisbane’s Pearce Hoskinson taking the $1000 Runner Up Best Film prize and $1000 Best Screenplay prize for Desert Island Secret Santa.
Following a four-day online screening window for SIPFEST and over 800 votes, the $1000 People’s Choice Award went to TJ Power for his film The Bus To Birra Birra.
Hannah and Eliza Reilly’sShelias took home Best Australian Webseries and $500 thanks to Bond University and the festival’s showcase of Queensland student shorts, EMERGE! awarded $250 thanks to HOTA – Home of the Arts to winner and Griffith University student, Narissa Amies for Not So Grim.
The Queensland Screenwriting Prize, with thanks to the Heaton Group, awarded winner Stephen Lance $5000 and Tim Sayer $500 in second place with Noah Southam and Dustin Schmidt tying for third with $250 each.
The awards night shifted to an online event, following the festival’s cancellation four weeks ago due to the global pandemic.
The online event announced 17 winners across 8 categories and was watched by nominees and audiences across the world, with winners sharing in $20,000 worth of cash and prizes thanks to prize sponsors HOTA – Home of the Arts, PKF Accounting and Business Advisors, Blackmagic Design, Burleigh Brewing Co., The Heaton Group and Surfers Paradise Alliance.
“While the screen industry is in a tough time right now, we were pleased to be able to bring everyone together to celebrate the films, scripts and achievements of the award winners,” said Lucy Fisher, CEO/Festival Director Gold Coast Film Festival.
The18th annual Gold Coast Film Festival program was due to feature four world, nine Australian and 11 Queensland premieres and just over 300 films, panels, events across 14 Gold Coast locationsfrom April 15-26.
The Gold Coast Film Festival is supported by the Queensland state government through Screen Queensland and Tourism and Events Queensland. The Gold Coast Film Festival is supported by the City of Gold Coast.
AWARDS AND WINNERS
Blackmagic Design Best Australian Independent Film Award
Sponsor: Blackmagic Design
Prize:Blackmagic Design product (Pocket Cinema Camera 6K worth AU$4,065)
Winner:Morgana – Isabel Peppard & Josie Hess
PKF Best Australian Film Award
Sponsor:PKF Accounting and Business Advisors
Winner: Slim & I – Kriv Stenders
SIPFest Short Film Festival presented by Surfers Paradise Alliance
Sponsor:Surfers Paradise Alliance
Winners:
Best International Film $500 – Back to Graceland – Sakari Sankkinen
Best Australian Film $3000 – Yulubidyi – Until The End – Nathan Mewett, Curtis Taylor
Runner up Best Australian Film $1000 – Desert Island Secret Santa – Pearce Hoskinson
Best Actor $500 – Bronte Pearce –Desert Island Secret Santa
Best Screenplay $1000 – Desert Island Secret Santa – Pearce Hoskinson
Best Film from a Gold Coast Resident $1000 – Eye for an Eye – Elizabeth Cullen
People’s Choice Award $1000 – The Bus to Birra Birra – TJ Power
Webseries Awards with thanks to Bond University
Sponsor:Bond University
Winners:
Best International Webseries- Man of Joy – Jordan Kenneth Kamp, Rob Johnson
Best Australian Webseries – $500 – Sheilas – Eliza Reilly, Hannah Reilly
Queensland Screenwriting Award, thanks to The Heaton Group
Sponsor: The Heaton Group
Prize:$5000 for winner, $500 for second prize, $500 for third prize
Winners
1st($5000): The Secret Lives of Dresses – Stephen Lance (script written by Stephen Lance and Megan Simpson Huberman)
2nd($500) Olivia’s Song – Tim Sayer
3rd($250 each – tie): How To Kill A Genre – Noah Southamand The Lost Girls – Dustin Schmidt
Queensland Screen Business of the Year Award
Winner:The Post Lounge
Gold Coast Screen Professional of the Year
Sponsor:Burleigh Brewing Co.
Prize:Burleigh Brewing Co.beer, Backstage double pass and 4 VIP Burleigh Cinema tickets (valued at $400)
Winner:Jason Baird
EMERGE Best Student Short Film
Sponsor:HOTA – Home of the Arts
Awards/Prizes:Best Student Film $250
Winner: NOT SO GRIM – Narissa Amies – Griffith University
For more information visit www.gcfilmfestival.com
–ENDS–
ABOUT THE GOLD COAST FILM FESTIVAL
The Gold Coast Film Festival is supported by its major partners Screen Queensland, City of Gold Coast, Tourism and Events Queensland and HOTA – Home of the Arts. Event Cinemas/BCC Coolangatta, QT Gold Coast, Bond University and Surfers Paradise Alliance are event partners of the 2020 Gold Coast Film Festival. The festival is also supported by gold partners PKF, Movie World, Blue Shadow Group and The Edit Suite.