Film & TV

South Australian Screen Awards 2016 Winners Announced

By Glam Adelaide

Posted on May 16, 2016

Friday evening, winners of the 17th annual South Australian Screen Awards (SASAs) celebrate in style at a gala event presented at the Mercury Cinema.

Friday evening, winners of the 17th annual South Australian Screen Awards (SASAs) celebrate in style at a gala event presented by noted film critic and writer for The Guardian Australia, Luke Buckmaster.

As SA’s highest film accolades, the SASAs exhibit, celebrate, support and promote South Australian talent in the film industry and help local film-makers gain the attention of the established film industry.

Among the winners that shared in $20,000 worth of prizes, Michelle’s Story, the documentary about the dramatic events in the life of talented Australian dancer Michelle Ryan, took out three awards including Best Composition, Best Documentary and Best Short Film, and the internationally acclaimed Girl Asleep received the gong for Best Feature.

Other winners included Best Performance by Brendan Rock in Nuts, Best Music Video for Wash Away – Ambleside and Best Comedy for My Best Friend Is Stuck On The Ceiling.

The emerging sector was warmly acknowledged with Best Emerging Producer going to Tess O’Flaherty for Dale and Best Emerging Filmmaker taken out by Marcus McKenzie for Crew Cut.

To add drama to the event, there were two tied categories on the night, for Best Screenplay (shared between Stephen Banham for Heaps Good Hostel and Matt Vesely for My Best Friend Is Stuck On The Ceiling, and Best Direction shared between Jeremy Nicholas for Allie and Eddie White for Upsidedown Feeling).

Photography By Andrew Castellucci

Gail Kovatseff, Media Resource Centre Director was full of praise for the winners. “The South Australian Screen Awards play a critical role in recognising the best new talent in South Australia’s screen industry. The Awards give the next generation a platform to launch their reputation and careers,” she said, in sentiments also echoed by CEO of the South Australian Film Corporation, Annabelle Sheehan. “The SASAs celebrate our impressive SA talent base and promote the work of our local screen creatives, and we’re proud to support them.”

Last year’s awards strongly recognised the contribution of women to the local screen industry, with 65% of all awards going to women (compared to an average of 14% of the Academy Awards).

Director/producer Claire Bishop took home one quarter of the 20 categories for her insightful short documentary looking at growing up in Whyalla called Iron Child including the Flinders University Best Short Film Award, Australian International Documentary Conference’s Best Documentary, and Anomaly Studios’ Best Direction.

WINNERS OF THE 2016 SASA AWARDS
KOJO Award for Best Comedy
My Best Friend is Stuck on the Ceiling

Academy of Interactive Entertainment
Best Animation
Peppercorn Babycorn Unicorn

Adelaide Festival Centre
Best Composition
Alies Sluiter (with Elena Kats-Chernin)
Michelle’s Story

Videoblocks.com
Best Editing
Pete Ninos
Nuts

Australian International Documentary Conference
Best Documentary
Michelle’s Story

State Theatre Company
Best Production Design
Ana María Méndez Salgado
My Little Sumo

Music SA
Best Music Video
Wash Away – Ambleside

Carclew Youth Arts
Best Emerging Filmmaker
Marcus McKenzie
Crew Cut

Art After Dark
Best Non-Narrative
Allie

Adelaide Film Festival & Mercury Cinema
Best Web Series
Versus

TIED CATEGORY
Storynerds & Australian Writers’ Guild
Best Screen Play
Matt Vesely
My Best Friend is Stuck on the Ceiling
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Storynerds & Australian Writers’ Guild
Best Screen Play
Stephen Banham
Heaps Good Hostel