Screenwriters Evlin DuBose and Cameron Williams have been announced as the winners of the Australian Writers’ Guild’s Emerging Writers’ Awards for unproduced scripts in Australia.
The Awards were announced in Melbourne to a packed room of industry decision-makers, producers and screenwriters, who spent the evening mixing with the talented cohort of winning and shortlisted writers.
Evlin DuBose (pictured right) was awarded the Long Form Award for her gripping drama series Former People. Set after the fall of the USSR, it follows a jaded journalist who investigates seventy years of tragedy and mysteries in one Soviet family, as told by the only survivor.
“Every time it hits me I freak out—it’s wild to think that complete strangers sorted my script from five hundred, and, without knowing me, went: yeah, here’s a good bet,” said DuBose.
“Scripts are inherently an unfinished artform, so in my lovely curly delusions, if there’s a remote chance my labour-of-love gets made, it puts a sparkle-tint on everything. The validation is so beyond lovely, and I’m so psyched to meet the other winners. Congratulations everyone: you’re in the room where it happens!”
The judges described Former People as “an epic and ambitious story which showcases the writer’s deft craft and world-building skills. This evocative story, nuanced characters and fascinating timelines had us absolutely hooked. We hope to see this on screen in future.”
Cameron Williams (pictured left) received the Short Form Award for his series Mum Fell Off the Roof, a -of-age comedy/drama about two children who are left with their ‘useless’ dad after their mum has an accident, and their estranged grandmother who arrives to take control.
“It’s an honour because there aren’t many initiatives to support emerging screenwriters in Australia, especially in an industry obsessed with everything that’s not on the page,” said Williams.
“The Australian Writers’ Guild does a lot of heavy lifting to provide career pathways for emerging writers and I can’t thank them enough.”
“I’d watch all the shortlisted scripts and I can’t wait to see how each project travels. I hope there’s a hunger from producers to develop these projects or get these scribes into a writers’ room because there should be a greater investment in scripted content from emerging writers in Australia.”
The judges praised Mum Fell Off the Roof as a “refreshing take on Australian suburban drama, which defied expectations with its clever craftsmanship, skilful storytelling, and clear perspective. The delicate balance between humour and drama never wavered, maintaining the story’s tone throughout.”
The two winners will now share in $10,000 in script development funding.
In the Long Form category, Allanah Avalon’s comedy feature Scorpio was commended as runner-up, with the judging panel recognising it as a fresh story with “engaging characters that leapt off the page. Both funny and at times heartbreaking, we appreciated the writer’s boldness and voice and were drawn right into the story and world.”
Winner
Former People by Evlin DuBose [television, drama]
After the fall of the USSR, a jaded journalist investigates seventy years of tragedy and mysteries in one Soviet family, as told by the only survivor.
Runner-up
Scorpio by Allanah Avalon [feature film, comedy]
Between sex work, lesbians, Orthodox Russians, and a rising Melbourne property market, Scorpio has found herself in an irreconcilable cocktail ready to explode in her face; a comedy-drama, Scorpio traces one young woman’s experience dealing with family expectations, and the lies one must keep to sustain a myriad of lives.
Shortlist
Bells by Danny Lee [television, comedy]
When a successful early 40s professional suddenly dies, he is reincarnated as a toy elf and must prove to Santa his life’s worth, under threat of permanent existential deletion.
Blue Print by Rob Draper [television, drama]
When Cathy joins the Ford marketing team in 1980, she winds up helping a gregarious team of Aussie Ford workers kickstart a new age in the Ford versus Holden rivalry.
The Night Bus by James McLaren [feature film, drama]
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