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ABC ME transgender story wins diversity award

First Day recognised in Cannes for portraying a transgender girl starting high school.

ABC ME show First Day has won an award at the inaugural MIPCOM Diversify TV Excellence Awards.

First Day won an outstanding children’s programming prize for promoting understanding and acceptance of children who are transitioning, through the story of a transgender girl starting high school.

The character of Hannah is played by Evie Macdonald, a 12-year-old transgender girl in her first acting role – making First Day the only scripted drama with a transgender actor in the lead role to be commissioned for Australian television.

It also won the prestigious Prix Jeunesse Gender Equity Prize in May, voted on by 550 children’s television experts from 65 countries.

ABC Children’s Head Libbie Doherty said: “The ABC is thrilled that our distinctive children’s content is making its mark all around the world. The MIPCOM Children’s Diversify Award for ABC ME’s First Day adds to the program’s already impressive list of gongs, including a Prix Jeunesse prize in May.

“Congratulations to writer/director Julie Kalceff and producer Kirsty Stark for their sensitive storytelling about the challenges and joys of a transgender teenager. Evie Macdonald’s debut performance is fantastic and it’s wonderful for her to receive this recognition on an international stage.”

First Day was produced by Epic Films screened as part of International Day of the Girl.

ABC ME ‘s Mardi Gras + Me, which follows a group of young people as they prepare to march in the 40th Sydney Mardi Gras Parade, was also nominated.

Home and Away also landed a surprise win in the scripted series category after a long overdue same sex kiss was hailed as landmark. That only took a decade after network execs ran cold on such storylines leaving Neighbours to show the way. Love wins….

4 Responses

  1. So Home And Away gets an international award “for Representation of LGBTQ” when it’s probably the last drama series to do anything significant of the kind. In domestic terms, Neighbours has been way more progressive on this front and there would be European, British or even American dramas to have done as much if not more. Did nobody else submit their series for consideration?

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