2019 Brian Beaton Award recipients

Screenwest this week announced the recipients of the 2019 Brian Beaton Award as teams Brooke Silcox and Mat de Koning, and Sam Lara and Cathy Henkel.

The Brian Beaton Award is awarded annually to filmmakers with a current social impact project that needs further support to reach its full potential.

The award is in recognition of the contribution Brian Beaton made to the screen industry in Western Australia and nationally over his 35-year career as a documentary maker. An Executive Producer at Artemis, he also worked as a Producer, Director and Writer on titles such as Who Do You Think You Are?, Saving Andrew Mallard and Shaun Micallef’s Stairway To Heaven.

Screenwest CEO Willie Rowe emphasised the importance of these projects’ stories stating, “Social impact stories have always been a large part of factual filmmaking in Australia. We are seeing new trends emerge as traditional filmmakers take advantage of the broad range of technologies and distribution platforms available to them. Social movement projects are leading the way using these platforms to support their storytelling and increase the impact of their projects, completely innovating the sector. Congratulations to both filmmaking teams and thank you to Brian’s family, friends and colleagues for your continued work to support this award.”

The 2019 Brian Beaton Award Recipients will receive $8,000 in production, development and outreach campaign funding for their social impact projects:

• 29 Years Eight Days, Brooke Silcox and Mat de Koning: looking at the rise of a late Western Australian artist and his experience of epilepsy.
• Laura’s Choice, Sam Lara and Cathy Henkel: three generations of women come to terms with a radical approach to dying.

29 Years Eight Days Producer Brooke Silcox said, “We are incredibly honoured to receive this award and are determined to make a difference by improving the knowledge around the experience of epilepsy. This documentary comes out of a deep sadness for us, as we have lost three friends on our journey, but we are turning our loss into what we can only hope is a much, much greater good.”

Donations are open for continued support of 29 Years And Eight Days through the Documentary Australia Foundation.