Screen Producers Australia Awards 2022: winners

Winners were announced in the Screen Producer Awards on the final night of Screen Forever on the Gold Coast.

Northern Pictures (pictured top) took home the top accolade of Production Business of the Year Award, acknowledging their recent work across scripted, children’s television, factual and documentary. See What You Made Me Do and Love on the Spectrum were also winners.

ABC’s Head of Drama, Entertainment and Indigenous, Sally Riley took home the inaugural Commissioner of the Year Award and Screentime co-founder Bob Campbell (pictured below) was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

High Ground by Maxo Studios, Bunya Productions & Savage Films won the Feature Film Production of the Year.

“Every year, the SPA Awards are an acknowledgement of Australian screen industry excellence, uplifting diverse, locally-made productions with cultural impact and worldwide reach. Alongside the Queensland Government as Principal Partners, Screen Queensland is proud to have brought Screen Forever back to the Gold Coast — a globally renowned screen industry hub and a dazzling setting for tonight’s celebrations,” said Screen Queensland CEO Kylie Munnich.

“SPA members continuously raise the global bar for creativity and skilful producing, and tonight that talent was on full show. The task at hand is storytelling, and the winners of our 2022 Awards take this task seriously. They understand the significance of their work and the contribution it makes to the Australian economy, generating jobs for local creatives, and showcasing Australia and its unique heritage to millions around the world,” said SPA CEO Matthew Deaner.

TV winners in bold:

Drama Series Production of the Year
• Doctor Doctor – Easy Tiger
• Five Bedrooms (Season 2) – Hoodlum Productions
• Jack Irish (Season 3) – Easy Tiger
• Mr Inbetween – Blue Tongue Films & Pariah Productions
• Ms Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries (Season 2) – Every Cloud Productions
• Mystery Road (Season 2) – Bunya Productions
• RFDS Royal Flying Doctor Service – Endemol Shine Australia
• The End – See-Saw Films
• The Newsreader – Werner Film Productions
• Upright – Lingo Pictures

Telemovie or Mini-Series Production of the Year (Tie)
• A Sunburnt Christmas – Every Cloud Productions
• Alice-Miranda Friends Forever – SLR Productions
• Hungry Ghosts – Matchbox Pictures
• Operation Buffalo – Porchlight Films
• Stateless – Matchbox Pictures
• The Gloaming – The Two Jons
• The Secrets She Keeps – Lingo Pictures
• The Unusual Suspects – Aquarius Films

Documentary Program or Series Production of the Year (Tie):
Back to Nature – Media Stockade
Family Rules (Season 3) – Metamorflix & Karla Hart Enterprises
Finding The Archibald – Mint Pictures
Head Above Water – McAvoy Media
Lindy Chamberlain: The True Story – Easy Tiger
Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds (Season 2) – Endemol Shine Australia
Outback Truckers – Prospero Productions
Revelation – In Films
See What You Made Me Do – Northern Pictures
Shaun Micallef’s On The Sauce – CJZ
West Gate Bridge Disaster: The Untold Stories – Ocean View Entertainment

Feature Documentary Production of the Year
Brock: Over The Top – WildBear Entertainment
Firestarter – The Story of Bangarra – In Films
Freeman – Matchbox Pictures & General Strike
Hating Peter Tatchell – WildBear Entertainment
Laura’s Choice – Factor 30 Films
Playing With Sharks: The Valerie Taylor Story – WildBear Entertainment
The Witch of Kings Cross – Black Jelly Films

Comedy Program or Series Production of the Year
Aftertaste – Closer Productions
Fisk – Porchlight Films
Frayed – Merman & Guesswork Television
How To Stay Married (Season 3) – Princess Pictures
Retrograde – Unless Pictures & Orange Entertainment Co
Rosehaven (Season 5) – What Horse? & Guesswork Television
Superwog (Series 2) – Princess Pictures
The Moth Effect – Bunya Entertainment

Light Entertainment Series Production of the Year
Australian Ninja Warrior (Season 5) – Endemol Shine Australia
Gogglebox (Season 13) – Endemol Shine Australia
Gruen (Season 12) – CJZ
Hard Quiz – Thinkative Television
Recipe For Love – Corner Table Productions Australia
The Weekly – Thinkative Television

Reality Series Production of the Year
Big Brother (Season 2) – Endemol Shine Australia
Bondi Rescue (Season 16) – CJZ
LEGO Masters (Season 3) – Endemol Shine Australia
Love on the Spectrum (Season 2) – Northern Pictures
Married At First Sight (Season 8) – Endemol Shine Australia
MasterChef Australia (Season 13) – Endemol Shine Australia

Plus:

• Animated Series Production of the Year – Kangaroo Beach, Cheeky Little
• Children’s Series Production of the Year – Bluey (Season 2), Ludo Studio
• Online Series Production of the Year – The Tailings, The Two Jons
• Screen Business Export Award – The Invisible Man, Goalpost Pictures
• Services and Facilities Business of the Year – Count Out Loud for Retrograde, Orange Entertainment
• Breakthrough Business of the Year – Bronte Pictures