Powerhouse screenwriting projects to be showcased at inaugural industry mixer
14 November, 2019
Five new Showcase projects have been announced as the shortlist for the 2019 John Hinde Award, to be presented at next week’s inaugural Powerhouse industry mixer in Sydney.
Luke Jerram’s iconic Museum of the Moon installation will be the stunning backdrop to The Powerhouse Mixer, a night celebrating a slate of fresh and exciting screenwriting projects and attended by heavyweights of the film and television industry, including representatives from Screen Australia, Create NSW, Foxtel, ABC and SBS.
The inaugural event invites key creatives and decision-makers from across the industry to meet and mix, with exclusive access to the talented cohort of up-and-coming screenwriters with projects available for development on AWG’s prestigious Pathways Showcase.
The five most recent additions to Showcase were selected from a pool of over one hundred entries in the 2019 John Hinde Award for Excellence in Science-Fiction Writing, and range from coming-of-age dramas and psychological thrillers, to comedies and romances, all with an intriguing sci-fi edge. The winner of the John Hinde Award, which comes with up to $5000 in professional development support, will be announced on the night.
2019 John Hinde Award shortlist
Love Limits by Katharine McPhee
In a future where the government puts time limits on relationships to sustain global harmony, one Australian couple will do anything to stay together and get 're-matched'.
Cowtown by Steve Mitchell
A cynical insurance investigator and an American UFO enthusiast lock horns over a farmer's crazy claim for abducted cows in a town where the truth really is out there.
Saucer by Stuart Mannion
A woman leads a group of adventurers to the Australian outback but must fight to save her daughter’s life when they become part of an alien experiment.
The Jesus Machine by David Vincent Smith
In a war-ravaged world, a doctor smuggles away a teenage cyborg who was built and designed to save the planet, in exchange for help to find her missing sister.
God Therapy by Ted Janet
A psychiatrist whose treatment lets patients relive memories in virtual reality connects with a desperately suicidal woman and journeys into her past to save her.
The Unproduced Category of the Award was established as part of a bequest from the late Australian film critic John Hinde to celebrate future generations of Australian science-fiction screenwriters, and through industry opportunities encourages, rewards and fosters creativity in the development of sci-fi writing across the country.
The Produced Category of the Award, which in 2017 went to Cris Jones for The Death and Life of Otto Bloom andcomes with a $10,000 prize, will also be awarded on the night.
The 2019 John Hinde Award will be presented at the inaugural Powerhouse Mixer on Tuesday 19 November 2019 at Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum.
The Powerhouse Mixer is made possible with support from Screen Australia.
