Media Release

Today, Screen Producers Australia (SPA) is pleased to announce the finalists for twelve production categories in the 22^nd Annual SPA Awards. The Awards celebrate content produced by SPA members and champion outstanding Australian screen productions, showcasing the skill, imagination, and innovative thinking of Australia’s production businesses and industry.   

The SPA Awards will be held on Thursday, 21 March 2024, the final evening of the SCREEN FOREVER 38 conference. 

To be eligible to enter, the titles have to have been first released to audiences between 1 January and 31 December 2023. The Awards are peer voted and aim to capture the full scope of screen production and producers across Australia. 

“2023 was a year filled with a number of challenges for our industry, but the Australian screen sector continued to delight audiences globally with stories that share our unique culture and creativity. The productions announced today as finalists are a testament to the determination and originality of screen practitioners here in Australia, and we thank all our member businesses for their tireless work. 

“I have huge admiration for, and applaud, all those affiliated with each of the productions and look forward to celebrating the achievements of our members successes at the Awards ceremony in March 2024 as part of SCREEN FOREVER 38,” said SPA CEO Matthew Deaner. 

Finalists for all categories below:

SERIES: 

Animated Production of the Year

• 100% Wolf: Book of Hath - Flying Bark Productions
• Beep and Mort - Windmill Pictures
• Ginger and the Vegesaurs S2 - Cheeky Little Media
• Kangaroo Beach Season S2 - Cheeky Little Media
• Koala Man - Princess Pictures
• YOLO: Silver Destiny S2 - Princess Pictures

Children’s Production of the Year (excluding Animation)

• Crazy Fun Park - Werner Film Productions
• Rock Island Mysteries S2 - Fremantle Australia
• Spooky Files - Tony Ayres Productions and Megaboom Pictures
• Surviving Summer S2 - Werner Film Productions
• The PM's Daughter S2 - Fremantle Australia
• Turn Up The Volume - Matchbox Pictures and Film Camp

Comedy Program or Series Production of the Year

• Class of 07 - Matchbox Pictures
• Deadloch - Guesswork Television and OK Great Productions
• Gold Diggers - KOJO Studios
• Hannah Gadsby: Something Special - Guesswork Television
• In Limbo - Bunya Productions and Heiress Films
• Mother and Son - Wooden Horse

Documentary Series Production of the Year

• Folau - In Films
• Matildas: The World at Our Feet - Barking Mad Productions
• Ningaloo Nyinggulu - Artemis Media and Matter of Factual
• Old People's Home For Teenagers - Endemol Shine Australia
• Queerstralia - Guesswork Television
• The First Inventors - Ronde Media
• The Swap - Southern Pictures
• The Way We Wore - Stranger Than Fiction Films and Wheels Rolling Productions

Drama Series Production of the Year

• Bay of Fires - Archipelago Productions and Fremantle Australia
• Black Snow - Goalpost Pictures
• Erotic Stories - Lingo Pictures
• Love Me - Warner Bros. International Television Production Australia
• NCIS: Sydney - Endemol Shine Australia
• Scrublands - Easy Tiger Productions
• The Newsreader S2 - Werner Film Productions
• Totally Completely Fine - Fremantle Australia
• Wellmania - Fremantle Australia

Entertainment Production of the Year

• Adam & Poh's Great Australian Bites - i8 Studio
• Dancing with the Stars S32 - BBC Studios Australia
• Gogglebox Australia S18 - Endemol Shine Australia
• Grand Designs Australia S10 - Fremantle Australia
• Hard Quiz S9 - Thinkative Television
• The ABC Of...S2 - Guesswork Television

Online Series Production of the Year

• #VANLIFE (EMOTIONAL) - Armchair Safari and 16CZECHS
• Dick Slider S3 - Scenario Productions
• Life of Kea - Toprock Productions and Kea Productions
• SUKA - Wise Goat Productions
• Touch The Sky - Nora & R.D. Productions
• Unerased - Mashup Pictures

Reality Series Production of the Year

• FBOY Island Australia - Warner Bros. International Television Production Australia
• Love Triangle S2 - Endemol Shine Australia
• Real Housewives of Sydney S2 - Matchbox Pictures
• The Bachelors Australia - Warner Bros. International Television Production Australia
• The Great Australian Bake Off S7 - BBC Studios Australia
• The Summit - Endemol Shine Australia

Telemovie or Miniseries Production of the Year

• Bad Behaviour - Matchbox Pictures
• The Claremont Murders - Endemol Shine Australia
• The Clearing - Wooden Horse
• The Messenger - Lingo Pictures
• While the Men are Away – Arcadia

FEATURE:

Feature Documentary Production of the Year

• Flyways – Storyland
• Harley & Katya - Stranger Than Fiction Films
• Living With Devils – Smith & Nasht
• ONEFOUR: Against All Odds - Stranger Than Fiction Films and Entropico
• The Cape - Wooden Horse
• The Giants - General Strike and Matchbox Pictures
• The Jewish Nazi? - Mint Pictures
• The Platypus Guardian - WildBear Entertainment

Feature Film Production of the Year

• Carmen - Goalpost Pictures
• Foe - See-Saw Films
• Limbo - Bunya Productions
• Shayda - Origma 45
• Streets of Colour – Frankendipity Enterprises
• The Royal Hotel - See-Saw Films

SHORT FILM:

Short Film Production of the Year

• Blame The Rabbit - Highview Productions
• Jia - Niu Studios and Toprock Productions
• My Jumper, It Roars! - Flying Bark Productions
• Raising Thunder - Jasmine Rose Productions
• Ratbag - Bus Stop Films
• The Bank Manager - Quamby Studios

Services and Facilities Business of the Year

• Hazbin Hotel - Princess Bento Studio
• Heartbreak High S2 - Cato Location Services
• Hot Potato: The Story of the Wiggles - The Post Lounge
• Various Productions – TAG Travel Group

Breakthrough Business of the Year

• i8 Studio
• Stranger Than Fiction
• Truce Films
• Wooden Horse

Media Super Production Business of the Year

• Bronte Pictures
• Goalpost Pictures
• Matchbox Pictures
• Princess Pictures
• Prospero Productions
• See-Saw Films
• Werner Film Productions
• Wooden Horse

Screen Business Export Award

• Bad Behaviour - Matchbox Pictures
• Black Snow – Goalpost Pictures
• Class of ’07 – Matchbox Pictures

The Award recipients will be revealed at the prestigious 22nd Annual SPA Awards ceremony which will take place in-person on the Gold Coast on Thursday, 21 March 2024, the final day of SCREEN FOREVER 38, Australia’s premier screen industry event.  

Registrations for SCREEN FOREVER 38 are now open, and a ticket to the SPA Awards is included in the price of a GOLD COAST delegate pass.  

Link to imagery from the 21^st annual SPA Awards HERE.   

SCREEN FOREVER is proudly supported by the Queensland Government, through Screen Queensland, with more information to be announced in the coming months.