SDG Awards '09

Maybe I’m imagining it, but we seemed to have quite a swag of Guild members, even more than usual, nominated for the Screen Directors Guild Awards this year.

(I’d prefer to call them the SDG Awards than by the sponsor’s name, even though they wouldn’t exist without that sponsor—you see, a gay friend of mine in Sydney has an amusing way of saying the airline’s name that I can never put out of my mind now whenever I hear the name. But more importantly, the awards wouldn’t exist without the huge efforts of the SDG either.)

Even better: three of our members (and one cinematographe r ex-member, who perhaps will come back into the fold one day!) were gonged as the top people in their categories for 2009. Tracey Collins won Best Production Design in General TV, David Paul won Best Camera in a Drama/Comedy Programme, and Chris Hiles was in the team of three that won Best Sound Design in General TV.

(Our apologies for not having a photo of Mr. Hiles.)

Among the unsuccessful nominations—but that seems unfair, since nomination is success!—it’s a pleasure to note that Grant Major’s Undergrowth, his first effort as a short film writer/director, was recognised, as was Gerard Smyth’s documentary about the life and art of presidential AlBol, Barefoot Cinema.

Our warmest congrats to all involved, Guild members or not!