ESSENTIAL VIEWING CELEBRATES 17 AFI AWARD NOMINATIONS, INCLUDING 11 FOR CLUBLAND

Essential Viewing producers , Kylie du Fresne and Ben Grant are today celebrating the 17 AFI Award nominations garnered by the company’s significant film and television slate.

The feature film Clubland received a phenomenal 11 nominations including Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Lead Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Cinematography.

The family drama series Lockie Leonard, based on the Tim Winton stories, received four nominations including Best Direction in Television and Best Children’s Television Drama. The AFI Nominations for Lockie Leonard follows news earlier this week that the series has been nominated for a BAFTA Award in the UK - where it is up against SpongeBob SquarePants for the international prize - and its ATOM Award for Best Children’s Television Drama.

Essential Viewing’s telemovie Stepfather of the Father received one nomination for Noni Hazelhurst for Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama; and Leon Ford was nominated for Best Screenplay for the short film for Katoomba which was produced under Essential Viewing’s banner by Melissa Johnston and Nicole O’Donohue.

“One of the great pleasures of a company like Essential Viewing, with several producers developing and producing projects across film and television, is the extraordinary range of talented writers, directors, actors and crew that we are privileged to work with. We are thrilled with the 17 AFI Award Nominations and we wish to thank and congratulate all of those colleagues who worked with us on the projects, our investors, distributors and broadcasters,” said Rosemary Blight and Kylie du Fresne.

Clubland nominations are: • AFI Award for Best Direction - Cherie Nowlan • AFI Award for Best Screenplay (Original or Adapted) - Keith Thompson • AFI Award for Best Lead Actress – • AFI Award for Best Supporting Actor - Frankie J. Holden; • AFI Award for Best Supporting Actor Richard Wilson • AFI Award for Best Supporting Actress •

• • AFI Award for Best Cinematography – Mark Wareham ACS • AFI Award for Best Editing - Scott Gray • AFI Award for Best Production Design – Nell Hanson • AFI Award for Best Costume Design – Emily Seresin • AFI Award for Best Sound - Andrew Neil, Ian McLoughlin CAS, Liam Egan & Stephen Jackson-Vaughan

Lockie Leonard nominations are: • AFI Young Actor Award • Corey McKernan • AFI Award for Best Children’s Television Drama – Kylie du Fresne • AFI Award for Best Direction in Television – Tony Tilse (Episode: Cyril) • AFI Award for Best Screenplay in Television – Keith Thompson (Episode: The Ladder of Love)

Media enquiries: Tracey Mair For Essential Viewing Ph: 0419 221 493 Email: [email protected] October 24, 2007