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Media Release: Monday, September 14, 2015

Foxtel’s dramas Wentworth and Deadline Gallipoli
win at AWGIE Awards

Foxtel’s high calibre local drama slate was honoured with wins for both Wentworth and Deadline Gallipoli at the Australian Writers’ Guild Awards in Sydney over the weekend.

The AWGIE Awards recognise and reward excellence in performance writing across film, theatre and television categories. They are the only Australian awards judged solely by writers on the basis of the script.

Wentworth Season 3, Episode 3 The Governor’s Pleasure, written by Stuart Page, won the AWGIE for Television – Series, sharing the honour with Offspring Episode 511, written by Michael Lucas. Wentworth is a FremantleMedia Australia production for Foxtel and the series premieres on the SoHo channel.

Deadline Gallipoli won the AWGIE for Television Mini Series – Original, acknowledging the work of the four writers Jacquelin Perske (also script producer), Stuart Beattie, Shaun Grant and Cate Shortland. Produced by Matchbox Pictures and Full Clip for Foxtel, with support from Screen Australia, Deadline Gallipoli premiered on Foxtel’s showcase channel in April.

Foxtel Head of Drama Penny Win said: “The AWGIES is a celebration of the writers at the heart of great storytelling and congratulations to all winners and nominees. The awards for the writers of Wentworth and Deadline Gallipoli are absolutely deserved and bring further prestige to both of these great Australian television dramas brought to fruition for Foxtel audiences by our valued production partnerships with FremantleMedia Australia, Matchbox Pictures and Full Clip.”

Foxtel Executive Director of Television Brian Walsh said: “Foxtel is committed to commissioning bold and thought provoking Australian dramas for our subscribers and, as Head of Drama, Penny Win is driving Foxtel’s accomplishments in this genre.”

Foxtel’s most recent drama commission is the mini-series Secret City, a political thriller currently shooting in Canberra. Inspired by the best-selling novels The Marmalade Files and The Mandarin Code, written by journalists Chris Uhlmann and Steve Lewis, Secret City is produced by Matchbox Pictures.

The writing team consists of Matt Cameron, Belinda Chayko and Greg Waters, who is also script producer. Secret City, made with support from Screen Australia and Screen ACT, boasts a stellar cast line-up including Jacki Weaver, Anna Torv, Dan Wyllie, Damon Herriman and Alan Dale.

Wentworth is an international success story for Foxtel and FremantleMedia Australia. The series has been sold to 87 countries. Wentworth is back in production for its fourth season in Melbourne, where they have just finished shooting an episode written by AWGIE winner Michael Lucas. Marcia Gardner is Wentworth’s script producer and the other writers of this 12 episode season are John Ridley, Pete McTighe and Sam Winston.

-Brad