David Tiley honoured as a ‘Mercury Legend’ at South Australian Screen Awards

ScreenHub’s David Tiley was posthumously granted the Mercury Legend award during the South Australian Screen Awards 2024 at The Mercury theatre in Adelaide on the weekend.

Tiley was acknowledged for his ‘outstanding contribution to the screen sector’, with Mercury Co-Chair Kirsty Stark acknowledging he will be ‘dearly missed’ as a much-loved champion of the Australian screen industry. 

Read: David Tiley, much-loved ScreenHub Editor, dies

Read: David Tiley meets final deadline

With more than 50 nominees, across 22 genre and craft awards, the judges expressed their excitement at seeing the refreshing new talents and creative projects submitted to the South Australian Screen Awards year.  

‘There are so many new names in the nominations this year, the future of the emerging sector in South Australia is nothing short of exciting,’ said the judging panel in a statement.

The Grand Jury Prize was awarded to short film Blame The Rabbit, Directed by Elena Carapetis and Produced by Lisa Scott and Adam Camporeale. ‘Blame The Rabbit is an outstanding directorial debut, an incredible accomplishment in both script and direction, and very well produced – it is highly accomplished in every aspect,’ the panel said.

Blame The Rabbit was also awarded two craft awards for Best Sound Design and Best Music Composition, both for Michael Darren. 

Short film Subject directed by Fraser Whitehead and produced by Scarlett Scherer, took home 5 Awards including Best Experimental, Best Performance for Lauren Koopowitz, and Best Production Design for Fraser Whitehead. Subject was also awarded the SASA for Best Director, and Best Costume for Eliza Stafford. 

More than $30,000 in cash and in-kind prizes were awarded on the night. New awards this year include Best First Nations Film, which was awarded to The Getaway with a $3,000 prize, and Best Experimental with a $1,500 cash prize, which went to Subject.

The SASA for Best Feature film went to Monolith, while Best Student Film went to Death Doula. 

Read: Monolith review: a chilling Australian indie horror

Here is the full list of South Australian Screen Award winners, sponsored by Principal Partner RAA:

2024 South Australian Screen Awards Recipients 

Grand Jury Prize Sponsored by South Australian Film Corporation: 

• Blame The Rabbit, Directed by Elena Carapetis and Produced by Lisa Scott and Adam  Camporeale. 

Best Comedy Sponsored by UrbanCine: 

• Mating Call, Directed and Produced by Stephanie Jaclyn. 

Best Documentary, Sponsored by Academy of Interactive Entertainment (AIE): 

• Kala Kunbolk (Colour Country), Directed by James Haskard and Nina Haigh and Produced by Injalak Arts. 

Best Web Series, Sponsored by Star Avenue Studios: 

• Be Curious – Australian Space Discovery Centre, Directed by Lauren Hillman and  Produced by Lauren Hillman and Alison Kershaw. 

Best Drama, Sponsored by Picture Hire Australia: 

• Death Doula, Directed by Jenna Sutch and Produced by Jenna Sutch, James Kwong  and Josh Anderson. 

Best Animation, Sponsored by University of South Australia: 

• On Film, Directed and Produced by Emma Hough Hobbs.

Best Game, Sponsored by Academy of Interactive Entertainment (AIE):

• Super BAWK BAWK Chicken from Daytime Devs.

Best Feature Film, Sponsored by KOJO: 

• Monolith, Directed by Matt Vesely and Produced by Bettina Hamilton.

Best Experimental Film, Sponsored by Hanlon Larsen Screen Fellowship:

• Subject, Directed by Fraser Whitehead and Produced by Scarlett Scherer.

Best Student Film, Sponsored by Flinders University: 

• Death Doula, Directed by Jenna Sutch and Produced by Jenna Sutch, James Kwong  and Josh Anderson.

Best Music Video, Sponsored by MusicSA: 

• Samuelson – LIAR, Directed by Austinn Arruzzolo and Produced by Dion Vercher. 

Best First Nations Film, Sponsored by Reconciliation SA, Feel Good Nunga Radio & PBA  FM: 

• The Getaway, Directed by Adam Scott Jenkins and Produced by Tim Harkness.

Best Screenplay, Sponsored by Australian Writers Guild SA: 

• Something’s Not Quite Right, Script by Tom Cornwall. 

Best Directing Sponsored, by Australian Directors Guild SA: 

• Subject, Directed by Fraser Whitehead. 

Best Performance, Sponsored by Heesom Casting: 

• Subject, Lauren Koopowitz.

Best Cinematography, Sponsored by ProAV Solutions: 

• The Unrequited Life of Farrah Bruce, Cinematography by Emerson Hoskin.

Best Editing, Sponsored by Australian Screen Editors: 

• The Unrequited Life of Farrah Bruce, Edited by Tiah Trimboli. 

Best Production Design, Sponsored by Australian Production Design Guild:

• Subject, Production Design by Fraser Whitehead. 

Best Sound Design, Sponsored by Australian Screen Sound Guild: 

• Blame The Rabbit, Sound Design by Michael Darren. 

Best Hair & Make-up, Sponsored by Channel 44: 

• Mating Call, Hair & Make-up by Elle Baldock, Grace Rolfe and Dominique Keeley.

Best Costume, Sponsored by Australian Production Design Guild: 

• Subject, Costuming by Eliza Stafford. 

Best Music Composition Sponsored, by Australian Guild Of Screen Composers and Adelaide Symphony Orchestra: 

• Blame The Rabbit, Composition by Michael Darren. 

Best Young Filmmaker, Sponsored by Adelaide Film Festival 

• Madison Siegertz. 

Best Emerging First Nations Screen Practitioner, Sponsored by the South Australian Film Corporation 

• Travis Akbar.

Best Emerging Producer, sponsored by Adelaide Film Festival 

• Sarah Wormald. 

Mercury Rising Award, Sponsored by The Mercury and Adelaide Film Festival

• Emerson Hoskin. 

Mercury Legend Award, Sponsored by Adelaide Film Festival and CrewHQ

• David Tiley.

For more information, head to the South Australian Screen Awards website.