AFI Awards ruling to recognise ’short-run’ dramas
Exclusive: The AFI Awards has reversed plans for one of its key awards categories that would have elbowed several locally produced dramas out of its mini-series category to compete with long-form drama.
The Australian Film Institute rule book for its 2008 awards defined its MiniSeries category as being no more than 4 hours in length. Submitted miniseries always compete with telemovies (last year The King beat Bastard Boys and The Circuit).
But both the ABC and SBS have been producing short-run dramas of 6 x 1 hours including Rain Shadow, East of Everything, Bed of Roses and East West 101. Plans to limit the category to 4 hour dramas would have seen these dramas compete alongside long-form dramas including Sea Patrol, City Homicide and Satisfaction.
Behind the scenes some in the industry were unhappy with the plans, leading to a review by the AFI, which after consideration has recognised the merits of 6 hour dramas. It is now adding “short-run series” to the Telemovie / Miniseries category.
An AFI statement said, “The AFI has consulted with industry prior to making this decision and is confident this redefined category provides the greatest level of recognition and the fairest judging process to all television drama entrants.” It sure is.
Had the AFI proceeded with plans for miniseries and telemovies under 4 hours, it may have been a slim field of contenders including Emerald Falls and the 60 minute pilot of UKTV’s Make or Break.
One industry source told TV Tonight, “They’ve acknowledged that 6×1hrs are a distinct form, a hybrid of a mini series and a long run series. They have the big arc, the big ideas and distinctive style of the mini series, but may also have the episodic stories.”
The AFI definition of Short Run Series now stands as a “Television Program that is a series of no more than 6 episodes of drama which is less than 6 television hours in total length, wherein individual episodes are not more than one television hour or, in the case of predominantly animated programs, not less than one half television hour in length, and consists of a complete dramatised story with ongoing interweaving and overlapping plots forming a single narrative.”
The AFI Award for Best Telefeature, Mini Series or Short Run Series will now be presented for the first time in 2008. The Best Television Drama Series category will consequently be presented to programs over 6 hours in duration.
Entries for the amended category for shows broadcast between 27 September 2007 - 1 October 2008 close on July 11.
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