Convict comedy ‘Bruce’ leads Australian web series awards blitz in L.A. and London
Convict-based black comedy Bruce The Series has led a host of Australian web series in taking out 5 awards at the prestigious International Academy of Web Television Awards in Los Angeles and the Raindance Film Festival in London last week.
At the IAWTV Awards on Wednesday night, the ground-breaking web series won Best Comedy Series, along with the comedy category awards of Best Directing for Tony Rogers and Best Writing for Warwick Holt and Mat Blackwell.
It caps off a stellar week for the show after Bruce won awards for Best Ensemble Cast and Achievement In Production (to Steph Hooke and her team on costumes) at the Raindance Web Fest Awards, and was nominated for 9 Awards at the Rio WebFest, the final stage of the 2017 Web Series World Cup, where Bruce now sits at number 9 worldwide.
The show has now garnered 7 awards from 39 nominations and 16 selections at festivals worldwide, and shows no sign of slowing down. Rogers and Holt are off to Europe later this month to attend festivals in Marseille, London, Bilbao and Munich which Bruce has been selected for.
Starring Richard Davies (Offspring), Dave Lawson (Utopia) and Angus Sampson (Fargo, Mad Max), the 7-part series, available to watch free on YouTube, has crossed genres with its deadpan comedy, gruesome take on convict life, its incredible production values on a web series budget, and its tale of Australia’s dysfunctional first share house (a tent in Sydney Cove), and the difficulties of maintaining a long-distance relationship in 1788.
Says Holt: “It’s been incredible to see how warmly our little show about white Australia’s inglorious beginnings has been embraced worldwide. Winning awards in L.A. is such a thrill, and taking our convicts back to Britain verges on the surreal.”
Rogers (Wilfred, Rats and Cats, How To Talk Australians), Holt (The Project, Good News Week) and Blackwell (Good News Week, The Glass House) developed the show over a ten year period and launched it late last year to critical acclaim. The show was produced by Jason Byrne (Sibling Rivalry, Sucker), and supported by Screen Australia’s Multiplatform Drama Fund and Film Victoria.
The team are now plotting a second season, as well as a half-hour television version.
Australian shows dominated the IAWTV Awards, winning 11 of the 29 categories between the series Bruce, High Life, Jade of Death and This Is Desmondo Ray.
Adds Holt: “2017’s been a huge year for Aussies in this burgeoning new media space. It really feels like Australia is becoming the Hollywood of web series.”
All 7 episodes of Bruce can be watched free via http://BruceTheSeries.com.
2 Comments
Imagine if brands gave us the freedom to be creative and comedic. Might end up with something as memorable and effective as this.
Magnificent work… stoked this has been recognised. Congrats you beautiful bastards.