Aussie hippies and townsfolk win at SXSW Interactive Awards
Two Australian interactive productions, one about Goa hippies, the other about Australian rural townsfolk have won awards at the SXSW Interactive Awards.
Goa Hippy Tribe, a social media documentary produced for SBS won in the film and television category. The production, about a hippy reunion in Goa, India was produced by Freehand TV and directed by Darius Devas.
The second production was a multi-platform documentary called Big Stories, Small Towns by Martin Potter and Anna Grieves featuring stories by film-makers living in regional communities bringing locals’ stories to the screen. The production won in the community category.
Mike Cowap, investment manager of Screen Australia said: “SXSW is a top film and interactive event presenting fierce competition from around the world. In this context, such strong recognition for Australian digital projects is unprecedented and a huge triumph.
Other Australian finalists included Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know“, animated cartoon The Gradual Demise of Philipa Finch, for ABC, art installation Curious Creatures, SBS Online’s multicultural The Dragon Children, and The World’s Biggest Pac-Man in the amusement category.
