ABC political drama Total Control and ABC Children’s short film And Then Something Changed have won prestigious awards celebrating diversity and inclusion across the international television industry.
The Indigenous-led Total Control, produced by Blackfella Films and starring Deborah Mailman and Rachel Griffiths, won the MIPCOM Diversify TV Excellence Award for Representation of Race and Ethnicity, beating US series Twenties and Penny Dreadful: City of Angels.
ABC ME series And Then Something Changed, produced by Sticky Pictures as part of the DisRupted funding program to support Australian creatives with disability, won the MIPCOM Diversify TV Excellence Award in the Kids’ Programming category, beating UK program Pablo and Canadian program Lockdown.
The ABC series were the only Australian winners of the annual MIPCOM Diversify Awards, announced in Paris overnight, which recognise outstanding television programs that create more opportunities for diverse talent and demonstrate the positive impact of diversity across the global media landscape.
Darren Dale, managing director and producer at Blackfella Films, said: “Blackfella Films has always championed Indigenous voices and fought to have more inclusive stories on our screens, so this award is a wonderful affirmation of all we have aspired to.
“Deborah Mailman is a powerhouse actor and the combination of her extraordinary gifts and Rachel Griffiths’ brilliance made a thrilling drama where overt notions of diversity and inclusion became irrelevant, because they were simply intrinsic to the power of the story. And that is where we all want to be.”
Donna Andrews, CEO of Sticky Pictures, said: “Sticky Pictures is thrilled to win this MIPCOM Diversify TV Excellence Award. We are incredibly proud of this film and the wonderful team behind it, with special thanks to producer Eliza Hull, director Keiran Watson-Bonnice and our young, very talented star Theo Watson-Bonnice.”