Winners
Outstanding Community Event or Project
Wild Dog, Jacob Boehme
The Wild Dog exhibition, conceived and artistically directed by Kaurna/Narungga artist Jacob Boehme, is an immersive installation and exhibition exploring the importance of one of Australia’s most misunderstood but significant cultural symbols – the dingo. The multi-year cultural maintenance and revival project saw Jacob and the Wild Dog Team from Insite Arts and Country Arts SA, work closely with several Aboriginal communities and people within South Australia. As the first artistic outcome of the project, Wild Dog connects the Dingo story from Kaurna and Narungga country in South Australia to Lardil Country in Mornington Island, including cultural links stretching to the Wild Dog story for the Bunun people from Taiwan. Featuring film, animation, puppetry, dance, song and immersive art works, along with a public program of panels and talks that further explored themes within the works, Wild Dog has had a significant impact on the communities it engaged with, assisting in the development of new skills, relationships and the emergence of new projects around cultural revitalisation.
Outstanding Regional Event or Project
Marungka Tjalatjunu (Dipped in Black), Derik Lynch and Matthew Thorne with Switch Productions
Marungka Tjalatjunu (Dipped in Black) is a 25-minute docu-fiction film voiced completely in Yankunytjatjara, the language of artist and performer Derik Lynch. It follows Derik, an initiated Anangu and queer-identifying man, on a road trip to Country for spiritual healing. Co-written and co-directed by Derik Lynch and Mathew Thorne, and produced by brothers Duncan and Patrick Graham and Corey Gray of Switch Productions, Marungka Tjalatjunu is a genuine collaboration between white and black worlds, described by Derik as ‘reconciliation through film’. The first narrative film of its type to be entirely voiced in language, the film had its world premiere at the prestigious 2023 Berlin International Film festival (Berlinale), becoming the first Australian film in history to win the festival’s Silver Bear award, and also winning the festival’s Teddy Award for best LGBT short.
Outstanding Work, Event or Project for Young People
the Boy & the Ball, Stephen Noonan
the Boy & the Ball is a non-verbal, interactive theatre performance created and performed by Stephen Noonan specifically to meet the developmental and emotional needs of 4-year-old audiences. In creating this work, Stephen has demonstrated how a finely tuned work for a specific age-group can profoundly amplify the engagement and impact of a theatre experience on its audience. the Boy & the Ball is a performance about the experiences of negotiation and play inherent in friendship-making and leads the young audience to a place of joy, delight and connection. Since its premiere season in August 2022, the Boy & the Ball has completed more than 100 performances in Adelaide and Regional South Australia and been programmed at three prestigious international children's festivals in Serbia, Italy and Malta.
Outstanding Work or Event Outside a Festival
Beep and Mort – Series One, Windmill Pictures
Beep and Mort is a live-action, puppet-based series created by Windmill Pictures for ABC Kids. Based on the Windmill Theatre Company stage production, Beep, the series was created for the screen by Director Rosemary Myers, Producer Kaye Weeks and Production and Character Designer Jonathon Oxlade, and is the first live-action puppetry children’s series to be made in South Australia. Delivered with Windmill’s signature offbeat humour and sense of fun, Beep and Mort is a heart-warming and offbeat comedy about friendship and how it doesn’t matter where you’re from or what you’re made of, home is wherever you charge your robot battery or rest your furry head. And friendship is the greatest power of all.
Outstanding Work or Event Within a Festival
Talk to Me, Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou, Adelaide Film Festival 2022
Talk to Me is the feature directorial debut from twin Adelaide filmmaking brothers Danny and Michael Philippou, better known to 6.5 million You Tube subscribers as "RackaRacka". Co-written by Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman, and directed by Danny and Michael, Talk to Me takes a unique and innovative look at the horror genre partially through the lens of social media and the dark effects of viral content on young users. It has been hugely appreciated by young audiences, particularly in Australia, for its positive and unique representation of young, contemporary, diverse Australians on screen. The film had its world premiere as the Closing Night Gala screening of the Adelaide Film Festival 2022, where it screened to a sold-out crowd at Her Majesty's Theatre.
Outstanding Collaboration
Adelaide Film Festival EXPAND Lab 2022, Adelaide Film Festival, Samstag Museum of Art, Art Gallery of South Australia, Illuminate Adelaide, The Balnaves Foundation.
Launched during the Adelaide Film Festival (AFF) 2022, AFF EXPAND Lab is a new initiative from AFF to connect practitioners from across diverse creative areas, bringing together their combined expertise and skills to generate new moving image artworks. EXPAND provides this pathway gap for South Australian artists and Australian artists to grow and be at the forefront of this burgeoning field. It also emphasises the importance of showcasing this unique and growing artform, and thus contributes to growing the arts and cultural vibrancy of our state. Building on the long-term partnership of the Adelaide Film Festival with Samstag Museum of Art, this new collaboration alliance extended this partnership to the Art Gallery of South Australia and Illuminate Adelaide, and developed a relationship with The Balnaves Foundation, bringing new philanthropic support to South Australia to be spent directly on artist development.
Outstanding Contribution by an Organisation or Group
The Mill Adelaide
Since its inception in 2013, The Mill has become one of South Australia’s leading multidisciplinary arts organisations. It is a vibrant place of connection, creation and support for ambitious and exceptional artists. The Mill encompasses studios, creative offices, galleries and working spaces for more than 60 emerging and established artists, makers and designers. Its broader program supports more than 1000 artists each year, providing the necessary space to work on their practice, with a diverse program of events, performances, exhibitions and development opportunities. For a decade, The Mill’s commitment to creating meaningful and sustainable opportunities for artists to live, work and stay in South Australia, has been integral to supporting and growing the arts and bolstering the creative vibrancy of the state.
Geoff Crowhurst Memorial Award
Tony Hannan
Tony Hannan is an artist whose practice over 40 years has reflected the ethos of community cultural development with strong community focus, collaboration with many arts companies and local councils, and mentoring countless young performers, makers, visual artists and musicians. As a founder of Cirkidz in 1985, to developing KneeHigh Puppets in the 1990s, and the much-loved Hahndorf Winter Lantern Festival in the mid-2000s, Tony’s trademark work includes the giant festival puppets, magnificent cane and tissue fire lanterns, and a magical aesthetic and well-planned mischief for which Tony is widely loved and respected.
Frank Ford Memorial Young Achiever Award
Alexander Flood
Alexander Flood is an innovator in his field within jazz and creative original music, and a passionately supportive collaborator of professional, up-and-coming, and culturally diverse South Australian and international artists. As a drummer, bandleader, composer, producer, and educator, Alex has been working with musicians of many genres around Australia and the world. Still in his late 20s, as the Frank Ford Memorial Young Achiever Award recipient, Alex has been recognised for his artistic achievements, creative originality, and significant impact in his chosen creative field.
Stevie Gadlabarti Goldsmith Memorial Award
Natasha Wanganeen
Natasha Wanganeen, a Ngarrindjeri, Narungga, Kaurna and Noongar woman, is an award-winning Aboriginal South Australian actor with an acclaimed career in stage and screen. Since her critically acclaimed starring role in 2002 feature film Rabbit-Proof Fence, aged just 15, Natasha has gone on to star in numerous Australian film, television and stage productions, including Kate Grenville’s play The Secret River, and 2023 desert noir film, Limbo. Her debut film as co-writer and co-producer is 2022 First Nations sci-fi drama Bunker: The Last Fleet, about an alien invasion of Australia, in which she also plays the lead role.
Premier’s Award for Lifetime Achievement
Diana Harris
Diana Harris has made an outstanding contribution to the music industry and has received numerous awards in recognition of her service, including an OAM in 2008 for service to education in the field of music. One of Adelaide’s most distinguished pianists, accompanists and educators, Diana has worked tirelessly as a musician and educator, making an impact in the music industry by bringing to the fore the importance of the collaborative pianist, inspiring many with her foresight, passion and drive. One of Diana’s most outstanding achievements was founding the Accompanists Guild of South Australia in 1983, one of the few Guilds of Accompanists in the world. During the Guild’s forty years, Diana has convened, organised and directed countless festivals involving musicians of both national and international renown.
Nigel Levings
Nigel Levings is regarded by many as ‘the father of contemporary stage lighting practices’ and his name has become synonymous with exemplary lighting design for stage in this country. Nigel has worked on more than 500 shows throughout his career, lighting opera and theatre around the world, including in St Petersburg, Paris, Washington, London, Cardiff, Berlin, Baden-Baden, New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago and Toronto. Although his work has taken him around the globe and won him many awards and accolades, Nigel has always found his way back to South Australia. He has contributed to the South Australian arts industry in immeasurable ways, with his remarkable career including more than 60 shows with the State Theatre Company and more than 200 shows at the Adelaide Festival Centre.
Ruby Awards highlights
Arts South Australia held the 2023 Ruby Awards on 8 December, celebrating and recognising the artistic excellence, creative achievement, innovation, community involvement and inspirational leadership of the arts sector in South Australia. View highlights from the ceremony, which featured Master of Ceremonies Jason Chong, a Welcome to Country by Uncle Mickey Kumatpi Marrutya O'Brien and performances from Ciara Ferguson, Sound of Circus; a specially commissioned piece Maintain, Rest, Value: 50 years from Alison Currie and Ade Suharto; a moving performance from Nancy Bates, Fabiann Brochell and the Pocket String Quartet and after party entertainment by the Hot Club of Adelaide.
View more highlights in The Ruby Awards 2023 photo gallery.