It’s been announced that Michael Miller, screenwriter of Indigenous superhero series Cleverman, has won the 2016 John Hinde Award for the Science Fiction category. The award includes $10,000 from the Australian Writers Guild too.
Miller has won the richest sci-fi screenwriting prize in Australia for episode five of the series. It was aired on ABC TV in June 2016. Cleverman has been renewed for a second season, being part of the diverse and growing lineup for ABC TV’s program in 2017.
The series is co-written by Miller, Jane Allen and Jon Bell. It is an intriguing sci-fi drama series following the story of a group of non-humans from ancient mythology. In order to survive and co-exist in the world, they battle with humans who are trying to exploit and murder them.
The original concept of Cleverman was originally done up by Ryan Griffen. Furthermore, the show has been well-received in both Australia and the U.S and it also managed to premiere on Sundance TV.
Miller mentions that the show allows him as a writer to make points in a story format and comfortably address something easily compared to if the series were in a traditional form.
“That was definitely part of the logic behind setting Cleverman in the future. It’s exciting to think that Cleverman is one of several sci-fi-inspired shows on television at present.
“Science-fiction is clearly alive and well at the moment and awards like this help to keep the dream alive. So again thanks to John Hinde for his vision in supporting and celebrating sci-fi in
this country.” he says.
The AWG judges were so impressed by the series, they described Miller’s work as “intelligent” and “meticulously word-building”, praising its unique format in exploring current social issues.
AWG Board Member Shayne Armstrong said: “Cleverman poses big questions about humanity through the prism of future or alternative worlds, which is a hallmark of almost all truly excellent science-fiction writing.”
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