This Award was originally known as the “National Film Man of the Year” until 1994, when it was changed to “National Film Pioneer of the Year”. Then in 1998, it was re-named again to read “National Cinema Pioneer of the Year”.
SUE MILLIKEN – 2025 NATIONAL CINEMA PIONEER OF THE YEAR With a formidable multi-decade career, she has produced some of Australia’s most iconic titles including The Odd Angry Shot, The Fringe Dwellers, Black Robe, Sirens, Dating the Enemy, Paradise Road, My Brother Jack and Ladies In Black. She co-wrote, with Bruce Beresford, the screenplay for…
DetailsDAVID STRATTON – 2024 NATIONAL CINEMA PIONEERS OF THE YEAR DAVID STRATTON AM was born in the U.K. in 1939 and came to Australia in 1963. He was Director of the Sydney Film Festival for 18 years (1966-1983), feature film programmer for SBS TV, host of Movie of the Week and Cinema Classics on SBS…
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ANDREW MACKIE & RICHARD PAYTEN – 2023 NATIONAL CINEMA PIONEERS OF THE YEAR Richard Payten and Andrew Mackie have worked in the Australian and New Zealand film industry for the last thirty-five years as distributors, marketers, and producers – but always on the side of the independents. Richard began his career at Chauvel Cinemas in…
DetailsTONY BURKE – NATIONAL PIONEER OF THE YEAR 2022 Tony commenced working in the Film Industry as the office junior in the Brisbane Branch of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1956 at the age of 15 years. This was towards the end of the musical era but with the highly entertaining Guys & Dolls and High Society yet…
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SANDRA ALEXANDER – NATIONAL PIONEER OF THE YEAR 2021 Sandra came to the screen industry from a background as a teacher and academic, where she pioneered a film study and film-making course in NSW high schools and made instructional videos for Macquarie University. She joined the Sydney Filmmakers Co-op and soon became a board member.…
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