The Red Poppy Awards

Jury Chair Bruce Beresford announced Transfusion as the winner of the prestigious Howard Frank Van Norton Award for Best Film among a cluster of Red Poppy Awards at the Veteran’s Film Festival.

The film follows a former Special Forces operative thrust into the criminal underworld to keep his only son from being taken from him.

Other awards included Sam Worthington for Best Actor in the film and Jennifer Lawrence for Best Actress for Causeway. The awards were presented at the annual international Veterans Film Festival during a gala Closing Night on Sunday at the Entertainment Quarter in Sydney.

The Best Film Award is named in honour of Private Howard Frank Van Norton, a veteran of the US Army in WW2 and the late father of the Veterans Film Festival’s leading patron Kay Van Norton Poche.

Frank was born in 1925 and passed on in 2012. He landed in France on 8 June 1944, two days after the initial D-Day landings. During the Allied advance through France he was shot in the back by the enemy while repairing communication lines.

Wounded, he continued to repair the wiring until communication was restored to his Unit, and his heroism was recognised with a silver star and the Purple Heart. After the war Howard continued his service to others in the community all his life.

The coveted Red Poppy Awards, titled after the war poem ‘In Flanders Field’, written during the First World War by Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, saw films from 14 countries in competition across the 4 -day festival.

Writer, director and actor Matt Nable and producers Michael Schwarz and John Schwarz collected the $10,000 prize for the Best Film Award. The film’s star, Sam Worthington was awarded Best Actor.

Other Awards

Causeway, which opened the festival, also won the Sgt Joseph Cecil Thompson Award – named in memory of the cornet player of the 9th Battalion Band that landed at Gallipoli in 1915 – for Best Music by Alex Somers as well as Lawrence’s Best Actress gong.

Others Red Poppy Awards presented included The Spectrum Films Award for Best Short Film to US film Soldier by Justin Zimmerman. The prize includes $4000 cash and $2500 in post production support from Spectrum Films.

The Award for Best Student Film was won by The Search by veteran Thomas Brouns, while the Best Music Video went to Better Off, written by Johnny Reveille and directed by Casey Andrew.

Best Music Video winner Johnny Reveille performing his song at the Sydney Awards.

The Harry Julius Award for Best Animation went to the Iranian film The Sprayer by Farnoosh Abedi, while the Beyond Blue Award for the Best Film Reflecting Hope and Resilience went to The Healing by Nick Barkla.

The winners were selected by the Jury panel of Bruce Beresford, Lisa Hoppe, Jenni Baird, Alan Dukes, Julie Kalceff, Cameron Patrick, Petra Salsjo and Gus O’Brien-Cavanough.

The Awards have been presented annually, except for a COVID break, since 2015. The last time the Awards were held in 2020  the Best Feature was won by Ukrainian drama  U311 Cherkasy and the Best Short was awarded to Australian entry Trust Frank. Previous winners are listed here.

The Veterans Film Festival

The Veterans Film Festival aims to be Australia’s premier international film festival devoted to screening films about, for and by veterans, with sidebar events such as masterclasses, Q&As, workshops, art exhibitions and performances.

Through the new Screen Warriors program, the Veterans Film Festival will provide skills training, placement opportunities, scholarships as well as project development within the screen industry. By these means, it will broaden the diversity and inclusiveness of the Australian screen industry, whilst simultaneously supporting and improving the lives of veterans and their families.

Their Excellencies General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd), Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia and Mrs Linda Hurley are VFF Patrons.