Andrew Bovell (born 1962) is an Australian writer for theatre, film and television.

Life

Bovell was born on 23 November 1962 in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia and completed his secondary school education in

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

. He graduated from the

University of Western Australia University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Crawley, Western Australia, Crawley, a suburb in the City of Perth local government area. UW ...

with a BA and followed that with a Diploma in Dramatic Arts at the Victorian College of Arts, in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Writing career

His AWGIE award-winning play, ''Speaking in Tongues'', (1996) has been seen throughout Australia as well as in Europe and the US and Bovell adapted it for the screen as ''

Lantana ''Lantana'' () is a genus of about 150 species of perennial plant, perennial flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. They are native to tropics, tropical regions of the Americas and Africa but exist as an introduced species in num ...

'' (2001). Both the play and screenplay have been published by Currency Press along with ''After Dinner'' (1988), ''Holy Day'' (2001), ''Scenes from a Separation'' (written with Hannie Rayson) (1995) and ''Who's Afraid of the Working Class?'' (1998), written with Patricia Cornelius, Melissa Reeves,

Christos Tsiolkas Christos Tsiolkas is an Australian author, playwright, and screenwriter. He is especially known for '' The Slap'', which was both well-received critically and highly successful commercially. Several of his books have been adapted for film and t ...

and Irene Vela. ''Who's Afraid of the Working Class?'' was adapted to film as '' Blessed''. '' When the Rain Stops Falling'' (2008) won awards in the 2008

Victorian Premier's Literary Awards The Victorian Premier's Literary Awards were created by the Victorian Government with the aim of raising the profile of contemporary creative writing and Australia's publishing industry. As of 2013, it is reportedly Australia's richest literary ...

, the 2008

Queensland Premier's Literary Awards The Queensland Premier's Literary Awards were an Australian suite of literary awards inaugurated in 1999 and disestablished in 2012. It was one of the most generous suites of literary awards within Australia, with $225,000 in prize money across ...

,, and the

New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards The New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, also known as the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, were first awarded in 1979. They are among the richest literary awards in Australia. Notable prizes include the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, th ...

. In 2010, a production of '' When the Rain Stops Falling'' opened in New York. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' reviewed the play describing it as "a fitfully moving but diagrammatic play about the long legacy of unnatural acts" and commenting that "the relationships eventually emerge with an emotional clarity that the play’s elliptical structure works against".

Plays

* '' After Dinner'' * ''Holy Day''; winner of the 2002 Victorian Premier's Literary Award and AWGIE – Stage Award. * ''Who's Afraid of the Working Class?''; winner of the 1999 AWGIE Award – Best New Work & Best Stage Play, Victorian Green Room Award, and the Queensland Premier's Literary Award. * ''Speaking in Tongues''; - first performed at the Griffin Theatre Company, Sydney and winner of the 1997 AWGIE – Stage Award. * '' When the Rain Stops Falling''; winner of the 2008 Queensland Premier's Literary Award and Victorian Premier's Literary Award, as well as the 2009 Victorian Green Room Award, AWGIE – Stage Award, and Sydney Theatre Award – Best New Australian Work. *''

The Secret River ''The Secret River'' is a 2005 historical novel by Kate Grenville about an early 19th-century Englishman transported to Australia for theft. The story explores what might have happened when Europeans colonised land already inhabited by Aborigi ...

'', adapted for the stage from the novel ''

'' by

Kate Grenville Catherine Elizabeth Grenville (born 1950) is an Australian author. She has published fifteen books, including fiction, non-fiction, biography, and books about the writing process. In 2001, she won the Orange Prize for Fiction, Orange Prize for ...

; the play was presented by the

Sydney Theatre Company Sydney Theatre Company (STC) is an Australian theatre company based in Sydney, New South Wales. The company performs in the Wharf Theatre at Dawes Point in The Rocks area of Sydney as well as the Roslyn Packer Theatre (formerly Sydney Theatre ...

in January 2013. *'' Things I Know To Be True''

Films

Bovell's film credits include ''

'' (2001) and '' Blessed'' (2009) as mentioned above. Bovell also co-wrote the screenplay for ''

Strictly Ballroom ''Strictly Ballroom'' is a 1992 Australian romantic comedy film directed and co-written by Baz Luhrmann in his feature directorial debut. The film is the first in his '' Red Curtain Trilogy'' of theatre-motif-related films; it was followed by 1 ...

'' (1992) with

Baz Luhrmann Mark Anthony "Baz" Luhrmann (born 17 September 1962) is an Australian film director, producer, writer, and actor whose various projects extend from film and television into opera, theatre, music, and the recording industries. He is regarded by ...

and

Craig Pearce Craig Pearce is an Australian screenwriter and actor. Early life Pearce was educated at Narrabeen Sports High School with Baz Luhrmann and is a graduate of National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). Career Pearce's acting credits include re ...

and '' Head On'' (1998) with Mira Robertson and

Ana Kokkinos Ana Kokkinos is an Australian film and television director and screenwriter of Greek descent. She is known for her breakthrough feature film ''Head On (1998 film), Head On'' (1998), and has directed television shows such as ''The Secret Life o ...

. His other film credits include ''

Edge of Darkness ''Edge of Darkness'' is a British television drama serial produced by BBC Television in association with Lionheart Television International and originally broadcast in six 50 to 55-minute episodes in late 1985. A mixture of crime drama and pol ...

'' (2010) starring

Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Mel Gibson, multiple accolades, he is known for directing historical films as well for his act ...

, '' The Book of Revelation'' (2006) and '' Iris'' (2016). He wrote the thriller film '' A Most Wanted Man'', directed by

Anton Corbijn Anton Johannes Gerrit Corbijn van Willenswaard (; born 20 May 1955) is a Dutch photographer, film director, and music video director. He is the creative director behind the visual output of Depeche Mode and U2,Pitman, Joanna"The silent partner" ...

, based on the novel '' A Most Wanted Man'' by

John le Carré David John Moore Cornwell (19 October 193112 December 2020), better known by his pen name John le Carré ( ), was a British author, best known for his espionage novels, many of which were successfully adapted for film or television. A "sophist ...

Other activities

Bovell was on the

jury A jury is a sworn body of people (jurors) convened to hear evidence, make Question of fact, findings of fact, and render an impartiality, impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a sentence (law), penalty or Judgmen ...

for the Feature Fiction and Documentary awards at the 2020

Adelaide Film Festival The Adelaide Film Festival (AFF, formerly ADLFF) is a film festival usually held for two weeks in mid-October in movie theater, cinemas in Adelaide, South Australia. Originally presented wikt:Special:Search/biennial, biennially in March from 2 ...

Recognition and awards

*2014: David Williamson Prize, for ''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bovell, Andrew 1962 births Australian screenwriters Helpmann Award winners Living people Writers from Adelaide People from Kalgoorlie Australian male dramatists and playwrights Australian male screenwriters 20th-century Australian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Australian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Australian male writers 21st-century Australian male writers