Clifford Green OAM (6 December 1934 – 4 December 2020), born in

Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung/ or ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second most-populous city in Australia, after Sydney. The city's name generally refers to a metropolitan area also known ...

, was an Australian screen writer, whose best-known work is the script for the film '' Picnic at Hanging Rock'' (1975).

Career

Green spent his early working life as a country school teacher, which was reflected in his script for the 1974 ABC TV series, ''

Marion Marion or MARION may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Marion (band), a British alternative rock group * ''Marion'' (miniseries), a 1974 miniseries * ''Marion'' (1920 film), an Italian silent film * ''Marion'' (2024 film), a UK short People a ...

''. He was able to write in a wide variety of genres, and his screenplay for

Peter Weir Peter Lindsay Weir ( ; born 21 August 1944) is a retired Australian film director. He is known for directing films crossing various genres over forty years with films such as '' Picnic at Hanging Rock'' (1975), '' Gallipoli'' (1981), '' The Y ...

’s ''Picnic At Hanging Rock'' was a landmark in the renaissance of the Australian film industry in the 1970s. In 1981, the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

produced '' I Can Jump Puddles'', a mini-series written by Green, based on Alan Marshall's autobiographical stories. His screenplay for the 1990 TV movie, ''Boy Soldiers'', was the first Australian drama to receive an

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

nomination. In the 2009 Queen's Birthday Honours List, he was awarded the

Order of Australia Medal The Order of Australia is an Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of then ...

for services to the Australian film and

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

industry as a screenwriter and educator. Green served on the board of the Victorian Film Corporation from 1977 to 1984. In at least one screenwriting textbook, his writing for television is cited as an example of economy, wit and minimal formal camera directions.Aronson, Linda. ''Scriptwriting Updated''. Australian Film, Television and Radio School. Cliff Green died on 4 December 2020, aged 85, after long illness.

Recognition

*1976 - AFI Best Screenplay (Nominated) *1976 – AWGIE (Best Screenplay) *1979 – ''Picnic at Hanging Rock'' Nominated for a Saturn Award (Best Writing) *1990 – AWG Richard Lane Award *1991 – International Emmy nomination for the screenplay of ''Boy Soldiers'' *2009 –

Order Of Australia Medal The Order of Australia is an Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of then ...

Select credits

*'' The Ballad of Riverboat Bill'' (1965) *'' The Steamboat Adventures of Riverboat Bill'' (1987)

References

External links

* * * * 1934 births 2020 deaths Australian television writers Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Australian male television writers Writers from Melbourne RMIT University alumni People from Warrandyte, Victoria Australian schoolteachers {{australia-writer-stub