Five of Australia’s top emerging creatives have won the British Council’s 2009 Realise Your Dream award and will travel to the UK for the chance of a lifetime to work with industry leaders in their chosen fields. The five talented winners were selected from almost 500 entries and announced on 15 September at an awards ceremony held at the Museum of Contemporary Arts.

Showing their support on the night were, Sydney Theatre Company Directors, Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton who outlined the importance of nurturing Australian artists and helping them to gain international experience through programs like Realise Your Dream.

The winners of the 2009 Awards are:

Pictured left to right is Julian Day, Mark Robinson, with triple j's Robbie Buck who presented the ceremony, Sasha Ettinger Epstein, Lally Katz and Timba Smits.

Julian Day (ACT): Julian’s goal is to present unique, large-scale music events that offer sound artists a platform upon which to experiment and make new work, and engage listeners in new ways.

Julian is a composer and sound artist who creates innovative and ambitious ways to bring together groups of musicians of all ages and skills. He works in studios, concert halls, galleries, industrial buildings and outdoor spaces and is a radio presenter and producer with ABC Classic FM, specialising in new music.

Over the past decade, Julian has consistently presented his work at established venues nationally and internationally. He has also initiated and/or co-directed a number of ensembles and events, including ‘Critical Mass’ (2008), a performance/installation for up to 100 instrumentalists, first performed at Carriageworks and soon to be restaged at the 2009 Brisbane Festival; and ‘The Brain Game’ (2003), a site-specific performance for 400 musicians inspired by neural networks and the workings of the human brain.

Julian plans to undertake a UK tour with ‘Critical Mass’ and smaller ensemble ‘Infinity Room’ in the UK, collaborate with composers and innovative new music ensembles as well as spend time at the BBC in his capacity as a new music broadcaster. Upon return Julian hopes that he’ll have enriched his repertoire of UK music which he’ll then bring to Australian audiences.

Sascha Ettinger Epstein (NSW): Sascha’s goal is to take inspiring Australian stories to an international audience by making documentary films that simultaneously entertain audiences, give them a glimpse into a world they would never see, and shine a light on forgotten and confronting social issues.

Sascha is a film director committed to capturing characters whose lives reflect a triumph of the human spirit.  Her first film ‘Painting with Light in a Dark World’ (2003) won an AFI Award for Best Direction in a Documentary and other major accolades.

For her feature-length film ‘The Oasis’ (2008), Sascha spent over two years living amongst and filming a group of street kids from The Salvation Army Oasis Youth Refuge. The film has screened on ABC TV, been distributed to every school in Australia, had a sell-out screening at London’s Barbican theatre, won Best Direction and Best Editing in a Documentary at the 2008 AFI’s and was nominated for other awards including a Walkley Award and a Logie. Subsequently, Sascha was invited to participate in the National 2020 summit for creative leadership. Her most recent film, ‘Playing in the Shadows’, premiered at the Sydney Film Festival.

Sasha will spend her time in the UK being immersed in its thriving market for factual drama and build her knowledge of the genre while working with some of the world’s best documentary film-makers. She’ll seek out collaborators and co-producers and in doing so hopes to build her capacity to bring important social issues to life on Australian and international screens.

Lally Katz (VIC): Lally’s goal is to become one of the major playwrights of her generation, and to inspire a new and younger audience to engage with theatre.

Lally is a playwright who has written 30 full-length plays. She is a founder of, and writer for Stuck Pigs Squealing Theatre, an independent company known for making highly collaborative, haunting, hilarious works. Two of these productions – ‘The Black Swan of Trespass’ and ‘The Eisteddfod’ – have toured to New York to critical acclaim.

Lally’s plays have been performed by esteemed companies across the country, including Malthouse Theatre, Sydney Theatre Company, and Melbourne Theatre Company.  She is currently undertaking commissions with Company B, the Production Company in New York, and Legs on the Wall for a show in the 2011 Sydney and Perth International Arts Festivals. Lally has received numerous awards for her work, including the New York International Fringe Festival Producer’s Choice Award (2004), Green Room Award Best Independent Production (2004), and R.E. Ross Trust Award (2008).

Lally feels she can learn a lot from the UK’s world renowned theatre industry and will spend her time on secondments within leading London theatres, take part in writing workshops and mentorships, while seeking out audiences for her existing work within the UK. She hopes to develop new plays whilst in the UK and investigate collaborations for new work that would be performed in Australia upon her return.

Mark Robinson (NSW): Mark’s goal is to write and direct social realist films that engage with Australian and international audiences.

Following completion of a Masters in Film Direction and Script writing at A.F.T.R.S, Mark has worked extensively in the film industry for the past decade and is currently developing his first feature 'Love Child'. This follows the creation of more than 10 short films for which he has received a number of awards and accolades, including the Fortissimo Films New Talent Award (2008); Best Film, Russian Film Festival (2005); and Best Direction, Flickerfest (2005).

In 2005, Mark was awarded a prestigious Qantas Spirit of Youth Award, which enabled him to undertake an intensive mentorship with Gillian Armstrong. In addition, Mark has worked alongside the likes of director Ray Lawrence, whose films include ‘Lantana’ and ‘Jindabyne’. He is currently being mentored by Ashley Luke, head of Fortissimo Films Australia, and has completed workshops with some of Australia’s most respected film directors, including Jane Campion, Peter Weir and Phillip Noyce.

In the UK, Mark will connect with film directors, producers and writers working in the field of social realism. He wants to learn from the Masters of the craft and build his networks in the UK for co-productions. He hopes this will build his capacity to fund, produce and direct films of depth and international social resonance.

Timba Smits (VIC): Timba’s goal is to build on the success of his self-published art, design and life culture publication ‘Wooden Toy Quarterly’ while fostering opportunities for his peers in the art and design sectors.

Timba is the individual founder, art director, designer, illustrator, coffee boy and receptionist of Wooden Toy Publishing Co, an independently operated book and magazine specialist. He is also the Co-curator and Art Director of Melbourne's Gorker Gallery, and a practicing visual artist.

‘Wooden Toy Quarterly’ launched in 2006 in Sydney and Melbourne, and is now distributed throughout Australia and in New Zealand. In 2007, Timba won both Designer of the Year and Best Design for Print Media Award for ‘Wooden Toy Quarterly’ at the Desktop Create Awards, returning as a judge for last year’s installment. He has presented his ideas to thousands of young designers as a speaker at recent AGIdeas (2007) and Semi-Permanent (2009) design conferences, and is currently working on the production of a new book on Melbourne Street artists (Thames & Hudson), and a series of 'how-to' student design workshops/seminars in Melbourne.

Whilst in the UK, Timba will develop networks and opportunities for emerging Australian designers and visual artists, including holding an exhibition of works by Melbourne Street artists in London. He’ll also be seeking distribution opportunities for ‘Wooden Toy Quarterly’, interning at international publishing houses, and crafting an expose of emerging UK artists in the next edition of the magazine.

British Council’s Director Rebecca Matthews said: “The passion, commitment and energy exuded by this year’s winners was remarkable. I highly commend each on their outstanding work and ongoing contribution to the creative industries.”

To ensure winners gain invaluable work experience and mentoring, the British Council will tap into its strong network in the UK creative industries to help craft a tailored professional development program and open the doors winners need most to further their career.

Each winner will be flown to the UK by British Airways and receive an $8,000 NAB Cash Passport.