Benjamin Law (writer)

Last updated

Benjamin Law
Born Nambour, Queensland, Australia
OccupationAuthor, screenwriter, journalist
NationalityAustralian
Period2000s–present
Notable worksThe Family Law, Gaysia
Relatives Michelle Law (sister)
Website
benjamin-law.com

Benjamin Law (born c.1982) is an Australian author, screenwriter and journalist. He is best known for his books The Family Law, a family memoir published in 2010, and the TV series of the same name. He hosts the radio programme and podcast Stop Everything! for ABC Radio National.

Contents

Early life and education

Born in around 1982 [1] Nambour, Queensland, [2] to immigrant parents from Hong Kong and Malaysia, [3] He was educated at Immanuel Lutheran College on the Sunshine Coast. He has a PhD in creative writing and cultural studies from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT).

He is openly gay. [4] [5] [ better source needed ]

Career

The Family Law is a family memoir published in 2010. It was a shortlisted nominee for Book of the Year at the 2011 Australian Book Industry Awards, [1] and was adapted by Matchbox Pictures into a six-part television series for the SBS network in 2016, which Law created and co-wrote with Marieke Hardy (Series 1) and Kirsty Fisher and Lawrence Leung (Series 2). [6] It won the Screen Producers Awards for Best Comedy (2016) [7] and was nominated for two AACTA Awards. [8] In 2012 Law published Gaysia: Adventures in the Queer East, a journalistic exploration of LGBT life in Asia. [9] At the 2012 Sydney Writers' Festival, [10] he presented on the topic of bullying, for a panel with Wendy Harmer and Paul Capsis.

In November 2015, he advocated for gay people in a public discussion hosted by Mildura Pride (a Mildura Rural City Council Initiative). The social inclusion initiative focused on making Mildura more welcoming for LGBTIQ communities. [11]

In April 2018, Law became an ambassador for the National Library of Australia. [12]

As a journalist, he has contributed to publications including Frankie , The Australian Financial Review , The Saturday Paper , [13] The Monthly (including a 2014 supplement on the Museum of Old and New Art), The Courier-Mail and its Qweekend supplement, Griffith Review , New Matilda , [14] Fairfax Media's Good Weekend magazine, The Big Issue and Crikey . [1]

Other roles

Law is founder member of the Australian Writers' Guild's Diversity and Inclusion Action Committee, along with Kodie Bedford and others. [15]

Bibliography

Books

Co-authored

  • Sh*t Asian mothers say, Collingwood, Vic. : Black Inc. (2014, ISBN   9781863956635) – with sister Michelle Law [16]
  • Law School : sex and relationship advice from Benjamin Law and his mum Jenny Phang, Melbourne, Vic. Brow Books (2017, ISBN   9780994606853)

Contributed chapters

  • "Tourism", pp. 147–152, and "Towards manhood", pp. 195–203, in: Growing up Asian in Australia, Melbourne, Black Inc. (2008, ISBN   9781863951913)
  • In: Voracious: best new Australian food writing, edited by Paul McNally, Prahran, Vic. : Hardie Grant Books (2011, ISBN   9781742701202)
  • In: I'm not racist but ... forty years of the Racial Discrimination Act, by Tim Soutphommasane, Sydney, N.S.W. NewSouth Publishing (2015, ISBN   9781742242057)
  • In: The book that made me, edited by Judith Ridge, Newtown, NSW Walker Books Australia (2016, ISBN   9781922244888)
  • "Beijing", pp. [43]-49, in: Best Australian comedy writing, edited by Luke Ryan, Affirm Press, South Melbourne, Victoria (2016, ISBN   9781925475265)

Introductions

  • In: Me and Mr Booker, by Cory Taylor, Melbourne, Victoria : The Text Publishing Company (2017, ISBN   9781925498271)

Essays and reporting

Interviews

As editor

Filmography

Law's work includes: [17]

As writer

YearTitleNotes
2016-19 The Family Law Creator/script writer (based on his memoir)
2017 Sisters Episode 3
2021 New Gold Mountain
2023 Wellmania

As actor

YearTitleRoleNotes
2018Freudian SlipJacob's IdWeb Series [18]

Other work

YearTitleRoleNotes
2016 Deep Water: The Real Story Researcher/associate producerDocumentary film
2018 Filthy Rich and Homeless Himself/participantDocuseries
2018–presentThat Startup Show [19] Co-HostWeb series
2019Waltzing the DragonPresenterTwo-part documentary
2023 Australian Survivor Contestant11 episodes; 14th place

Theatre

YearTitleRoleNotes
2018 Nassim Performer (24 Jan performance [20]
2020Double DeliciousPerformerFor Sydney Festival [21]
2020Torch the PlaceWriterFor Melbourne Theatre Company [22]

Radio

YearTitleRoleNotes
2019–present Stop Everything! [23] HostPodcast for ABC Radio National
2019Look at me [24] HostPodcast for The Guardian

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magda Szubanski</span> Australian actress and comedian (born 1961)

Magdalene Mary Therese Szubanski, known as Magda Szubanski, is an Australian comedy actress, author, singer and LGBT rights advocate. She performed in Fast Forward, Kath & Kim as Sharon Strzelecki and in the films Babe (1995) and Babe: Pig in the City (1998), Happy Feet (2006) and Happy Feet Two (2011). In 2003 and 2004 surveys, she polled as the most recognised and well-liked Australian television personality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel Griffiths</span> Australian actress (born 1968)

Rachel Anne Griffiths is an Australian actress. Raised primarily in Melbourne, she began her acting career appearing on the Australian series Secrets before being cast in a supporting role in the comedy Muriel's Wedding (1994), which earned her an AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. In 1997, she was the lead in Nadia Tass's drama Amy. She had a role opposite Julia Roberts in the American romantic comedy My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), followed by her portrayal of Hilary du Pré in Hilary and Jackie (1998), for which she received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AACTA Awards</span> Cinema and Television awards

The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, known as the AACTA Awards, are presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). The awards recognise excellence in the film and television industry, both locally and internationally, including the producers, directors, actors, writers, and cinematographers. It is the most prestigious awards ceremony for the Australian film and television industry. They are generally considered to be the Australian counterpart of the Academy Awards for the United States and the BAFTA Awards for the United Kingdom.

Dennis Patkin Altman is an Australian academic and gay rights activist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Conway (musician)</span> Musical artist

James Conway is an Australian harmonica player and with his brother, Mic Conway, was a co-founder of the 1970s humour, theatre and rock group, The Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band.

Tommy Murphy is an Australian playwright, screenwriter, adaptor and director. He created and was head writer for the 2022 TV series Significant Others. He is best known for his stage and screen adaptation of Timothy Conigrave's memoir Holding the Man. His most recent plays are a stage adaptation of Nevil Shute’s On The Beach, Mark Colvin's Kidney and Packer & Sons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Burke</span> Australian actor

Simon Gareth Burke is an Australian actor, active in films, television and theatre.

Osamah Sami is an Australian stage and screen actor, writer, and stand-up comedian, born in Iran of Iraqi origin. He is known for his book Good Muslim Boy, and the film Ali's Wedding.

Julie Eckersley is an Australian actress, comedian, writer, producer and head of Scripted at SBS Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Ballard (comedian)</span> Australian comedian, radio and television presenter

Thomas Colin Ballard is an Australian comedian, broadcaster, actor, and writer. Starting out in radio, he became known as a Triple J host, along with his friend Alex Dyson, over seven years with the station. He his known for his stand-up comedy, as a host of podcasts, and as television presenter, such as the 2017 ABC Television comedy show Tonightly with Tom Ballard. He is author of the 2022 book I, Millennial: One Snowflake's Screed Against Boomers, Billionaires and Everything Else.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian Queer Archives</span> LGBT archive in Australia

The Australian Queer Archives (AQuA) is a community-based non-profit organisation committed to the collection, preservation and celebration of material reflecting the lives and experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex LGBTI Australians. It is located in Melbourne. The Archives was established as an initiative of the 4th National Homosexual Conference, Sydney, August 1978, drawing on the previous work of founding President Graham Carbery. Since its establishment the collection has grown to over 200,000 items, constituting the largest and most significant collection of material relating to LGBT Australians and the largest collection of LGBT material in Australia, and the most prominent research centre for gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans and intersex history in Australia.

Ellen van Neerven is an Aboriginal Australian writer, educator and editor. Their first work of fiction, Heat and Light (2013), won several awards, and in 2019 Van Neerven won the Queensland Premier's Young Publishers and Writers Award. Their second collection of poetry, Throat (2020), won three awards at the 2021 New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, including Book of the Year.

Fiona Choi is an Australian actress, singer and stage performer, best known for her lead role as Jenny Law in Benjamin Law's award-winning SBS Comedy The Family Law for which she received an AACTA Award nomination for Best Performance in a Television Comedy and 3 consecutive Equity Ensemble Awards for Outstanding Performance in a Comedy Series. Fiona is also known for her work on stage in Melbourne Theatre Company's Golden Shield and Torch The Place as well as her one-woman show Dragon Lady: The Many Lives & Deaths of Anna May Wong which premiered to much acclaim at the 2019 Adelaide Cabaret Festival

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michelle Law</span> Australian writer

Michelle Law is an Australian writer. She is known for the web series Homecoming Queens, and the book Sh*t Asian Mothers Say, co-authored by her brother Benjamin Law, and her 2017 play Single Asian Female. She is of Chinese descent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Box</span> Australian actress

Kate Box is an Australian stage, film, and television actress. She is known for her roles as Nicole Vargas in Rake, Lou Kelly in Wentworth, and as Dulcie Collins in Deadloch.

Lisa Gorton is an Australian poet, novelist, literary editor and essayist. She is the author of three award-winning poetry collections: Press Release, Hotel Hyperion, and Empirical. Her second novel, The Life of Houses, received the NSW Premier's People's Choice Award for Fiction and the Prime Minister's Literary Award for Fiction (shared). Gorton is also the editor of Black Inc's anthology Best Australian Poems 2013.

<i>Ellie & Abbie (& Ellies Dead Aunt)</i> 2020 Australian LGBT romance comedy film written and directed by Monica Zanetti

Ellie & Abbie is a 2020 AACTA award winning LGBT romance comedy film written and directed by Monica Zanetti, in her feature directorial debut. It is based on her own 2016 stage play. The film stars Sophie Hawkshaw, Zoe Terakes, Marta Dusseldorp, Rachel House, Julia Billington and Bridie Connell. The movie had its world premiere at the Mardi Gras Film Festival on 13 February 2020, becoming the first Australian film to do so in the festival's 27-year history. It also won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Film at the festival. The film went on to screenings at several other film festivals, and had a limited theatrical release on 19 November 2020.

Kodie Bedford is an Aboriginal Australian screenwriter, filmmaker and playwright from Western Australia. She is known for her play Cursed!, and work on several television series, in particular the 2021 comedy series All My Friends are Racist.

Aaron Chen is an Australian comedian and actor from Sydney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ash Keating</span> Australian visual artist (born 1980)

Ash Keating is an Australian contemporary visual artist.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Law unto himself: The Family Law author Benjamin Law". Meld, 27 March 2012.
  2. ↑ Law, Benjamin (11 September 2014). "Benjamin Law" . Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  3. ↑ "Jenny Phang". The Wheeler Centre. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  4. ↑ "Over the rainbow". The Hindu , 20 December 2013.
  5. ↑ "Gay, lesbian or queer writing". The Book Show , 7 February 2011.
  6. ↑ "Benjamin Law Comedy in Production at Matchbox Pictures". Pedestrian Daily, 16 October 2013.
  7. ↑ "Screen Producers Awards 2016: Winners | TV Tonight". 18 November 2016.
  8. ↑ "AFI | AACTA | the Awards | Television Awards". Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  9. ↑ Robert Dessaix, "Queer and Loathing". The Monthly , September 2012.
  10. ↑ Harmer, Wendy & Law, Benjamin & Capsis, Paul (2012), Bully for you, ABC1, Sydney, N.S.W.
  11. ↑ "Benjamin Law visits Mildura to challenge homophobia". ABC News. 16 November 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  12. ↑ Doherty, Megan (6 April 2018). "Kaz Cooke, Benjamin Law among National Library's 50th anniversary ambassadors". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  13. ↑ "Benjamin Law" The Saturday Paper, 20 December 2014
  14. ↑ "Benjamin Law Talks Dysfunctional Families and Anthropomorphic Genitals". 7 June 2010.
  15. ↑ Groves, Don (15 May 2019). "Kodie Bedford takes the 'Mystery Road' to success". IF Magazine . Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  16. ↑ "Michelle Law". AustLit . 27 July 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  17. ↑ "Benjamin Law" . Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  18. ↑ "Freudian slip web series premiere".
  19. ↑ That Startup Show
  20. ↑ "Nassim | Theatre in Melbourne". 5 December 2017.
  21. ↑ "Double Delicious review | Theatre in Sydney". 9 January 2020.
  22. ↑ "Benjamin Law's First Play Is a Painful Family Drama That Twists Into an Irresistible Comedy". Broadsheet. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  23. ↑ "Stop Everything". Australian Broadcasting Corporation . 23 June 2023.
  24. ↑ "Look at Me | The Guardian". www.theguardian.com. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.