Nicholas Verso

Last updated

Nicholas Verso
Born
Australia
OccupationsScreenwriter, director, producer
Notable work

Nicholas Verso is an Australian screenwriter, director and producer. He made his feature film debut with the 2016 film, Boys In The Trees , [1] which premiered at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival. [2]

Contents

He is best known for his TV directing work, particularly creating the series Crazy Fun Park and Invisible Boys . [3]

Career

Verso's short film work includes Flight (a 2011 Tropfest short-film festival finalist) [4] and The Last Time I Saw Richard, [5] starring Toby Wallace and Cody Fern, [6] which won Best Short Film at the AACTA Awards in 2014 [7] and was honoured by the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma as part of their Golden Nights Panorama. [8]

He made his feature film debut in 2016 with the Halloween fantasy drama, Boys In The Trees, starring Toby Wallace. The film made its North American debut at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival and won Best Narrative Feature at the Austin Film Festival. The film holds a score of 82% on Rotten Tomatoes. [9]

In 2023, he created the series, Crazy Fun Park, for ABC-Me, a horror-comedy inspired by the death of several friends when he was younger. [10] It caused a minor controversy when it won the 2023 TV Week Logie Award for the Most Outstanding Children's Program, beating Bluey. [11]

In 2025, he created his next series, Invisible Boys , for Stan. Based on the novel of the same name written by Holden Sheppard, the series follows the challenges of four gay teens in the coastal city of Geraldton in Western Australia following the 2017 same-sex marriage plebiscite. The series has received a positive reception, debuting at #1 on the platform and multiple AACTA nominations. [12]

Verso's other television directing work includes Nowhere Boys , The Unlisted , Itch, In Our Blood and Swift Street .

Awards

YearTitleAwardResultRef.
2026A Little HelpReg Grundy Award - AACTA Awards Nominated [13]
2026 Invisible Boys Best Miniseries - AACTA Awards Nominated [14]
2025 Invisible Boys Best Streaming Series - IFFA AwardsWon [15]
2024 Crazy Fun Park Jury Prize - Prix JeunesseWon [16]
2023 Crazy Fun Park Best Direction of a Children's Series - Australian Directors Guild AwardsWon [17]
2023 Crazy Fun Park Best Childrens Show - Logie Awards Won [18]
2019 Grace Beside Me Best Direction of a Children's Series - Australian Directors Guild AwardsWon [19]
2016 Boys In The Trees Best Narrative Feature - Austin Film Festival Won [20]
2016Boys In The TreesVenice Horizons Award - Venice Film Festival Nominated [21]
2014 The Last Time I Saw Richard Best Short Film - AACTA Awards Won [22]
2012Boys In The TreesMonte Miller Award - AWGIE Awards Nominated [23]


References

  1. "Movie review: Boys in the Trees explores the horrors of adolescence". NewsComAu. Archived from the original on 16 February 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
  2. "Boys in the Trees to Premiere at Venice Film Festival". 29 July 2016.
  3. Nguyen, Giselle Au-Nhien (13 February 2025). "Invisible Boys review – heartfelt queer drama tilts towards trauma porn". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 1 April 2025.
  4. TROPFEST (18 February 2011). Flight | Finalist of Tropfest Australia 2011 . Retrieved 1 April 2025 via YouTube.
  5. March, Polly (16 October 2013). "Cardiff documentary-maker scoops award at film festival".
  6. "The Last Time I Saw Richard by @nickverso | Horror Short Film". Short of the Week. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
  7. Groves, Don (28 January 2014). "Baz's creative team cleans up at AACTA Awards". IF Magazine. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
  8. "Les Nuits en Or 2014 – Panorama". Académie des César. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  9. "Boys in the Trees | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
  10. McManus, Bridget (27 December 2022). "How the death of young friends inspired the ABC's new teen series". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
  11. "Surprise Logies twist sees underdog take out Bluey". The West Australian. 31 July 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
  12. Potts, Andrew M. (19 February 2025). "Aussie viewers just can't get enough of Invisible Boys". QNews. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
  13. "Top 5 finalists announced for the AACTA Reg Grundy Award". AACTA. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  14. "2026 AACTA Awards – Awards history". AACTA. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  15. "Invisible Boys wins Best Streaming Series at IFFA Awards". Instagram. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  16. "Winners of the Prix Jeunesse International 2024 announced". Prix Jeunesse International. 29 May 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  17. "Winners revealed for the 2023 Australian Directors Guild Awards". Campaign Brief. 18 September 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  18. "The gateway horror ABC kids show that toppled Bluey at the Logies". The Sydney Morning Herald. 3 August 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  19. "ADG nominations announced". VicScreen. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  20. "Boys in the Trees takes out Best Narrative Feature at Austin Film Festival". Inside Film. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  21. "Boys in the Trees". Screen Australia. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  22. "BAZ's creative team cleans up at AACTA Awards". Inside Film. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  23. "AWG unveils 2012 AWGIE Award nominees". Inside Film. Retrieved 27 January 2026.