| IF Awards Winners - SMH (17nov11) |
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IF Awards Winners A film with a dog as its main star has taken out the major prize at this year's Inside Film (IF) Awards. Red Dog, which is based on the true story of a dog who unites the residents of an outback country town, took home seven awards from nine nominations, including best feature film, at the People's Choice Awards in Sydney on Wednesday night. Producer Nelson Woss, who walked the event's red carpet with his canine star Koko, attributed the film's success to its Australian heart. Advertisement: Story continues below
"I think it's uniquely Australian and everyone involved in it had a lot of fun and I think that comes through in the film," he told AAP. "The story is about heart and passion and the Aussie spirit." Earlier in the night, Koko was the perfect red carpet guest, barking on cue to steal the spotlight. Red Dog's human star, Hollywood actor Josh Lucas, was named best actor for his role. In a video message accepting his award, Lucas acknowledged his fellow nominees which included Aussie actors Vince Colosimo, Matthew Newton and David Wenham, and dedicated the award to his canine co-star. "I am humbled to be accepting this award amongst such great nominees," he said. Red Dog also received awards for best script, best box office achievement, best cinematography, best music and best direction by Kriv Stenders. ABC film critics Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton were honoured for their 25 years on air with the Living Legend IF Award. "It's something that I must say we would have never have expected originally when we started the program 25 years ago," Stratton told AAP, with Pomeranz adding they were feeling a little overwhelmed. Face to Face, which was filmed in one room over 12 days, received just one award for best editing from its six nominations. Best actress nominee for the film, Sigrid Thornton, said the movie was not to be underestimated. "We like to speak of the film as the little engine that could," she said. "It's a tiny little film. It's great to have something like Face to Face, a no budget picture nominated alongside Red Dog." Oranges and Sunshine leading lady Emily Watson took out the award for best actress. The film about children in the UK who were sent to Australia and Canada and into forced labour also took home the prize for best production design. Other winners included Underbelly: Razor star Anna McGahan, who walked away with the Out of the Box IF Award, while Rachel Perkins was awarded for her contribution to television. The full list of winners at the 2011 IF (Inside Film) Awards: Best Feature Film - Red Dog
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