Nigger documentary nominated for prestigious awards

A documentary detailing USQ academic Stephen Hagan’s fight to have the word ‘Nigger’ removed from a Toowoomba sports ground has been judged as a finalist in three categories of the EnhanceTV Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM) awards.

ATOM is an independent, non-profit, professional association for Teachers of Media, who established the awards to promote, encourage and reward the work of Australian screen and media practitioners.

‘Nigger Lovers’, which was directed by Stephen’s wife Rhonda, is a finalist in the Best Documentary - General; Best Documentary - Short Form; and Best Documentary Social and Political Issues categories.

'It was a pleasant surprise to be one of the finalists in the awards, but I always felt that it was a unique film,' Mr Hagan said.

'What separates it from other documentaries is that it uses animation to tell the story and that is unique in the documentary world.'

After nominating ‘Nigger Lovers’ for the awards earlier this year, Stephen was hopeful of taking home at least one of the honours.

'I would like to think that we can win one of the awards and it would be absolutely fantastic if we could win all three,' he said.

The ATOM awards are the first that the documentary has been named in a finalist in but it has been nominated for other honours around the world.

'We have nominated it at the Cannes and Sundance film festivals, as well as film festivals in Germany, Spain, New Zealand and Hawaii,' Stephen said.

'It would be good if we could win one of the ATOM awards as that would give us an added credibility and a greater chance at winning other awards.'

Created on a budget of $120,000, ‘Nigger Lovers’ has received a positive response from most who have seen it.

'It’s been overwhelming and the audience in general has had two reactions to the documentary.

'One is that they are in shock and awe by the powerful representation of the word and the other is that they are impressed by the quality of the production.'

Most recently the documentary was shown at the Melbourne International Film Festival, where it was part of the biggest opening day in the history of the event.

Media Contact: Josh Ada, USQ Media, +61 7 4631 1628