Inaugural scriptwriter awards handed out

Briar Grace-Smith won Best Feature Film Script for <i>The Strength of Water</i>. Photo / Hugh Sundae

The film maker who brought to the screen the story of Navtej Singh, the liquor-store owner who died after being shot during an armed robbery, has received two awards at the first ever New Zealand Scriptwriters Awards.

Sam Peacocke, who wrote and directed Manurewa, won the award for Best Short Film Script and the New Writer Award.

Peacocke was in London but the short film's producer Kristian Eek accepted on his behalf, adding "I know he'll appreciate this after the huge snub at the Qantas awards."

It wasn't the only winning work based on a real event, with Bloodlines, about psychiatrist Dr Colin Bouwer who poisoned his wife, receiving Best Television Drama Script for writers Donna Malane and Paula Boock.

Gerard Johnstone topped off a good year, winning Best Television Comedy Script for The Jaquie Brown Diaries, after winning two awards for the same show at this years Qantas Film and Television Awards, as well as being one of four recipients of the New Zealand Film Commission's Escalator funding scheme.

Briar Grace-Smith did what few others have done this year, beating Taika Watiti's Boy to get Best Feature Film Script for The Strength of Water.

The night didn't just award screen writers, with Fiona Samuel winning Best Play for Ghost Train.

Industry stalwart Roger Horrocks received the night's only standing ovation, for the Industry Mentor Award.