I’m deeply delighhted to be helping Paula Weston launch the next book in the Rephaim series at Riverbend Books. Come along and hear about this wonderful series and what Paula has planned next!
Category: Events
by Kim McMinn
Kim McMinn is a fantasy writer who masquerades as a librarian by day while she completes her first novel. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English and Creative Arts from Murdoch University and lives in Perth, Western Australia with her husband and three world-domination-plotting cats.
On a rooftop bar, on a warm Wednesday evening in Perth, local game developers Stirfire Studios, hosted by AFK, held their official launch party of Freedom Fall: a diabolical down-scrolling platform game.
Over one hundred close friends and fans celebrated the successes that the game has so far achieved since its launch last year at PAX Australia on July 19. They huddled on the couches, playing the newly released levels of the game, avoided the wrath of the eerily beautiful Princess in attendance, and imbibed the game’s custom cocktail, the Elicksir of Life.
Freedom Fall’s creative director (Art, Story, Level Design), Lisa Rye, created the delightfully twisted fairy tale adventure three years ago as a personal project. From there, it was pitched to Let’s Make Games, a non-profit association that works to support the game development community of Perth, where it sparked the interest of Stirfire Studios. Freedom Fall was launched initially for iOS, Android, Ouya, and Desura platforms, and in January this year it was given the green light for Steam, where it has already sold thousands of copies. Freedom Fall has been nominated for several awards and won Best Game at the WA Screen Awards in 2013.
Freedom Fall follows the trials of Marsh, the hero, as he attempts to escape a prison tower. But this is no ordinary prison; the beautifully creepy Princess, who finds the prison dull and dreary, has made some alterations for her own amusement. Marsh must avoid spikes, fire balls, and other devilish traps, while collecting bolts and cogs to create items that will help him through the labyrinth and find freedom. The walls of the prison are splashed in graffiti written by the Princess, delivering the darkly humorous backstory of her life. This is a Princess that you need to be rescued from!
Along with the reveal of two new levels to the game, and a door prize raffle of one of three collector’s editions of Freedom Fall, Stirfire Studios announced two more surprises for 2014. The first was the reveal of a new game called Dead End Alley that is in production with Meijer Creative. The second was a collaboration, still in its very early stages, with an Australian science fiction author who used to live in Perth, but is now based in Brisbane. It was all very mysterious and exciting, and we’ll have to keep our ear to ground to find out more about that!
AUSTRALIAN WEBSTREAM AWARDS – 2013 NOMINEES
FOUNDER’S CHOICE AWARD
TBA on the 16th of November 2013.
PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
The Janoskians
Josh Wade
One Pot Chef
App Chat
Cakes by ChoppA
Jewel Chic
BEST INTERNATIONAL (SERIES OR FILM)
Matt Hoyle – Neil Patrick Harris (Comic Genius)
Richard Hatch – Window of Opportunity (Silicon Assassin)
BEST DIRECTOR (SERIES OR FILM)
Tatjana Alexis & Alex Barnett – SYD2030
Mike Holligan – White Lines
Wade Copson – No More
Kimberly Melville – The Gauntlet
Shaun Wilson – Noirhouse
David Burrowes & Joel Hagen – The Drive
BEST MALE PERFORMANCE (SERIES OR FILM)
Jesse Richardson – White Lines
Abe Mitchell – SYD2030
Nathan Spencer – Noirhouse
Dave Burrows – The Drive
Todd Baille – Do Over
BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE (SERIES OR FILM)
Sarah Jane Blair – No More
Giselle van der Wiel – The Gauntlet
Melanie Irons – Noirhouse
Tatjana Alexis – SYD2030
Jacqui Duncan – White Lines
Emily Sheehan – The Drive
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
The Janoskians – Takeover
SYD2030
Noirhouse
The Gauntlet
White Lines
Poker Nights
BEST HOST
Fitzy & Wippa – Fitzy & Wippa
Josh Jayaweera – Free Magic Live Videos
Elly Awesome – App Chat
Megan Castran – Celebrity Chats
Todd Baillie – Geek Speak Australia
BEST MUSICIAN
K.I.D.S.
The Fergies Band
Sarah Grimstone – Sarah Stone Music
Steven Theochari – Steve Air Music
Nathan Smart
Andrew Taylor
BEST ONLINE PERSONALITY
The Janoskians
Troye Sivan
Fitzy & Wippa
David Chilcott – One Pot Chef
Elly Awesome – App Chat
Megan Castran – JewelChic
BEST WRITING
Tatjana Alexis – SYD2030
Jesse Richardson – White Lines
Kimberly Melville & Rachel Lu – The Gauntlet
Tim Logan – Noirhouse
David Burrowes & Neil Griffiths – The Drive
David Cooper – Poker Nights
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Cam Elkins – Stories of Bike
Matt Rogers – K.I.D.S.’ “Summer Pop/Dance Mashup 2013”
Daniel Tupou – Andrew Taylor’s “In the Midst of Trouble”
Simon Gray – Noirhouse
Matthew Meersbergen – Koora the Kookaburra
Daniel Kajardi & Jack McAvoy – SYD2030
BEST EDITING
Cam Elkins – Stories of Bike
Jarvis Alston & Rowan Brown – White Lines
Silver Rain Entertainment – The Gauntlet
Shaun Wilson – Noirhouse
Alex Barnett – SYD2030
Wade Cospon – Do Over
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Gus Smith – Noirhouse
Silver Rain Entertainment – The Gauntlet
Jesse Richardson – White Lines
Annika Drew – SYD2030
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Nicholas Bruce – The Gauntlet
Dan Tupou & Russell Smith – No More
Wade Cospon – Do Over
Sky Machine – Noirhouse
BEST SOUND DESIGN (MIXING & EDITING)
Katherine Honan – The Gauntlet
Dan Lustri – SYD2030
Dave Arens – White Lines
Lightbulb Head Films – The Drive
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
This award has been removed from the 2013 categories due to insufficient, eligible submissions.
BEST FASHION & COSTUME DESIGN
Noirhouse
The Gauntlet
Geek Speak Australia
K.I.D.S.
BEST MAKEUP & HAIR
Liz Goulding – Noirhouse
Natalie Streat – SYD2030
Olivia Houston – The Gauntlet
Nerida Karlen & Alexandra Harvey – No More
BEST COMEDY SERIES
Josh Wade
Fitzy & Wippa
The Drive
Poker Nights
Noirhouse
BEST DRAMA SERIES
SYD2030
White Lines
The Gauntlet
BEST REALITY SERIES
The Janoskians – Takeover
Megan Castran – Jewel Chic
BEST VIDEO BLOG SERIES
The Janoskians – Twin Talk Time
Troye Sivan
Jewel Chic
Geek Speak Australia – Live TV
BEST EDUCATIONAL & LIFESTYLE SERIES
Veritasium
sciBRIGHT
Todd’s Kitchen – Gummy Worms
One Pot Chef
Cakes by ChoppA
My Cupcake Addiction
BEST FEATURE FILM
This award has been removed from the 2013 categories due to insufficient, eligible submissions.
BEST SHORT FILM
Indo (A Short Surf Film)
No More
Do Over
Red Light
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Stories of Bike
Koora the Kookaburra
BEST LIVE EVENT
VIDinc
Miss Burlesque Australia
RAW Brisbane
Deerstalker Pictures – Convention Coverage
Geek Speak Australia
BEST NEWS & COMMENTARY
Geek Speak Australia
Free News Australia
Live Tech Australia
Fitzy & Wippa
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
K.I.D.S. – “Addicted”
Andrew Taylor – “In the Midst of Trouble”
BEST VIRAL VIDEO
This award has been removed from the 2013 categories due to insufficient, eligible submissions.
