Virgo Productions Full Awards Listing

Stanley Hawes Lifetime Achievement Award Winner

Cathy Henkel

At the Australian International Documentary Conference in 2023, Cathy Henkel received the Stanley Hawes Award, a prestigious lifetime achievement honour bestowed on an exceptional practitioner from any facet of the industry who has made an outstanding contribution to the Australian documentary and factual sector.

Winners - Cathy Henkel & Sam Lara - Brian Beaton Award 2009 for Laura's Choice

Cathy Henkel & Sam Lara

In 2019, Cathy and her daughter Sam Lara received the Brian Beaton Award for Laura’s Choice.

Winner - Cathy Henkel - SPA Documentary Producer of the year 2009

Cathy Henkel

In 2009, Cathy was awarded SPA (Screen Producers Australia) Documentary Producer of the Year.

Laura's Choice

Winner

BRIAN BEATON AWARD, Perth, Western Australia

WESTERN AUSTRALIAN SCREEN CULTURE AWARD, Innovation in Feature Documentary, Perth, Western Australia

DOCEDGE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Best Fearless/Matatoa, Auckland, New Zealand

LULEÅ INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Best Feature Documentary, Luleå, Sweden

DOCS WITHOUT BORDERS FILM FESTIVAL, Revolution and Reform, Nassau, Delaware, USA

TORONTO INTERNATIONAL WOMEN FILM FESTIVAL, Best Feature Documentary, Toronto, Canada

VESUVIUS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Best Documentary, Campania, Italy

AMERICAN GOLDEN PICTURE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Best Documentary long, Jacksonville, Florida, USA

FIVE CONTINENTS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Best Documentary Feature Film, Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela

SOUTH FILM AND ARTS ACADEMY FESTIVAL, Best Documentary Feature Film, Rancagua, Chile

LOS ANGELES FILM AWARDS, Best Documentary Feature, Los Angeles, California, USA

VEGAS MOVIE AWARDS, Best Documentary Feature, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

FILMMAKERLIFE AWARDS, Best Documentary Feature, Los Angeles, California, USA

Finalist and Selected

NEAR NAZARETH FESTIVAL, Best Documentary, Nazareth, Israel

FLORENCE FILM AWARDS, Best Feature Documentary, Florence, Italy

ONIROS FILM AWARDS® – NEW YORK, Best Documentary Feature, New York, USA

MONTREAL INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL, Best Feature Documentary, Montreal, Canada

ARIZONA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Best Documentary Feature, Tucson, USA

LOS ANGELES WOMEN IN FILM FESTIVAL, Best Feature Film, Los Angeles, USA

AUSTRALIAN INSPIRATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Best Documentary Feature Film, Perth, Australia

APHRODITE FILM AWARDS, Best Documentary Feature Film, New York

REVELATION INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Best Documentary, Perth, Australia

WA MADE FILM FESTIVAL, Best Documentary, Perth, Australia

AUSTRALIAN INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY CONFERENCE (AIDC), Best Documentary/Factual Series, Melbourne, Australia

AUSTRALIAN DIRECTORS GUILD (ADG), Best Direction in a Documentary Series, Melbourne, Australia

SCREEN PRODUCERS AUSTRAIA (SPA) AWARDS, Feature Documentary Production of the Year, Gold Coast, Australia

GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER (ONLINE EDITION), The 10 Best Australian TV Shows of 2021  

I told you I was Ill: Spike Milligan

Nominated

FILM CRITICS CIRCLE OF AUSTRALIA, Best Documentary
DVDA BRILLIANCE AWARDS, Best Theatrical Film DVD 

Selected

ADELAIDE FILM FESTIVAL
MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
DOCNZ INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL 

The Man who stole my Mother's face

Winner

TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL, Best Feature Documentary, New York
DISCOVERY CHANNEL IF AWARD, Best Documentary, Australia
LONDON AUSTRALIA FILM FESTIVAL, Audience Choice Award, London

Finalist

2003 LEXUS IF AWARDS, Independent Spirit Award
CAPE TOWN WORLD CINEMA FESTIVAL, Best Documentary

Selected

HOT DOCS, Canada
MELBOURNE and BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVALS
plus over 30 other international festivals

Nominated

AFI AWARD, Best Achievement in Directing
FILM CRITICS CIRCLE OF AUSTRALIA, Best Documentary  

Losing Layla

Winner

ATOM AWARD, Best Documentary 
DENDY AWARDS, Highly Commended 

Rise of the Eco Warriors

Selected

CLOSING NIGHT FILM, BYRON BAY
INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
BALI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
FILMS FOR THE EARTH: SWITZERLAND
BIG PICTURE FILM FESTIVAL 
CINEFESTOZ
plus many other festivals. 

Show me the Magic

Winner

WOW FILM FESTIVAL, Best Female Cinematographer (Cathy Henkel) and Best Composer (Nicolette Boaz) 

AUSTRALIAN SCREEN EDITORS AWARDS, Best Editor (Scott Walton) 
ASC SILVER AWARD, Best Cinematography in Documentary (Cathy Henkel)

Nominated

AUSTRALIAN DIRECTORS GUILD, Best Director Documentary (Cathy Henkel)

Selected

BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL,
BYRON BAY FILM FESTIVAL,
WOW FILM FESTIVAL, 
plus other Australian festivals.  

The Burning Season

Winner

IF AWARD, Best Documentary
BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Audience Choice Award
CANADA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, Rising Star Award 
NIMBIN FILM FESTIVAL, Best Documentary 

Nominated

GOLD PANDA AWARD, SICHUAN TV FESTIVAL, China
EMMY AWARD, OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY
BEST DIRECTOR, Australian Directors Guild
ATOM AWARD, Best Documentary

Selected

TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL, New York
SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL, Runner Up, Audience Choice Award
ST TROPEZ FILM FESTIVAL, France
iDOCS INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FORUM, Invited Guest, Beijing
Plus over 100 other international festivals.