Keith Thompson is an award-winning screenwriter, script editor, teacher and lecturer.
His awards include Most Outstanding Script, Australian Writers Guild Awards 2012 (THE SAPPHIRES ); Best Feature Film Adaptation, Australian Writers Guild Awards 2012 (THE SAPPHIRES); AWGIE Award for Outstanding Australian Script of the Year, Original and Major Winner 2007 (CLUBLAND); Nominated, Best Screenplay Film Critics Circle Awards 2012 (THE SAPPHIRES); Nominated for AFI (Australian Film Institute)Awards Macquarie Private Wealth Award for Best Screenplay 2007 (CLUBLAND).
His original feature film, CLUBLAND, starring Brenda Blethyn, premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and was sold to Warner Independent Pictures in one of the festival’s biggest distribution deals. CLUBLAND won the 2007 AWGIE Award for Best Feature Film, the overall AWGIE for Outstanding Australian Script of the Year and was nominated for 11 AFI (Australian Film Institute) Awards including Best Screenplay. THE SAPPHIRES (co-written with Tony Briggs) had its world premiere at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. The film was awarded Best Film and Best Screenplay at ACCTA Awards, Best Feature Adaptation and the Major Writing Award at the AWGIES, Best Narrative Film at Evening Standard British Film Awards and Best Film at FCCA Awards, Audience Award at Palm Springs International Film Festival.
Keith has worked as script editor on over 20 produced feature films, including TOP END WEDDING (directed by Wayne Blair), HOLDING THE MAN (directed by Neil Armfield) MISS FISHER & THE CRYPT OF TEARS (directed by Tony Tilse), SAMSON AND DELILAH (directed by Warwick Thornton), JAPANESE STORY (directed by Sue Brooks), LA SPAGNOLA (directed by Steve Jacobs) and LOVE SERENADE (directed by Shirley Barrett). He also script edited John Doyle’s ABC TV mini-series, CHANGI and MARKING TIME. Keith was Deputy Commissioning Editor for Drama at the ABC in Sydney during 1998/1999 and was Head of Development at Goalpost Pictures from 2009-2013.
Keith has been writing for television for over 30 years, highlights include co-creating and writing LOCKIE LEONARD, two series of a 26 part children’s series, based on books by Tim Winton. LOCKIE LEONARD won the 2008 50th Annual Logie Award for Most Outstanding Children’s Program and an AFI in 2007 for Best Children’s Television Drama. It was also nominated for a BAFTA Award in the Children’s Television International Category. Keith developed, with Kaye Bendle, three series of SMALL CLAIMS which starred Rebecca Gibney and Claudia Karvan. Keith’s feature-length television documentaries include HE’S COMING SOUTH which was nominated for a 2006 Logie Awards and both THE BATTLE OF LONG TAN and HE’S COMING SOUTH won best documentary. Keith is script producer and writer on series 4 DOCTOR DOCTOR for Easy Tiger and Channel 9 and has an original miniseries in development with Fremantle UK and Easy Tiger Australia.
