Adjunct Professor recognised at Industry Awards

John Hughes has had a significant career as an Australian filmmaker, highly respected in the field of creative documentary production both within Australia and internationally.

Hughes has been nominated for many awards for his films including the Australian Film Institute (AFI) awards and the Australian Writers’ Guild AWGIE awards.

His films have been screened at major national and international festivals, and broadcast by such networks as the ABC and SBS.

Hughes was presented with the ADG award at a ceremony in Melbourne on May 6. 

Mark Poole, Victoria Chapter Head of the ADG said this achievement was well deserved.

"John is an outstanding recipient of an Australian Directors Guild Lifetime Membership, an award made in recognition of his longstanding service to the Australian Directors Guild, to the industry, and in recognition of his highly esteemed filmmaking practice," Poole said.

Hughes has held major and influential roles in the Australian film industry, such as commissioning editor for SBS Independent, at a time when this organisation played an important role in championing innovative creative works in the independent production sector. 

Associate Professor Lisa French, Deputy Dean (Media) said John is a highly respected film historian and filmmaker with an international reputation for his innovative and experimental work.

"His intellectual, creative and leadership contributions to his field are highly esteemed and he is a person who has willingly given his time in both industry and academic contexts," French said. 

"As an Adjunct Professor in RMIT’s School of Media and Communication, he has been making an invaluable contribution, particularly to the Screen Cultures Research Group, and the School congratulates him on the recognition this award gives to his lifetime achievements."

Hughes exemplary research has been published in a range of highly ranked academic journals including Senses of Cinema, Studies in Australasian Cinema, Cineaste and Arena.

He has a PhD by practice from RMIT’s School of Media and Communication and had a fellowship from the AFI Research Collection (a specialist film library housed at RMIT). 

In his 2015 book on The Film of John Hughes’, academic and filmmaker John Cumming noted that "John Hughes is now one of Australia’s most respected and eminent filmmakers."

Story: Wendy Little