The movie Mad Max: Fury Road has become Australia’s most successful film in the history of the Academy Awards.
After being nominated in 10 categories the film, directed by Dr George Miller AO, won six Oscars at the 88th Academy Awards in Los Angeles.
While Dr Miller may have missed out on the Best Director Award, his wife Margaret Sixel won best Film Editing.Griffith Film School graduate Mandy Eyley was an Assistant Editor on the film. Mandy graduated with a Bachelor of Film & Screen Media Production in 2009.
The film also won Oscars for; Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing.
Dr Miller did win an Oscar for Happy Feet in 2007. He was also nominated for an Oscar for Babe (1996 Best Picture and Best-Writing – screenplay based on material from another medium), and Lorenzo’s Oil (1993 Best-Writing – screenplay written directly for the screen). He also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Picture for Babe in 1996.
In recognition of his outstanding contributions to film, Dr Miller was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1996 and was the recipient of the Queensland Advanced Expatriate Award in 2007. He has also been a member of the jury at the Cannes film festival in 1988 and 1999, Patron for the Australian Film Institute (2001-2004), Patron of the Brisbane International Film Festival, and Co-Patron for the Sydney Film Festival (2003).
In 2007, Dr Miller took time from his busy schedule to record a special welcome for the opening of the Griffith Film School building at South Bank.
In his welcome, he praised the foresight of the Queensland Government and the University in establishing the Film School in its wonderful location, and acknowledged the contribution of Griffith animation graduates to the making of the award winning animation film, Happy Feet.
Griffith awarded Dr Miller an Honorary Doctorate of the University in 2008.