Ballarat’s Ben Plazzer received the best direction award for independent short film Noddy, which also took out best film and best screenplay.

Shot entirely in Ballarat, the film was produced by local filmmakers Ann Murison and Plazzer, and featured local Ballarat actors Thomas Gilchrist, Eden Revell and Sam Wills.

“We had tough competition and we were not expecting to come away with anything so we were kind of stunned,” Plazzer said.

“When they announced it I was wondering if I heard the name right, but before we had time to react we were whisked onto the stage, had a microphone thrown in our hands and it was then I realised why people prepare speeches.”

The comedy short tells the story of Mark Johnston who is nominated for Noddy of the Year and soon discovers that to be the best comes at a price.

“Noddy is a story about a professional nodder – you know those people who stand behind politicians nodding to subliminally reinforce the Prime Minister’s message of the day; but the real story is about a man disappearing from his family quite literally,” Plazzer said.

Plazzer said it was Murison’s screenplay that played a big role in the film’s success.

“Ann’s screenplay was fresh and gave us an original concept wrapped in a strong story which has heart.”

But Noddy won’t be the last of films by Plazzer and Murison filmed in Ballarat.

“We have a feature film we’d like to shoot here in a few years, so fi lming Noddy in Ballarat was a great way to test the waters and see what kind of logistical issues would arise.”