Australians in Film has announced that applications have now opened for 9th annual Heath Ledger Scholarship, awarded to Australian rising actors from ages 18-35 who demonstrate a long and potential career.
The scholarship is dedicated to the legacy of Australian actor Heath Ledger, whose extraordinary commitment to the craft of acting, most notably in his Oscar-winning performance as the menacing Joker in Christopher Nolan‘s The Dark Knight, left an everlasting effect on modern film, almost 10 years after his tragic passing in 2008.
The award aims to encourage and help develop the next generation of committed actors by granting them US$10,000, as well as two Quantas return airfares to Los Angeles. Benefactors for the award include the Ledger family, Michelle Williams, Naomi Watts, Hugh Jackman, Rose Byrne, Vince Vaughn, Liam Hemsworth, Alex O’Loughlin, Deborra-Lee Furness, Phillip Noyce, Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Martin, Gregor Jordan, Nicole Kidman and The Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
AIF Board member and Heath’s sister Kate Ledger says, “The scholarship is so very close to all our hearts. Seeing the struggles that Heath went through in making that transition with his international career and knowing the generosity of spirit he always showed, it’s really important to us that we continue the legacy, that started really in an unofficial way with Heath helping out his fellow Aussie actors.”
Past winners include Puberty Blues‘ Ashleigh Cummings, as well as Ryan Corr (Cleverman, The Water Diviner, Hoges), James McKay (The Dressmaker, Hacksaw Ridge, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales) and Bella Heathcote (Fifty Shades Darker, Dark Shadows, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies).
Applicants close on Ledger’s birthday, April 4th 2017 and applicants can apply here.
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