Congratulations: Simon Butters

The Australian Writers’ Guild (AWG) has announced the winners of this year’s John Hinde Awards for Science Fiction for both a produced and unproduced script. The awards are intended to "encourage, reward and foster creativity in the development and showcasing of exceptional science fiction writing for feature film, short film, television, radio and interactive media."

The inaugural winner of the Unproduced category is Min Min, which was written by South Australian screenwriter, Simon Butters.

Min Min is a story of four carefree travellers who speed across the Nullabor Plain to find the perfect surf break but their night time journey is cut terrifyingly short when they are hunted by a strange, deadly light in the sky - the Min Min.

The Min Min Light is a phenomenon known to travelers in the Australian outback. I first learned of it in 1973, when I lived for a time at the town of Boulia in outback Queensland. The Boulia Shire has laid claim to being the "land of the Min Min Light" and the town celebrates the light with a Min Min Encounter Show for tourists.

I spent three months alone, living on the bank of the Burke River just outside Boulia, and I can tell you that the Outback, at night especially, can be a creepy place. I always had a loaded rifle close to hand, though that might have been due to the paranoia commonly experienced by people running marijuana plantations. (Thank God for the Statute of Limitations and a lenient view of youthful indiscretion.) 

Anyway, I wish Simon all the best with getting the script produced. It's a worthy subject for a "sci-fi thriller with a horror edge" and I look forward to seeing the final product.