Benjamin Law (born c.1982) is an Australian author, screenwriter and journalist. He is best known for his books The Family Law, a family memoir published in 2010, and the TV series of the same name. He hosts the radio programme and podcast Stop Everything! for ABC Radio National.
Benjamin Law | |
|---|---|
| Born | Nambour, Queensland, Australia |
| Occupation | Author, screenwriter, journalist |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Period | 2000s–present |
| Notable works | The Family Law, Gaysia |
| Relatives | Michelle Law (sister) |
| Website | |
| benjamin-law | |
Early life and education
editBorn in around 1982[1] Nambour, Queensland,[2] to immigrant parents from Hong Kong and Malaysia,[3] He was educated at Immanuel Lutheran College on the Sunshine Coast. He has a PhD in creative writing and cultural studies from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT).
He is openly gay.[4][5][better source needed]
Career
editThe Family Law is a family memoir published in 2010. It was a shortlisted nominee for Book of the Year at the 2011 Australian Book Industry Awards,[1] and was adapted by Matchbox Pictures into a six-part television series for the SBS network in 2016, which Law created and co-wrote with Marieke Hardy (Series 1) and Kirsty Fisher and Lawrence Leung (Series 2).[6] It won the Screen Producers Awards for Best Comedy (2016)[7] and was nominated for two AACTA Awards.[8] In 2012 Law published Gaysia: Adventures in the Queer East, a journalistic exploration of LGBT life in Asia.[9] At the 2012 Sydney Writers' Festival,[10] he presented on the topic of bullying, for a panel with Wendy Harmer and Paul Capsis.
In November 2015, he advocated for gay people in a public discussion hosted by Mildura Pride (a Mildura Rural City Council Initiative). The social inclusion initiative focused on making Mildura more welcoming for LGBTIQ communities.[11]
In April 2018, Law became an ambassador for the National Library of Australia.[12]
As a journalist, he has contributed to publications including Frankie, The Australian Financial Review, The Saturday Paper,[13] The Monthly (including a 2014 supplement on the Museum of Old and New Art), The Courier-Mail and its Qweekend supplement, Griffith Review, New Matilda,[14] Fairfax Media's Good Weekend magazine, The Big Issue and Crikey.[1]
Other roles
editLaw is founder member of the Australian Writers' Guild's Diversity and Inclusion Action Committee, along with Kodie Bedford and others.[15]
Bibliography
editBooks
edit- The Family Law (2010, ISBN 9781863954785)
- Gaysia: Adventures in the Queer East (2012, ISBN 9781863955768)
Co-authored
edit- Sh*t Asian mothers say, Collingwood, Vic. : Black Inc. (2014, ISBN 9781863956635) – with sister Michelle Law[16]
- Law School : sex and relationship advice from Benjamin Law and his mum Jenny Phang, Melbourne, Vic. Brow Books (2017, ISBN 9780994606853)
Contributed chapters
edit- "Tourism", pp. 147–152, and "Towards manhood", pp. 195–203, in: Growing up Asian in Australia, Melbourne, Black Inc. (2008, ISBN 9781863951913)
- In: Voracious: best new Australian food writing, edited by Paul McNally, Prahran, Vic. : Hardie Grant Books (2011, ISBN 9781742701202)
- In: I'm not racist but ... forty years of the Racial Discrimination Act, by Tim Soutphommasane, Sydney, N.S.W. NewSouth Publishing (2015, ISBN 9781742242057)
- In: The book that made me, edited by Judith Ridge, Newtown, NSW Walker Books Australia (2016, ISBN 9781922244888)
- "Beijing", pp. [43]-49, in: Best Australian comedy writing, edited by Luke Ryan, Affirm Press, South Melbourne, Victoria (2016, ISBN 9781925475265)
Introductions
edit- In: Me and Mr Booker, by Cory Taylor, Melbourne, Victoria : The Text Publishing Company (2017, ISBN 9781925498271)
Essays and reporting
edit- "Moral Panic 101 - Equality, Acceptance and the Safe Schools Scandal". Quarterly Essay. 67. Black Inc. 2017. ISBN 9781863959513.
- "Chinese-Australian history predates the first fleet – and my family helped me find out how". The Guardian, 24 July 2019.
Interviews
edit- The women who shaped my life (August 2010). Cleo, pp. 100–102.
- Morris, Linda (21 December 2012). "Benjamin Law". The Sydney Morning Herald, p. 6.
- Tabart, Sally (July 2019). "A Day In The Life Of Benjamin Law, Writer". The Design Files.
- Tabart, Sally (April 2020). "Times Like These... With Writer Ben Law". The Design Files.
As editor
edit- Growing Up Queer in Australia (2019, ISBN 9781760640866)
Filmography
editLaw's work includes:[17]
As writer
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2016-19 | The Family Law | Creator/script writer (based on his memoir) |
| 2017 | Sisters | Episode 3 |
| 2021 | New Gold Mountain | |
| 2023 | Wellmania |
As actor
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Freudian Slip | Jacob's Id | Web Series[18] |
Other work
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Deep Water: The Real Story | Researcher/associate producer | Documentary film |
| 2018 | Filthy Rich and Homeless | Himself/participant | Docuseries |
| 2018–present | That Startup Show[19] | Co-Host | Web series |
| 2019 | Waltzing the Dragon | Presenter | Two-part documentary |
| 2023 | Australian Survivor | Contestant | 11 episodes; 14th place |
Theatre
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Nassim | Performer (24 Jan performance | [20] |
| 2020 | Double Delicious | Performer | For Sydney Festival[21] |
| 2020 | Torch the Place | Writer | For Melbourne Theatre Company[22] |
Radio
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–present | Stop Everything![23] | Host | Podcast for ABC Radio National |
| 2019 | Look at me[24] | Host | Podcast for The Guardian |
References
edit- ^ a b c "Law unto himself: The Family Law author Benjamin Law". Meld, 27 March 2012.
- ^ Law, Benjamin (11 September 2014). "Benjamin Law". Retrieved 24 April 2016.
- ^ "Jenny Phang". The Wheeler Centre. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ "Over the rainbow". The Hindu, 20 December 2013.
- ^ "Gay, lesbian or queer writing". The Book Show, 7 February 2011.
- ^ "Benjamin Law Comedy in Production at Matchbox Pictures". Pedestrian Daily, 16 October 2013.
- ^ "Screen Producers Awards 2016: Winners | TV Tonight". 18 November 2016.
- ^ "AFI | AACTA | the Awards | Television Awards". Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
- ^ Robert Dessaix, "Queer and Loathing". The Monthly, September 2012.
- ^ Harmer, Wendy & Law, Benjamin & Capsis, Paul (2012), Bully for you, ABC1, Sydney, N.S.W.
- ^ "Benjamin Law visits Mildura to challenge homophobia". ABC News. 16 November 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
- ^ Doherty, Megan (6 April 2018). "Kaz Cooke, Benjamin Law among National Library's 50th anniversary ambassadors". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ "Benjamin Law" The Saturday Paper, 20 December 2014
- ^ "Benjamin Law Talks Dysfunctional Families and Anthropomorphic Genitals". 7 June 2010.
- ^ Groves, Don (15 May 2019). "Kodie Bedford takes the 'Mystery Road' to success". IF Magazine. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
- ^ "Michelle Law". AustLit. 27 July 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
- ^ "Benjamin Law". Retrieved 19 September 2024.
- ^ "Freudian slip web series premiere".
- ^ That Startup Show
- ^ "Nassim | Theatre in Melbourne". 5 December 2017.
- ^ "Double Delicious review | Theatre in Sydney". 9 January 2020.
- ^ "Benjamin Law's First Play Is a Painful Family Drama That Twists Into an Irresistible Comedy". Broadsheet. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
- ^ "Stop Everything". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 23 June 2023.
- ^ "Look at Me | The Guardian". www.theguardian.com. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
External links
edit- Official website
- Benjamin Law at IMDb
- Benjamin Law on Austlit
- Interview for No Filter
- The Kids are Alright Archived 2 August 2019 at the Wayback Machine speech for Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission
- Work for The Sydney Morning Herald
- Work for The Age