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Benjamin Law (writer)

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Benjamin Law
BornNambour, Queensland, Australia
OccupationAuthor, screenwriter, journalist
NationalityAustralian
Period2000s–present
Notable worksThe Family Law, Gaysia
RelativesMichelle Law (sister)
Website
benjamin-law.com

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.

Early life and education

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Born 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

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The 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

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Law is founder member of the Australian Writers' Guild's Diversity and Inclusion Action Committee, along with Kodie Bedford and others.[15]

Bibliography

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Books

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  • The Family Law (2010, ISBN 9781863954785)
  • Gaysia: Adventures in the Queer East (2012, ISBN 9781863955768)

Co-authored

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  • 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

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  • "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

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  • In: Me and Mr Booker, by Cory Taylor, Melbourne, Victoria : The Text Publishing Company (2017, ISBN 9781925498271)

Essays and reporting

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Interviews

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As editor

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Filmography

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Law's work includes:[17]

As writer

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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

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Year Title Role Notes
2018 Freudian Slip Jacob's Id Web Series[18]

Other work

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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

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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

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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

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  1. ^ a b c "Law unto himself: The Family Law author Benjamin Law". Meld, 27 March 2012.
  2. ^ Law, Benjamin (11 September 2014). "Benjamin Law". Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  3. ^ "Jenny Phang". The Wheeler Centre. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  4. ^ "Over the rainbow". The Hindu, 20 December 2013.
  5. ^ "Gay, lesbian or queer writing". The Book Show, 7 February 2011.
  6. ^ "Benjamin Law Comedy in Production at Matchbox Pictures". Pedestrian Daily, 16 October 2013.
  7. ^ "Screen Producers Awards 2016: Winners | TV Tonight". 18 November 2016.
  8. ^ "AFI | AACTA | the Awards | Television Awards". Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  9. ^ Robert Dessaix, "Queer and Loathing". The Monthly, September 2012.
  10. ^ Harmer, Wendy & Law, Benjamin & Capsis, Paul (2012), Bully for you, ABC1, Sydney, N.S.W.
  11. ^ "Benjamin Law visits Mildura to challenge homophobia". ABC News. 16 November 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  12. ^ Doherty, Megan (6 April 2018). "Kaz Cooke, Benjamin Law among National Library's 50th anniversary ambassadors". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  13. ^ "Benjamin Law" The Saturday Paper, 20 December 2014
  14. ^ "Benjamin Law Talks Dysfunctional Families and Anthropomorphic Genitals". 7 June 2010.
  15. ^ Groves, Don (15 May 2019). "Kodie Bedford takes the 'Mystery Road' to success". IF Magazine. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  16. ^ "Michelle Law". AustLit. 27 July 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  17. ^ "Benjamin Law". Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  18. ^ "Freudian slip web series premiere".
  19. ^ That Startup Show
  20. ^ "Nassim | Theatre in Melbourne". 5 December 2017.
  21. ^ "Double Delicious review | Theatre in Sydney". 9 January 2020.
  22. ^ "Benjamin Law's First Play Is a Painful Family Drama That Twists Into an Irresistible Comedy". Broadsheet. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  23. ^ "Stop Everything". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 23 June 2023.
  24. ^ "Look at Me | The Guardian". www.theguardian.com. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
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