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
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
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
Law is founder member of the Australian Writers' Guild's Diversity and Inclusion Action Committee, along with Kodie Bedford and others.[15]
Bibliography
Books
- The Family Law (2010, ISBN 9781863954785)
- Gaysia: Adventures in the Queer East (2012, ISBN 9781863955768)
Co-authored
- 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
- "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
- In: Me and Mr Booker, by Cory Taylor, Melbourne, Victoria : The Text Publishing Company (2017, ISBN 9781925498271)
Essays and reporting
- "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
- 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
- Growing Up Queer in Australia (2019, ISBN 9781760640866)
Filmography
Law's work includes:[17]
As writer
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
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2018 | Freudian Slip | Jacob's Id | Web Series[18] |
Other work
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
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
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
External links
- 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