Rahel Romahn was named 11th recipient for the Heath Ledger Scholarship. This is the most valuable acting prize in Australia.
The Heath Ledger scholarship is awarded to an Australian actor who has exceptional talent and is dedicated to their craft and wishes to train and work internationally. Many past recipients have gone on to international careers, including Bella Heathcote.The Best Pieces of Her), Cody Fern (American Horror Story), Ashleigh Cummings (Citadel),Mojean Aria (The Enforcerand Charmaine Bingwa (The Good Fight).
Ledger, who was suffering from an accidental overdose due to medication poisoning, died January 22, 2008. He had just finished filming his role as the Joker inThe Dark Knight.Romahn starred most recently in the series Shantaram, as well asMr InBetweenAndLittle Monsters. He was nominated for an AACTA and Logie award for his role inThe Principal. He is based in Sydney and does not, as yet, have US representation.Romahn was announced today in a live online ceremony. She was chosen by a jury headed by Chris Hemsworth, an actor from around the world.Thor:Love and Thunder, Extraction), Oscar-nominated Jacki Weaver (Animal KingdomSilver Lining Playbook), UK casting director Nina Gold (Star Wars, Game of Thrones And Power of the Dog), director Rachel Perkins (Total Control, Mystery Road) and US actor Alia Shawkat (Search Party, Animals).“The calibre of this year’s finalists made our job as judges very difficult,”Weaver. “We were moved and entertained by their performances and know that they all have a big career ahead of them. There can only be one winner and we are proud and excited to award Rahel with this scholarship. He embodies the qualities of excellence in acting combined with the passion and dedication to excel on the world stage. I wish him every success and can’t wait to work with him!”Romahn was born Kurdistan in North Iraq. He fled war-torn Kurdistan with his parents and lived as a nomadic asylum seeker for many years until they were accepted into Australia. Romahn worked tirelessly since then on his career in theatre, television, film and television. Other credits include Here, Out WestGod’s Favourite Idiot,Australian Gangster,Ali’s Weddingand the stage play7for the Sydney Theater Company.“Throughout my life, I have learnt a lot from the leaders of the craft of acting,”Romahn stated. “From Heath I learned the power of vulnerability, the importance of bravery and the necessity of supporting the ones around you. These are extremely vital aspects to being a performer in our industry.“I want to highlight the importance of inclusivity. I am so proud of our industry for putting diversity at the top of our priority list. Leading by example and creating a safe haven for people of colour, the LGBTQI+ and gender diverse community. It is so simple, we are all human and deserve to be treated with respect and safety. Discrimination has gone on long enough and I believe we are getting closer and closer to becoming one big family who finally accept and learn to understand and love one another.”Charmaine Bingwa was the one who announced Romahn this morning. “It’s never lost on me, for one moment, what a rich bounty the Heath Ledger Scholarship has brought me. It was one of the most beautifully transformative experiences. In a short space of time it put me on the path to working with world-class talents on world-class projects. I am forever grateful to Heath, his remarkable legacy and his benevolent family. I’m thrilled for the next recipient and the incredible opportunities that lie before them.”The finalists this year included Max Brown (The Tourist, The Gloaming), Mabel Li (The Tailings and New Gold Mountain), Andrea Solonge (Privileged, Girl, Interpreted), Zoe Terakes (Wentworth, Nine Perfect Strangers) and Harvey Zielinski (Don’t Look Deeper, My First Summer).This year’s prizes include a US$10,000 cash award to help the recipient pay for living expenses while studying in the US, a return economy flight to America, and educational training and career preparation worth more than US$40K/AUS$50K.
The Heath Ledger Scholarship is supported by the Australians & Hollywood exhibition at the National Film and Sound Archive, currently in Canberra.