Born: Established: 30 Aug 1958 Sydney ; Died: 4 Nov 2011 Footscray West
Gender:
Female
Sarah Watt was an award winning film director, producer, and animator. She received a Masters degree from the Swinburne University of Technology.
In 1995, Watt's short film, Small Treasures, won Best Short at the Venice Film Festival. In 2000, Watt contributed animations for the SBS series Swim Between the Flags. Watt's first feature film, Look Both Ways, won four Australian Film Institute Awards, including Best Director. Her second feature film, My Year Without Sex, was released in 2009.
Watt was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006 and, later, with secondary cancer in her bones. Her death notice, in part, recognised 'a life of courage, humour, intelligence, generosity, honesty and grace'. (Saturday Age, 5 November 2011, p. 38)
Watt was married to actor and author, William McInnes. Part of the story of their shared life is told in the autobiography, Worse Things Happen at Sea.
'Worse Things Happen at Sea is about families, suburbs and homes, friends, love and day to day life written by bestselling author William McInnes and award winning filmmaker, photographer and animator Sarah Watt.
'In William's first book A Man's Got to Have a Hobby he wrote about family life in the 1960s with humour, affection and honesty. Worse Things Happen at Sea does the same for family life in 2000s; written by William and Sarah in a way that many Australians can relate to and enjoy.
'This book celebrates the wonderful, messy, haphazard things in life -- bringing home babies from hospital, being a friend, a parent, son or daughter, and dog obedience classes. It's about living for twenty years in the family home, raising children there, chasing angry rabbits around the backyard, renovations that never end. It is also about understanding that sometimes you have to say goodbye; that is part of life too.
'Illustrated throughout with Sarah Watt's photographs of family life and beautiful, everyday objects.' (From the publisher's website.)