IPSWICH homegrown online series Ruff & Ruby has earned a coveted nomination at the 2026 AACTA Awards – a major breakthrough for emerging writer/director Jessica Trinity Fisher and the all-Queensland team behind the project.
Announced by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts last week, the nomination places Ruff & Ruby among just six finalists in the Best Online Drama or Comedy Series category.
It comes after 26 contenders – including productions backed by major broadcasters – vied for a spot.
The 13-episode comedy-
drama, was created on a shoestring $10,000 grant through Screen Queensland’s 2024 Channel Lab: Short Cuts initiative. Shot entirely in Pine Mountain, Ipswich, the series features a cast of Queensland actors led by Jacy Lewis (Ruff) and Josephine Olton (Ruby), supported by a 34-strong local crew.
Since its release, Ruff & Ruby has amassed nearly one million views across YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, winning Best Australian Web Series at the 2025 Gold Coast Film Festival.
For Fisher, the nomination is more than industry recognition – it’s a win for Queensland storytellers.
“I’m committed to creating more opportunities here in Queensland for filmmakers, especially emerging directors and local actors who don’t usually get a look in on larger-scale productions,” she said.
“Our state attracts major productions that employ countless Queensland crew members who are some of the best in the world, but our writers, directors and actors still struggle to break into the industry in a meaningful way.”
Fisher said the performances delivered by the Queensland cast “stand strong alongside those you would see on bigger-scale productions”.
She also credited Screen Queensland’s support as pivotal.
“We wouldn’t have been able to make Ruff & Ruby without this grant,” she said.
Fisher said the series was inspired by the two women who raised her – her hardworking single mother and her Samoan grandmother, whose storytelling shaped her creative voice.
“Growing up, I saw firsthand how powerful women are, which is why I’m so deeply interested in creating more women-focused stories on screen,” she said.
Fresh from completing her Master’s degree at Griffith Film School, Fisher has already made waves in the industry, including being shortlisted for the Australian Writers’ Guild’s Emerging Writers’ Awards and named one of five participants in Screen Australia’s UNTAPPED Program.
“This nomination was only made possible by our hardworking cast and crew who battled everything – hail, humidity and even wrangling stray cows out of shots,” she said.
“We made this series with a great deal of grit and heart. This AACTA nomination proves that small budgets don’t always beat big dreams.”
Ruff & Ruby is now available to watch on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.
