Chris Nyst
Encyclopedia
Chris Nyst in Blackall, Queensland
, is an Australia
n solicitor
and crime fiction
writer.
Chris Nyst is the founding principal of Nyst Lawyers. In 2001, Chris resigned as a senior partner with the international Minter Ellison Legal Group to set up a boutique litigation practice with a hand-picked group of hard-hitting litigators.
Recognised as one of Australia’s leading litigators and a specialist in criminal law and international extradition law, Chris is an adjunct professor of law with the Griffith University
. He is a senior member of the International Commission of Jurists
and was a special adviser to the UN investigation into human rights violations in East Timor. He is a founder and current executive member of the internationally renowned Griffith University Innocence Project.
In 1999, Chris turned his hand to fiction writing his first novel “Cop This!” which was assessed as “superb” by the Melbourne Age and saw him acclaimed as “Australia’s John Grisham” by Bulletin/Newsweek Magazine. His second novel “Gone” was short-listed for the Queensland Premier’s Literary Awards and his third novel “Crook as Rookwood” won the 2006 Ned Kelly Award, Australia’s leading accolade for crime fiction.
Chris launched his career in film with the acclaimed Australian movie “Gettin’ Square”, starring David Wenham
and Sam Worthington
, which he wrote and co-produced. The film won Chris the 2003 Lexus IF Award for Best Screenplay and won David Wenham the Best Actor award at the AFI Awards, the Critic’s Circle Awards, the Lexus IF Awards and the Australian Comedy Awards.
In 2006, Chris established his own production company Nyst Entertainment, which produced the 2007 feature film “Crooked Business”. He wrote and directed the film, which was released nationally in 2008.
Chris has recently been appointed as a Director to the Board of Screen Queensland.
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, is an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
and crime fiction
Crime fiction
Crime fiction is the literary genre that fictionalizes crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred...
writer.
Chris Nyst is the founding principal of Nyst Lawyers. In 2001, Chris resigned as a senior partner with the international Minter Ellison Legal Group to set up a boutique litigation practice with a hand-picked group of hard-hitting litigators.
Recognised as one of Australia’s leading litigators and a specialist in criminal law and international extradition law, Chris is an adjunct professor of law with the Griffith University
Griffith University
Griffith University is a public, coeducational, research university located in the southeastern region of the Australian state of Queensland. The university has five satellite campuses located in the Gold Coast, Logan City and in the Brisbane suburbs of Mount Gravatt, Nathan and South Bank. Current...
. He is a senior member of the International Commission of Jurists
International Commission of Jurists
The International Commission of Jurists is an international human rights non-governmental organization. The Commission itself is a standing group of 60 eminent jurists , including members of the senior judiciary in Australia, Canada, and South Africa and the former UN High Commissioner for Human...
and was a special adviser to the UN investigation into human rights violations in East Timor. He is a founder and current executive member of the internationally renowned Griffith University Innocence Project.
In 1999, Chris turned his hand to fiction writing his first novel “Cop This!” which was assessed as “superb” by the Melbourne Age and saw him acclaimed as “Australia’s John Grisham” by Bulletin/Newsweek Magazine. His second novel “Gone” was short-listed for the Queensland Premier’s Literary Awards and his third novel “Crook as Rookwood” won the 2006 Ned Kelly Award, Australia’s leading accolade for crime fiction.
Chris launched his career in film with the acclaimed Australian movie “Gettin’ Square”, starring David Wenham
David Wenham
David Wenham is an Australian actor who has appeared in movies, television series and theatre productions. He is known in Hollywood for his roles as Faramir in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, Carl in Van Helsing and Dilios in 300 and Neil Fletcher in Australia...
and Sam Worthington
Sam Worthington
Samuel Henry J. "Sam" Worthington is an English born, Australian actor. After almost a decade of roles in Australian TV shows and films, Worthington gained Hollywood's attention by playing Marcus Wright in Terminator Salvation and the lead role, Jake Sully, in James Cameron's science...
, which he wrote and co-produced. The film won Chris the 2003 Lexus IF Award for Best Screenplay and won David Wenham the Best Actor award at the AFI Awards, the Critic’s Circle Awards, the Lexus IF Awards and the Australian Comedy Awards.
In 2006, Chris established his own production company Nyst Entertainment, which produced the 2007 feature film “Crooked Business”. He wrote and directed the film, which was released nationally in 2008.
Chris has recently been appointed as a Director to the Board of Screen Queensland.
Awards and nominations
- Australian Film InstituteAustralian Film InstituteThe Australian Film Institute was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry...
(AFI) Awards, Best Film, 2003: nominated for "Gettin' Square" - Australian Film InstituteAustralian Film InstituteThe Australian Film Institute was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry...
(AFI) Awards, Best Original Screenplay, 2003: nominated for "Gettin' Square" - New South Wales Premier's Literary AwardsNew South Wales Premier's Literary AwardsThe New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards were established in 1979 by the New South Wales Premier Neville Wran. Commenting on its purpose, Wran said: "We want the arts to take, and be seen to take, their proper place in our social priorities...
, Script Writing Award, 2004: shortlisted for "Gettin' Square" - Ned Kelly AwardsNed Kelly AwardsThe Ned Kelly Awards are Australia's leading literary awards for crime writing in both the crime fiction and true crime genres...
for Crime Writing, Best Novel, 2006: joint winner for Crook as Rookwood