Michael Ware and Bill Guttentag’s Only the Dead won three documentary prizes while Mad Max : Fury Road dominated the craft awards at the 5th AACTA Awards honouring screen excellence.
Accepting the award for best documentary director at The Star Event Centre on Monday night, an emotional Ware said, “This is for a film none of you has f—g seen. It is an Australian story that will be shown to the Americans and internationally."
HBO Documentary Films bought the US rights to the film produced by Paddy McDonald, which follows Ware as he reported from the Middle East as a war correspondent for Time Magazine and then CNN.
Only the Dead also won best editing (Jane Moran) and sound (Leah Katz, Andy Wright, Chris Goodes, Steve Burgess) in documentary.
Damon Gameau remarked, “It was a beast of a film to put together” as he accepted the best feature length documentary trophy for That Sugar Film. Deborah Masters and Sarah Ferguson’s The Killing Season was judged best TV documentary.
Receiving his fifth award for original music score in a documentary, this time for Sherpa, composer Antony Partos dedicated the prize to the 16 Sherpas who died on Everest during filming.
Oscar-winner Adam Elliot’s Ernie Biscuit was best short animation, adding to his five AFI wins in that category, while emerging director, cinematographer, composer and writer Dylan River’s Nulla Nulla was best fiction short.
The only acting prize presented on the night went to an animated Celia Pacquola for her performance in Utopia. Celia thanked the ABC for supporting Australian comedies and said she wished the producers Working Dog “could script my whole life.”
In other TV categories Deadline Gallipoli won the prize for Geoffrey Hall’s cinematography and for best sound (Des Kenneally, Robert Mackenzie, Justine Angus, Liam Price, Jed Dodge, and John Simpson.)
Shawn Seet took the award for best direction of a TV drama or comedy for episode 2 of Peter Allen-Not the Boy Next Door, which was also recognised for Jenny Miles’ costume design.
Accepting the award, the casually dressed Seet probably had the night’s best line, “I wasn’t aware I was up for this tonight.”
Seth Larney celebrated his first AACTA win for best direction in a TV light entertainment or reality series for Hipsters Episode 1 – What Is A Hipster?
Ready for This, the first production from Darren Dale, Miranda Dear and Joanna Werner’s Big Chance Films, was voted best children’s series while The Weekly with Charlie Pickering was best light entertainment series.
Herbert Pinter won best TV production design for part 1 of The Secret River while Nicholas Homes took the prize for best TV editing for Redfern Now- Promise Me. Cornel Wilczek's work on Glitch was judged best original music score in TV.
Life on the Reef episode 1 picked up the best cinematography gong for Nick Robinson, Luke Peterson and Jon Shaw.
Mad Max: Fury Road took home six awards including cinematography (John Seale), editing (Margaret Sixel), production design (Colin Gibson), sound (Chris Jenkins, Gregg Rudloff, Mark Mangini, Scott Hecker, David White, Ben Osmo and Wayne Pashley ) and visual effects or animation (Andrew Jackson, Holly Radcliffe, Dan Oliver, Andy Williams, Tom Wood and Fiona Crawford).
Tom Holkenborg aka Junkie XL won the best original music score for George Miller’s film. Accepting on his behalf, the director described him as “Dutch, polymath and a kind of music pop star who doesn’t realise how talented he is.”
Marion Boyce and Margot Wilson collected the costume design award for The Dressmaker. Best adapted screenplay went to Reg Cribb and Jeremy Sims for Last Cab to Darwin. Cribb noted at least six films this year had been adapted from plays and said his long-time collaborator Sims was “certifiably insane for letting the writer on set for seven weeks.”
Robert Connolly and Steve Worland took the gong for best original screenplay. Worland remarked, “We made this movie for our daughters.”
Rob Carlton hosted the evening and the presenters included Gracie Otto, Kieran Darcy-Smith, Martin Sacks, Kitty Flanagan, Tom Gleeson, Sara West, Sammy J, Ewen Leslie and Aaron Jeffrey.
The 5th AACTA Awards will be held at The Star Event Centre on December 9 , telecast on Channel 7 at 8:30 pm.
The full list of last night’s winners, marked (W) :
TELEVISION
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST CHILDREN'S TELEVISION SERIES
• LITTLE LUNCH Robyn Butler, Wayne Hope – ABC3
• THE NEW ADVENTURES OF FIGARO PHO Daniel Fill, Frank Verheggen, Luke Jurevicius – ABC3
• NOWHERE BOYS SERIES 2 Beth Frey – ABC3
• READY FOR THIS Darren Dale, Miranda Dear, Joanna Werner – ABC3 (W)
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION SERIES
• DIRTY LAUNDRY LIVE Tarni James, Peter Lawler, Rachel Millar, Richard Kelly – ABC
• JUDITH LUCY IS ALL WOMAN Anna Bateman, Judith Lucy – ABC
• JULIA ZEMIRO'S HOME DELIVERY Damian Davis, Polly Connolly, Nick Murray – ABC
• THE WEEKLY WITH CHARLIE PICKERING Charlie Pickering, Kevin Whyte, Chris Walker, Frank Bruzzese – ABC (W)
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTION IN A TELEVISION DRAMA OR COMEDY
• BANISHED Episode 7 Jeffrey Walker – FOXTEL – BBC First
• DEADLINE GALLIPOLI Part 1 Michael Rymer – FOXTEL – Showcase
• PETER ALLEN – NOT THE BOY NEXT DOOR Episode 2 Shawn Seet – Seven Network (W)
• THE PRINCIPAL Episode 1 Kriv Stenders – SBS
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTION IN A TELEVISION LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT OR REALITY SERIES
• HIPSTERS Episode 1 – What Is A Hipster? Seth Larney – SBS2 (W)
• JUDITH LUCY IS ALL WOMAN Episode 2 – Hanky Panky Anna Bateman – ABC
• JULIA ZEMIRO'S HOME DELIVERY Episode 7 – Waleed Aly Damian Davis – ABC
• KITCHEN CABINET Episode 7 – Clive Palmer Stamatia Maroupas – ABC
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE IN A TELEVISION COMEDY
• Nathan Lovejoy SAMMY J & RANDY IN RICKETTS LANE – ABC
• Celia Pacquola UTOPIA – ABC (W)
• Randy SAMMY J & RANDY IN RICKETTS LANE – ABC
• Emily Taheny SHAUN MICALLEF'S MAD AS HELL – ABC
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY IN TELEVISION
• BANISHED Episode 6 Martin McGrath ACS – FOXTEL – BBC First
• DEADLINE GALLIPOLI Part 1 Geoffrey Hall ACS – FOXTEL – Showcase (W)
• REDFERN NOW – PROMISE ME Mark Wareham ACS – ABC
• THE SECRET RIVER Part 1 Bruce Young – ABC
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST EDITING IN TELEVISION
• DEADLINE GALLIPOLI Part 1 Dany Cooper ASE, Martin Connor – FOXTEL – Showcase
• LITTLE LUNCH Episode 5 – The Top of the Fireman's Pole Annabelle Johnson – ABC3
• PETER ALLEN – NOT THE BOY NEXT DOOR Episode 1 Deborah Peart ASE – Seven Network
• REDFERN NOW – PROMISE ME Nicholas Holmes ASE – ABC (W)
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST SOUND IN TELEVISION
• BANISHED Episode 6 Paul ‘Salty’ Brincat, Gary Desmond, Dan Johnson – FOXTEL – BBC First
• DEADLINE GALLIPOLI Part 1 Des Kenneally, Robert Mackenzie, Liam Price, Jed Dodge, Justine Angus, John Simpson – FOXTEL – Showcase (W)
• PETER ALLEN – NOT THE BOY NEXT DOOR Episode 1 Grant Shepherd, Ashley Irwin, Ian Neilson, Ben Anderson, Nigel Croydon, Robert Sullivan – Seven Network
• REDFERN NOW – PROMISE ME Rainier Davenport, Ian McLoughlin CAS, Wes Chew, Tom Herdman, Annie Breslin, Blair Slater – ABC
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC SCORE IN TELEVISION
• DEADLINE GALLIPOLI Part 1 David Bridie – FOXTEL – Showcase
• GLITCH Episode 4 Cornel Wilczek – ABC (W)
• REDFERN NOW – PROMISE ME Antony Partos – ABC
• THE SECRET RIVER Part 1 Burkhard Dallwitz – ABC
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN IN TELEVISION
• BANISHED Episode 6 Claire Kenny – FOXTEL – BBC First
• DEADLINE GALLIPOLI Part 1 Pete Baxter – FOXTEL – Showcase
• PETER ALLEN – NOT THE BOY NEXT DOOR Episode 1 Tim Ferrier – Seven Network
• THE SECRET RIVER Part 1 Herbert Pinter – ABC (W)
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST COSTUME DESIGN IN TELEVISION
• HOUSE OF HANCOCK Part 1 Shareen Beringer – Nine Network
• MISS FISHER’S MURDER MYSTERIES SERIES 3 Episode 1 – Death Defying Feats Marion Boyce – ABC
• PETER ALLEN – NOT THE BOY NEXT DOOR Episode 1 Jenny Miles – Seven Network (W)
• THE SECRET RIVER Part 1 Edie Kurzer – ABC
SHORT FILM
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST SHORT ANIMATION
• ERNIE BISCUIT Adam Elliot (W)
• THE MEEK Laura DiMaio, Joe Brumm
• THE ORCHESTRA Mikey Hill, Melanie Brunt
• THE STORY OF PERCIVAL PILTS John Lewis, Janette Goodey
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST SHORT FICTION FILM
• FLAT DADDY Annie Kinnane, Matt Holcomb
• KARROYUL Kelrick Martin, Jaclyn Hewer, Melissa Kelly
• NULLA NULLA Dylan River, Tanith Glynn-Maloney (W)
• REG MAKES CONTACT Corrie Chen, Jiao Chen, Raquelle David
DOCUMENTARY
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST FEATURE LENGTH DOCUMENTARY
• GAYBY BABY Charlotte Mars
• ONLY THE DEAD Patrick McDonald, Michael Ware
• SHERPA Bridget Ikin, John Smithson
• THAT SUGAR FILM Nick Batzias, Damon Gameau (W)
• WOMEN HE’S UNDRESSED Damien Parer, Gillian Armstrong
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY TELEVISION PROGRAM PRESENTED BY FOXTEL MOVIES
• BETWEEN A FROCK AND A HARD PLACE Jo-anne McGowan – ABC
• THE CAMBODIAN SPACE PROJECT – NOT EASY ROCK'N'ROLL Richard Kuipers – ABC
• THE KILLING SEASON Deborah Masters, Sarah Ferguson – ABC (W)
• PRISON SONGS Harry Bardwell, Kelrick Martin – SBS
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTION IN A DOCUMENTARY
• THE KILLING SEASON Episode 2 – Great Moral Challenge (2009-2010) Deborah Masters – ABC
• ONLY THE DEAD Bill Guttentag, Michael Ware (W)
• PRISON SONGS Kelrick Martin – SBS
• URANIUM – TWISTING THE DRAGON’S TAIL Episode 1 – The Rock That Became A Bomb
• Wain Fimeri, Steve Westh – SBS
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY IN A DOCUMENTARY
• THE KILLING SEASON Episode 2 – Great Moral Challenge (2009-2010) Louie Eroglu ACS – ABC
• LIFE ON THE REEF Episode 1 Nick Robinson, Luke Peterson, Jon Shaw – ABC (W)
• PRISON SONGS Torstein Dyrting ACS – SBS
• SHERPA Renan Ozturk, Hugh Miller, Ken Sauls
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST EDITING IN A DOCUMENTARY
• THE CAMBODIAN SPACE PROJECT – NOT EASY ROCK'N'ROLL Andrea Lang ASE – ABC
• THE KILLING SEASON Episode 2 – Great Moral Challenge (2009-2010) Lile Judickas – ABC
• ONLY THE DEAD Jane Moran (W)
• SHERPA Christian Gazal
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST SOUND IN A DOCUMENTARY
• THE CAMBODIAN SPACE PROJECT – NOT EASY ROCK'N'ROLL Keith Thomas – ABC
• LIFE ON THE REEF Episode 1 Caspar Mazzotti, Craig Beckett, Dan Miau, Terry Meehan – ABC
• ONLY THE DEAD Steve Burgess, Leah Katz, Andy Wright, Chris Goodes CAS (W)
• PRISON SONGS Glenn Martin, Kim Lord – SBS
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC SCORE IN A DOCUMENTARY
• ONLY THE DEAD Michael Yezerski
• PRISON SONGS Shellie Morris, Casey Bennetto, Tim Cole – SBS
• SHERPA Antony Partos (W)
• URANIUM – TWISTING THE DRAGON’S TAIL Episode 1 – The Rock That Became A Bomb Dale Cornelius – SBS
FEATURE FILM
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
• CUT SNAKE Blake Ayshford
• KILL ME THREE TIMES James McFarland
• MAD MAX: FURY ROAD George Miller, Brendan McCarthy, Nico Lathouris
• PAPER PLANES Robert Connolly, Steve Worland (W)
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
• HOLDING THE MAN Tommy Murphy
• LAST CAB TO DARWIN Reg Cribb, Jeremy Sims (W)
• RUBEN GUTHRIE Brendan Cowell
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
• THE DRESSMAKER Donald M. McAlpine ACS ASC
• LAST CAB TO DARWIN Steve Arnold ACS
• MAD MAX: FURY ROAD John Seale ASC ACS (W)
• ODDBALL Damian Wyvill ACS
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST EDITING
• CUT SNAKE Andy Canny
• THE DRESSMAKER Jill Bilcock ACE ASE
• HOLDING THE MAN Dany Cooper ASE
• MAD MAX: FURY ROAD Margaret Sixel (W)
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST SOUND
• THE DRESSMAKER Andrew Ramage, Glenn Newnham, Chris Goodes CAS, David Williams, Mario Vaccaro, Alex Francis
• MAD MAX: FURY ROAD Ben Osmo, Chris Jenkins, Gregg Rudloff, David White, Mark Mangini, Scott Hecker, Wayne Pashley (W)
• PAPER PLANES Chris Goodes CAS, James Ashton, Emma Bortignon, Trevor Hope
• PARTISAN Robert Mackenzie, Dane Cody
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC SCORE
• THE DRESSMAKER David Hirschfelder
• MAD MAX: FURY ROAD Tom Holkenborg aka Junkie XL (W)
• PAPER PLANES Nigel Westlake
• PARTISAN Daniel Lopatin
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
• CUT SNAKE Jo Ford
• THE DRESSMAKER Roger Ford
• MAD MAX: FURY ROAD Colin Gibson (W)
• PARTISAN Steven Jones-Evans APDG, Sarah Cyngler
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST COSTUME DESIGN
• CUT SNAKE Cappi Ireland
• THE DRESSMAKER Marion Boyce, Margot Wilson (W)
• MAD MAX: FURY ROAD Jenny Beavan
• PARTISAN Maria Pattison, Sarah Cyngler
VISUAL EFFECTS OR ANIMATION
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST VISUAL EFFECTS OR ANIMATION
• AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON Christopher Townsend, Ryan Stafford, Paul Butterworth, Matt Estela
• MAD MAX: FURY ROAD Andrew Jackson, Holly Radcliffe, Dan Oliver, Andy Williams, Tom Wood, Fiona Crawford (W)
• PAN Chas Jarrett, Dan Barrow, Mark Holt, Marc Varisco, Alana Newell
• TED2 Glenn Melenhorst, Ineke Majoor