The Australian Academy of Cinema Television Arts has met with various screen industry guilds today to determine the future of the AACTA Awards.
IF understands the Academy is reviewing the 3rd AACTA Awards in light of financial constraints and is proposing to discontinue or change a number of award categories.
A renewed partnership between AACTA and the Guilds is also up for discussion and may result in the formation of an AACTA/Guilds Industry Working Group.
The AACTA awards were born in 2011 out of the Australian Film Awards, but it has taken only two years for the ceremony to come up against serious fiscal problems.
The loss of major sponsor Samsung in September 2012 dealt a huge blow to the fledgling awards and, despite the 2nd awards ceremony being attended by a number of high-profile stars including Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett and Geoffery Rush, the broadcast on Network Ten averaged just 318,000 viewers.
Interestingly, despite AACTA acknowledging their difficult financial situation, (AACTA CEO Damian Trewhella admitted to Fairfax media the Academy was suffering from a lack of support and marvelled the 2013 ceremony “went ahead at all,”) there are no reports of AACTA reviewing the AACTA International Awards held in Los Angeles.