Netflix series Boy Swallows Universe is well on its way to topping the winners’ list at this year’s AACTA Awards, converting six of its 11 nominations at the Industry Gala at the Gold Coast on Wednesday night.
The Queensland-shot adaptation of Trent Dalton’s best-selling novel was recognised for casting, cinematography, direction, editing, production design, and sound to be the only multiple winner in the television categories.
The film awards proved to be a two-horse race between George Miller’s Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and Michael Gracey’s Better Man, which both snared five gongs. The Robbie Williams-inspired drama, which leads the overall film nominations with 16 nods, took home prizes for casting, editing, original score, screenplay, and visual effects, for which it has also secured an Oscar nomination. Miller’s Mad Max prequel won awards for cinematography, costume design, production design, sound, and hair and makeup.
Elsewhere, Jack Clark and Jim Weir’s indie drama Birdeater was named Best Indie Film, while Madeleine Hetherton-Miau’s Mozart’s Sister was a multiple winner in the documentary section, awarded Best Original Score and Best Sound.
Wednesday’s ceremony at HOTA, hosted by Stephen Curry, precedes the AACTA Awards on Friday evening, to be broadcast on Channel Ten at 7.30pm AEDT that evening.
The full list of winners is as follows:
Television
AACTA Award for Best Casting in Television presented by Casting Networks
- Boy Swallows Universe – Nikki Barrett
AACTA Award for Best Cinematography in Television
- Boy Swallows Universe – Episode 4 – Shelley Farthing-Dawe
AACTA Award for Best Comedy Performer
- Tom Gleeson – Hard Quiz
AACTA Award for Best Costume Design in Television
- Ladies in Black – Episode 2 – Marion Boyce
AACTA Award for Best Direction in Drama or Comedy
- Boy Swallows Universe – Episode 1 – Bharat Nalluri
AACTA Award for Best Direction in Nonfiction Television
- Muster Dogs – Episode 3 – Sally Browning, Monica O’Brien
AACTA Award for Best Documentary or Factual Program
- Miriam Margolyes Impossibly Australian – Jo Siddiqui, Helen Barrow, Paulo Vivan, Laurie Critchley, Julie Hanna – Southern Pictures Pty Ltd (ABC)
AACTA Award for Best Editing in Television
- Boy Swallows Universe – Episode 4 – Mark Perry
AACTA Award for Best Entertainment Program presented by EMG/Gravity Media
- Spicks and Specks – Rowdie Walden, Michiko Smith, Anthony Watt – ABC (ABC)
AACTA Award for Best Lifestyle Program
- Grand Designs Australia – Brooke Bayvel, Michael Collett – Fremantle Australia (ABC)
AACTA Award for Best Original Score in Television
- Bluey – Episode 2 – Joff Bush, Daniel O’Brien, Jazz Darcy, Joseph Twist
AACTA Award for Best Production Design in Television
- Boy Swallows Universe – Episode 4 – Michelle McGahey
AACTA Award for Best Sound in Television
- Boy Swallows Universe – Episode 4 – Sam Hayward, Scott Mulready, Danielle Wiessner, Nigel Christensen
Film
AACTA Award for Best Casting in Film presented by Casting Networks
- Better Man – Alison Telford, Kate Leonard, Kate Dowd
AACTA Award for Best Cinematography in Film
- Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – Simon Duggan
AACTA Award for Best Costume Design in Film
- Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – Jenny Beavan
AACTA Award for Best Editing in Film presented by Spectrum Films
- Better Man – Martin Connor, Lee Smith, Spencer Susser, Jeff Groth, Patrick Correll
AACTA Award for Best Indie Film
- Birdeater – Jack Clark (Dir.), Jim Weir (Dir.), Ulysses Oliver, Stephanie Troost – Breathless Films and Fax Machine
AACTA Award for Best Original Score in Film
- Better Man – Batu Sener
AACTA Award for Best Production Design in Film
- Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – Colin Gibson, Katie Sharrock
AACTA Award for Best Screenplay in Film
- Better Man – Simon Gleeson, Oliver Cole, Michael Gracey
AACTA Award for Best Sound in Film
- Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – Robert Mackenzie, Ben Osmo, James Ashton, Yulia Akerholt, Jessica Meier, Tom Holkenborg.
DOCUMENTARY
AACTA Award for Best Cinematography in a Documentary
- The Musical Mind: A Portrait In Process – Geoffrey Hall, Emerson Hoskin
AACTA Award for Best Editing in a Documentary
- Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line – Gretchen Peterson
AACTA Award for Best Original Score in a Documentary
- Mozart’s Sister – Jessica Wells
AACTA Award for Best Sound in a Documentary
- Mozart’s Sister – Damian Jory
SHORT FILM
AACTA Award for Best Short Film
- Gorgo – Katie Amos, Veniamin Gialouris, Danielle Stamoulos – Australian Film, Television and Radio School
ONLINE
AACTA Award for Best Online Drama or Comedy
- Buried – Fran Derham, Charlotte George, Miriam Glaser – Frantales Productions
OTHER
AACTA Award for Best Hair and Makeup
- Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – Lesley Vanderwalt, Larry Van Duynhoven, Matteo Silvi, Luca Vannella
AACTA Award for Best Soundtrack
- Heartbreak High – Jemma Burns
AACTA Award for Best Visual Effects or Animation
- Better Man – Luke Millar, Andy Taylor, Craig Young, Tim Walker – Wētā