‘Jirga’ won the AACTA for Best Indie Film.
Director Benjamin Gilmour’s Jirga took home the inaugural AACTA Award for Best Indie Film – designed to honour films made under $2 million – at the AACTA Industry Luncheon in Sydney yesterday.
The film, produced by John Maynard, beat out Strange Colours, Brothers’ Nest, West of Sunshine and The Second. Starring Sam Smith as a former Australian soldier who returns to Afghanistan seeking forgiveness, Jirga is also Australia’s submission for Best Foreign Language Film at the upcoming Academy Awards.
Some 35 awards were given away at yesterday’s AACTA event, hosted by actress Kat Stewart and comedian Nazeem Hussain. Other key feature film winners were Sweet Country and Ladies in Black, which each took home three gongs.
David Tranter and Steven McGregor won Best Original Screenplay for Sweet Country, while film’s director and DOP Warwick Thornton was honoured with the award for Best Cinematography and Nick Meyers took home Best Editing. The film is nominated another four awards on Wednesday evening, including Best Film, Best Direction for Thornton, Best Lead Actor for Hamilton Morris and Best Supporting Actress for Natassia Gorey-Furber.
Warwick Thornton with his AACTA Award for Best Cinematography for ‘Sweet Country’ (Photo: Lisa Maree Williams)Ladies in Black took home Best Costume Design thanks to Wendy Cork; Best Hair and Makeup for Jen Lamphee, Anna Gray and Beth Halsted; and Best Original Music Score for the work of Christopher Gordon. Directed by Bruce Beresford, the 1959-set film is also up on Wednesday Best Film, Best Direction, Best Adapted Screenplay and sees both Julia Ormond and Angourie Rice up for Best Lead Actress and Noni Hazelhurst up Best Supporting Actress.
Animal Logic Entertainment/Olive Bridge Entertainment’s Peter Rabbit took home Best Production Design and Best Visual Effects or Animation.
In television, Foxtel/Fremantle’s Picnic at Hanging Rock led the pack, taking home three awards including Best Cinematography in Television, Best Production Design in Television and Best Costume Design in Television.
SBS/Matchbox Pictures’ Safe Harbour won two gongs, with Glendyn Ivin awarded Best Direction in a Television Drama or Comedy and Belinda Chayko Best Screenplay in Television. Bunya Productions’ Mystery Road won Best Original Music Score in Television thanks to Antony Partos and Matteo Zingales and Best Editing in Television for the work of Deborah Peart.
Giant Dwarf’s ode to parenthood, The Letdown, won Best Comedy Program; Jonathan M. Shiff’s The Bureau of Magical Things Best Children’s Program and Every Cloud Productions’ Deadlock won Best Online Video or Series.
In documentary, director Jen Peedom’s Mountain scored three awards out of a potential four: Best Cinematography in a Documentary for Renan Ozturk;Best Original Score in a Documentary for Australian Chamber Orchestra leader and artistic director Richard Tognetti AO; and Best Sound in a Documentary for David White and Robert Mackenzie. It was one of two awards on the day for Mackenzie, who also won Best Sound for Breath with Jed Dodge, Trevor Hope and Tara Webb.
Northern Pictures’ Employable Me won with Best Documentary or Factual Program, and Ghosthunter took home Best Editing in a Documentary.
The inaugural award for casting, introduced after consultation with the Casting Guild of Australia, went to Allison Meadows for ABC telemovie Riot, about the 1970s Gay Rights Movement.
Charles Williams’ Palme d’Or winning short All These Creatures took home Best Short Film, and Lost & Found Best Short Animation.
The AACTA Awards Ceremony will be held Wednesday December 5 at The Star Event Centre in Sydney.
The full list of winners:
TELEVISION
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST COMEDY PROGRAM
- THE LETDOWN Julian Morrow, Sarah Scheller, Alison Bell – ABC/Giant Dwarf
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST CHILDREN’S PROGRAM
- THE BUREAU OF MAGICAL THINGS Jonathan M. Shiff, Stuart Wood – Eleven/Jonathan M. Shiff Productions
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTION IN A TELEVISION DRAMA OR COMEDY
- SAFE HARBOUR Episode 1 Glendyn Ivin – SBS/Matchbox Pictures
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTION IN NONFICTION TELEVISION
- HAWKE: THE LARRIKIN AND THE LEADER Episode 1 – The Apprenticeship Bruce Permezel –ABC/Southern Pictures
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST SCREENPLAY IN TELEVISION
- SAFE HARBOUR Episode 1 Belinda Chayko – SBS/Matchbox Pictures
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY IN TELEVISION
- PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK Episode 1 Garry Phillips – Foxtel/Showcase/FremantleMedia Australia
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST EDITING IN TELEVISION
- MYSTERY ROAD Episode 5 – The Waterhole Deborah Peart – ABC/Bunya Productions
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST SOUND IN TELEVISION
- ROMPER STOMPER Episode 3 Greg Burgmann, Frank Lipson, Andrew McGrath – Stan/Roadshow Rough Diamond
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC SCORE IN TELEVISION
- MYSTERY ROAD Episode 4 – Silence Antony Partos, Matteo Zingales – ABC/Bunya Productions
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN IN TELEVISION
- PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK Episode 1 Jo Ford – Foxtel/Showcase/FremantleMedia Australia
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST COSTUME DESIGN IN TELEVISION
- PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK Episode 1 Edie Kurzer – Foxtel/Showcase/FremantleMedia Australia
FEATURE FILM
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST INDIE FILM PRESENTED BY EVENT CINEMAS
- JIRGA Benjamin Gilmour (Dir), John Maynard – Felix Media Pty Ltd
- SWEET COUNTRY David Tranter, Steven McGregor – Bunya Productions
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
- SWEET COUNTRY Warwick Thornton – Bunya Productions
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST EDITING
- SWEET COUNTRY Nick Meyers – Bunya Productions
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST SOUND
- BREATH Robert Mackenzie, Trevor Hope, Jed Dodge, Tara Webb – Gran Via, Windalong Films & See Pictures
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC SCORE
- LADIES IN BLACK Christopher Gordon – Lumila Films
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
- PETER RABBIT Roger Ford, Lisa Thompson – Animal Logic Entertainment & Olive Bridge Entertainment
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST COSTUME DESIGN
- LADIES IN BLACK Wendy Cork – Lumila Films
- EMPLOYABLE ME Karina Holden, Sue Clothier, Jenni Wilks – ABC/Northern Pictures
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY IN A DOCUMENTARY
- MOUNTAIN Renan Ozturk – Stranger Than Fiction Films Pty Ltd
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST EDITING IN A DOCUMENTARY
- GHOSTHUNTER Karen Johnson – Ghosthunter One
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST SOUND IN A DOCUMENTARY
- MOUNTAIN David White, Robert Mackenzie – Stranger Than Fiction Films Pty Ltd
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC SCORE IN A DOCUMENTARY
- MOUNTAIN Richard Tognetti – Stranger Than Fiction Films Pty Ltd
CASTING
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST CASTING PRESENTED BY CASTING NETWORKS
- RIOT Allison Meadows – ABC/Werner Film Productions
ONLINE VIDEO OR SERIES
- DEADLOCK Fiona Eagger, Deb Cox, Belinda Mravicic, Billie Pleffer – Every Cloud Productions
VISUAL EFFECTS OR ANIMATION
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST VISUAL EFFECTS OR ANIMATION
- PETER RABBIT Will Reichelt, Simon Whiteley, Simon Pickard, Peter Stubbs, Jason Bath, Brian Lynch, Matt Middleton – Animal Logic
HAIR AND MAKEUP
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP
- LADIES IN BLACK Jen Lamphee, Anna Gray, Beth Halsted – Lumila Films
SUBSCRIPTION TELEVISION
AACTA SUBSCRIPTION TELEVISION AWARD FOR BEST FEMALE PRESENTER
- Shaynna Blaze SELLING HOUSES AUSTRALIA – Foxtel/Lifestyle/Beyond Productions
AACTA SUBSCRIPTION TELEVISION AWARD FOR BEST MALE PRESENTER
-
Andrew Winter LOVE IT OR LIST IT AUSTRALIA, SELLING HOUSES AUSTRALIA – Foxtel/Lifestyle/Beyond Productions
- Scott Ryan MR INBETWEEN – Foxtel/Showcase/Blue-Tongue Films and Jungle Entertainment
- SKY NEWS LEADERSHIP SPILL David Speers, Kieran Gilbert, Laura Jayes – Foxtel/Sky News/Sky News
-
FINALS FOOTY ON FOX: RICHMOND V COLLINGWOOD Ben Roberts, Zach Larkins, Leigh Carlson, Michael Neill – Foxtel/Fox Sports/ Fox Sports Australia Pty Ltd
SHORT FILM
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST SHORT ANIMATION
- LOST & FOUND Lucy Hayes, Andrew Goldsmith, Bradley Slabe – Wabi Sabi Studios
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST SHORT FICTION FILM
- ALL THESE CREATURES Charles Williams, Elise Trenorden – Simpatico Film Pty Ltd