Wednesday's AACTA Awards saw a trifecta for Jennifer Kent, who took home Best Film, Best Direction and Best Screenplay for 'The Nightingale', with star Aisling Franciosi also winning Best Lead Actress.
The ABC added feature documentaries 'The Australian Dream', 'Firestarter – The Story of Bangarra' and natural history and science series 'Australia Remastered' to its slate.
The Australian films and feature docs released in cinemas last year, including minor contributions from holdovers, generated more than $40.2 million.
Exhibitors have renewed calls to address the challenges facing most Aussie films in the crowded theatrical market.
The box office results for the Australian films and feature docs released in cinemas this year underline yet again the deep polarisation in the indie film market between the higher earners and the also-rans.
Warner Bros/New Line’s 'It Chapter Two' and Roadshow’s 'The Farewell' injected some much-needed life into the flagging Australian box office last weekend while two new Oz releases struggled.
The racist slurs which ended the football career of Sydney Swans star Adam Goodes dominated the national conversation for weeks in the lead-up to the premieres of Ian Darling’s The Final Quarter and Daniel Gordon’s The Australian Dream.
While Jennifer Kent’s 'The Nightingale' has achieved an 86 per cent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes since the world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, many critics have described the tale of rape, murder as revenge as harrowing and bleak.