Leah Purcell’s The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson and Thomas M Wright’s The Stranger lead the nominees for the Film Critics Circle of Australia (FCCA) Awards, to be announced later this month.
Both features are nominated for the Best Film prize alongside Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis and Western Sydney anthology feature Here Out West. Purcell and Wright are also nominated for Best Director and Best Screenplay alongside Luhrmann, who shares his writing nod with Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce and Jeremy Doner.
Purcell is also up for Best Actress alongside Seriously Red’s Krew Boylan and Ella Newton from Girl at the Window. Up for Best Actor are Austin Butler for Elvis, Rob Collins for The Drover’s Wife and Joel Edgerton for The Stranger.
Up for Best Documentary are The Lost City Of Melbourne, Man On Earth, No Bad Guys,
Senses Of Cinema and Volcano Man.
“The outstanding feature of the Australian films of 2022 is the high calibre of acting. Our best actors, whether leads or supporting, shone in a wide range of genres that in turn highlight the versatility of their talent. Whether a biopic, a crime thriller, an urban family drama, or an outback tale, our actors successfully rose to the challenges set by our valued writers and directors,” said Adrienne McKibbins, FCCA Awards manager.
“Similarly, the standard of Australian documentary features was extremely high. We are blessed to have such a range of talented documentarians that approach their varied subjects with fearlessness and sensitivity.”
The winners of the Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards will be announced February 28.
Best Film
The Drover’s Wife (Prod. Leah Purcell, Bain Stewart, David Jowsey, Greer Simpkin, Angela Littlejohn)
Elvis (Prod. Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Martin, Gail Berman)
Here Out West (Prod. Annabel Davis, Sheila Jayadev, Bree-Anne Sykes)
The Stranger (Prod. Joel Edgerton, Iain Canning, Kim Hodgert, Emile Sherman, Rachel Gardner, Kerry Kohansky-Roberts)
Best Director
Baz Luhrmann – Elvis
Leah Purcell – The Drover’s Wife
Thomas M Wright – The Stranger
Best Actress
Krew Boylan – Seriously Red
Ella Newton – Girl At The Window
Leah Purcell – The Drover’s Wife
Best Actor
Austin Butler – Elvis
Rob Collins – The Drover’s Wife
Joel Edgerton – The Stranger
Best Actor Supporting Role
Simon Baker – Blaze
Sean Harris – The Stranger
Anthony Hayes – Gold
Rasmus King – Bosch & Rockit
Best Actress Supporting Role
Jessica De Gouw – The Drover’s Wife
Karis Oka – Girl At The Window
Yael Stone – Blaze
Leeanna Walsman – Bosch & Rockit
Best Cinematography
Sam Chiplin – The Stranger
Mandy Walker ASC ACS – Elvis
Mark Wareham ACS – The Drover’s Wife
Best Screenplay
Baz Luhrmann, Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce, Jeremy Doner – Elvis
Leah Purcell – The Drover’s Wife
Thomas M Wright – The Stranger
Best Documentary Feature
The Lost City Of Melbourne (Dir. and Prod. Gus Berger)
Man On Earth (Dir. Amiel Courtin-Wilson, Prod. Alice Jamieson-Dowd, Amiel Courtin-Wilson)
No Bad Guys (Dir. George Gittoes, Prod. George Gittoes, Hellen Rose)
Senses Of Cinema (Dir. and Prod. John Hughes, Tom Zubrycki)
Volcano Man (Dir. James Crawley, Prod. Rhian Skirving, Tim Russell)