The nominations for the first official Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards were announced in Sydney today, with acclaimed local productions The Hunter and The Eye of the Storm leading a pack that also included box office success stories Snowtown, Red Dog, and Oranges and Sunshine.
In an effort to align itself with the United States’ Academy Awards and the United Kingdom’s BAFTAs, the Australian Film Institute ditched the AFI awards in favour of the new AACTAs.
Here are the nominations for their first ever ceremony:
Best Film
The Eye of the Storm
The Hunter
Mad Bastards
Oranges and Sunshine
Red Dog
Snowtown
Best Direction
Fred Schepisi – The Eye of the Storm
Daniel Nettheim – The Hunter
Kriv Stenders – Red Dog
Justin Kurzel – Snowtown
Best Original Screenplay
Leon Ford - Griff the Invisible
Sean Byrne – The Loved Ones
Brendan Fletcher, Dean Daley-Jones, Greg Tait, John Watson – Mad Bastards
Patrick Hughes – Red Hill
Best Adapted Screenplay
Judy Morris – The Eye of the Storm
Alice Addison – The Hunter
Daniel Taplitz – Red Dog
Shaun Grant – Snowtown
AFI Members’ Choice
The Eye of the Storm
The Hunter
Mad Bastards
Oranges and Sunshine
Red Dog
Snowtown
Best Lead Actor
Willem Dafoe – The Hunter
Daniel Henshall – Snowtown
Goeffrey Rush – The Eye of the Storm
David Wenham – Oranges and Sunshine
Best Lead Actress
Judy Davis – The Eye of the Storm
Frances O’Connor – The Hunter
Charlotte Rampling – The Eye of the Storm
Emily Watson – Oranges and Sunshine
Best Supporting Actor
John Gaden – The Eye of the Storm
Sam Neill – The Hunter
Robert Rabiah – Face to Face
Hugo Weaving – Oranges and Sunshine
Best Supporting Actress
Morgana Davis – The Hunter
Louise Harris – Snowtown
Helen Morse – The Eye of the Storm
Alexandra Schepisi – The Eye of the Storm
The following categories were previously announced in August:
Best Feature Length Documentary:
Life in Movement
Mrs. Carey’s Concert
Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure
The Tall Man
Best Short Animation:
Forget Me Not
The Missing Key
The Moment
Nullarbor
Best Short Fiction Film:
Adam’s Tallit
Cropped
The Palace
The Telegram Man
To see the full list of AACTA nominations, including the Technical and Television categories, head to the official website. The winners will be announced at a ceremony held in January 2012.
