The Australian Film Institute's professional members and its general membership agree: the six best Aussie films of the year are The Hunter,The Eye of the Storm, Red Dog, Snowtown, Oranges and Sunshine and Mad Bastards.
These are the films that have received the most nominations in the newly established Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Awards and also the films that are in the running to win both the AACTA Award for Best Film and the AFI Members Choice Award.
The nominations were read out by Adam Elliot and actors Alexandra Schepisi, Daniel Henshall and Claudia Karvan earlier today at a big gathering at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney.
The thriller The Hunter, set in the wilds of Tasmania, topped the list with 14 nominations but the appeal of the goings-on within the wealthy Sydney Hunter family meant the period drama The Eye of the Storm received only two less nominations.
Snowtown, which told the true story of South Australia's chilling bodies-in-the-barrels crime, scored 10 nominations, and this year's box office hit, centred on Australia's favourite kelpie, Red Dog, earned eight. Oranges And Sunshine, which told a heartbreaking story about children sent to Australia from the UK, received seven nods, and the heartfelt Kimberley story Mad Bastards received five.
The Eye of the Storm received half of its nominations total courtesy of the acting categories. Charlotte Rampling, who played the matriarch Elizabeth Hunter, was nominated alongside the two actors who played her on-screen children, Geoffrey Rush and Judy Davis. Plus the director's daughter, Alexandra Schepisi, John Gaden and Helen Morse, were named in the supporting actor categories.
The other foreign actor in the running for an AACTA Award besides Rampling is Willem Dafoe for his performance in The Hunter. The film had the next highest number of nomination, with actors Frances O'Connor, Sam Neill and youngster Morgana Davies also grabbing the judges' attention.
That said, Lucas Yeeda is also nominated in a special award for young actors for his part in Mad Bastards.
The same set of four films – The Hunter, The Eye of the Storm, Red Dog and Snowtown – are vying for the top award in both the directing and adapted screenplay categories. The nominations in the original screenplay category are, generally, for less well known films being Griff The Invisible, The Loved Ones, Mad Bastards and Red Hill.
The AACTA Awards were launched in August and take over from the Australian Film Institute Awards. The inaugural winners will be announced across two events: at a lunch at the Westin Hotel in Sydney on January 15, timed to coincide with the G'Day USA Black Tie Gala in LA on January 14; and at an evening ceremony at the Sydney Opera House on January 31.
The full list of nominations is as follows.
FEATURE FILM
BEST FILM
The Eye Of The Storm, Antony Waddington, Gregory Read, Fred Schepisi.
The Hunter, Vincent Sheehan.
Mad Bastards, David Jowsey, Alan Pigram, Stephen Pigram, Brendan Fletcher.
Oranges And Sunshine, Camilla Bray, Emile Sherman, Iain Canning.
Red Dog, Nelson Woss, Julie Ryan.
Snowtown, Anna McLeish, Sarah Shaw.
BEST DIRECTION
The Eye Of The Storm Fred Schepisi.
The Hunter, Daniel Nettheim.
Red Dog, Kriv Stenders.
Snowtown, Justin Kurzel.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Griff The Invisible, Leon Ford.
The Loved Ones, Sean Byrne.
Mad Bastards, Brendan Fletcher, Dean Daley-Jones, Greg Tait, John Watson.
Red Hill, Patrick Hughes.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Eye Of The Storm, Judy Morris.
The Hunter, Alice Addison.
Red Dog, Daniel Taplitz.
Snowtown, Shaun Grant.
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Hunter, Robert Humphreys.
Red Dog, Geoffrey Hall.
Sleeping Beauty, Geoffrey Simpson.
Snowtown, Adam Arkapaw.
BEST EDITING
Oranges And Sunshine, Dany Cooper.
Red Dog, Jill Bilcock ASE.
Snowtown, Veronika Jenet.
Wasted On The Young, Leanne Cole.
BEST SOUND
The Hunter, Sam Petty, David Lee, Robert Mackenzie, Les Fiddess, Tony Murtagh,
Tom Heuzenroeder.
Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga'Hoole, Wayne Pashley, Derryn Pasquill, Polly McKinnon, Fabian Sanjurjo, Phil Heywood, Peter Smith.
Mad Bastards, Phil Judd, Nick Emond, Johanna Emond.
Snowtown, Frank Lipson, Andrew McGrath, Des Kenneally, Michael Carden, John Simpson, Erin McKimm.
BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC SCORE
The Hunter, Matteo Zingales, Michael Lira, Andrew Lancaster.
Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga'Hoole, David Hirschfelder.
Red Dog, Cezary Skubiszewski.
Snowtown, Jed Kurzel.
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
The Eye Of The Storm, Melinda Doring.
The Hunter, Steven Jones-Evans.
Red Dog, Ian Gracie.
Sleeping Beauty, Annie Beauchamp.
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
The Eye Of The Storm, Terry Ryan.
The Hunter, Emily Seresin.
Oranges And Sunshine, Cappi Ireland.
Sleeping Beauty, Shareen Beringer.
BEST LEAD ACTOR
Willem Dafoe, The Hunter.
Daniel Henshall, Snowtown.
Geoffrey 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 Davies, The Hunter.
Louise Harris, Snowtown.
Helen Morse, The Eye Of The Storm.
Alexandra Schepisi, The Eye Of The Storm.
AFI MEMBERS' CHOICE AWARD
The Eye Of The Storm, Antony Waddington, Gregory Read, Fred Schepisi.
The Hunter, Vincent Sheehan.
Mad Bastards, David Jowsey, Alan Pigram, Stephen Pigram, Brendan Fletcher.
Oranges And Sunshine, Camilla Bray, Emile Sherman, Iain Canning.
Red Dog, Nelson Woss, Julie Ryan.
Snowtown, Anna McLeish, Sarah Shaw.
SHORT FILM
BEST SHORT ANIMATION
Forget Me Not, Emily Dean.
The Missing Key, Garth Nix, Anna McFarlane, Jonathan Nix.
The Moment, Justin Wight, Kristian Moliere, Troy Bellchambers, Shane McNeil.
Nullarbor, Alister Lockhart, Patrick Sarell, Katrina Mathers, Merrin Jensen, Daryl Munton.
BEST SHORT FICTION FILM
Adam's Tallit, Justin Olstein, Marie Maroun.
Cropped, Bettina Hamilton, Dave Wade.
The Palace, Kate Croser, Anthony Maras, Andros Achilleos.
The Telegram Man, James F. Khehtie, Victoria Wharfe McIntyre.
BEST SCREENPLAY IN A SHORT FILM
Afterglow, Nadine Garner.
Cropped, Dave Wade.
The Palace, Anthony Maras.
Waiting For The Turning Of The Earth, David Evan Giles.
DOCUMENTARY
BEST FEATURE LENGTH DOCUMENTARY
Life In Movement, Sophie Hyde, Bryan Mason.
Mrs Carey's Concert, Bob Connolly, Helen Panckhurst, Sophie Raymond. ABC1
Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure, Sophie Hyde, Matthew Bate.
The Tall Man, Darren Dale. SBS
BEST DOCUMENTARY UNDER ONE HOUR
The Ball, Yael Bergman, Laura Waters, Jessica Leski. ABC1
Jandamarra's War, Andrew Ogilvie, Andrea Quesnelle, Eileen Torres. ABC1
Leaky Boat, Penny Chapman. ABC1
Orchids: My Intersex Adventure, Phoebe Hart. ABC
BEST DOCUMENTARY SERIES
Immigration Nation, The Secret History Of Us, Jacob Hickey, Alex West, Lucy Maclaren. SBS
Outback Fight Club, Paul Scott, Isabel Perez. SBS
Outback Kids, Mike Bluett, Mark Hamlyn, Marc Radomsky. ABC1
SAS - The Search for Warriors, Julia Redwood, Ed Punchard. SBS
BEST DIRECTION
Life In Movement, Bryan Mason, Sophie Hyde.
Mrs Carey's Concert, Bob Connolly, Sophie Raymond. ABC1
Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure, Matthew Bate.
The Tall Man, Tony Krawitz. SBS
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Jandamarra's War, Allan Collins, Jim Frater, Rusty Geller. ABC1
Mrs Carey's Concert, Bob Connolly. ABC1
Out Of The Ashes, David Parer. ABC1
The Tall Man, Germain McMicking. SBS
BEST EDITING
Leaky Boat, Lawrie Silvestrin. ABC1
Mrs Carey's Concert, Sophie Raymond, Ray Thomas, Nick Meyers. ABC1
Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure, Bryan Mason.
The Tall Man, Rochelle Oshlack. SBS
BEST SOUND
Jandamarra's War, Laurie Chlanda, Glenn Martin, Ric Curtin, Ash Gibson Greig, Petris Torres. ABC1
Mrs Carey's Concert, Sophie Raymond, Bob Scott, Doron Kipen. ABC1
Murundak - songs of freedom, Emma Bortignon, Michael Letho, Peter Smith, Christopher O'Young, Simon Walbrook. SBS
Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure, Jonny Elk Walsh, Pete Best, Tom Heuzenroeder, Emma Bortignon, Scott Illingworth.
TELEVISION
BEST CHILDREN'S SERIES
a gURLs wURLd, Noel Price. Nine Network
Gasp! Suzanne Ryan. Nine Network
H2O: Just Add Water, series three, Jonathan M. Shiff. Network Ten
My Place, series two, Penny Chapman. ABC3
BEST COMEDY SERIES
At Home With Julia, Rick Kalowski, Greg Quail, Carol Hughes. ABC1
Laid, Liz Watts, ABC1
Twentysomething, Nicole Minchin. ABC2
BEST LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT SERIES
The Gruen Transfer, series four, Andrew Denton, Anita Jacoby, Jon Casimir. ABC1
Hungry Beast, series three, Andrew Denton, Anita Jacoby, Andy Nehl, Jon Casimir. ABC1
Judith Lucy's Spiritual Journey, Todd Abbott. ABC1
Junior MasterChef, series one, Tara McWilliams. Network Ten
RocKwiz, Brian Nankervis, Ken Connor, Peter Bain-Hogg, Joe Connor. SBS
BEST DRAMA SERIES
East West 101, season three - The Heroes' Journey, Steve Knapman, Kris Wyld. SBS
Offspring, season two, John Edwards, Imogen Banks. Network Ten
Rake, Ian Collie, Peter Duncan, Richard Roxburgh. ABC1
Spirited, season two, Claudia Karvan, Jacquelin Perske. FOXTEL - W
BEST TELEFEATURE, MINI SERIES OR SHORT RUN SERIES
Cloudstreet, Greg Haddrick, Brenda Pam. FOXTEL - Showcase
Paper Giants: The Birth Of Cleo, John Edwards, Karen Radzyner. ABC1
Sisters Of War, Andrew Wiseman. ABC1
The Slap, Tony Ayres, Helen Bowden, Michael McMahon. ABC1
BEST DIRECTION
Paper Giants: The Birth Of Cleo - episode one. Daina Reid. ABC1
The Slap - episode one, Hector. Jessica Hobbs. ABC1
The Slap - episode three, Harry. Matthew Saville. ABC1
Small Time Gangster - episode one Jingle Bells. Jeffrey Walker. FOXTEL - Movie Network
BEST SCREENPLAY
Cloudstreet - part three, Tim Winton, Ellen Fontana. FOXTEL - Showcase
Laid - episode three, Kirsty Fisher. ABC1
The Slap - episode one, Hector. Kris Mrksa. ABC1
The Slap - episode three, Harry. Brendan Cowell. ABC1
BEST LEAD ACTOR IN A TELEVISION DRAMA
Rob Carlton, Paper Giants: The Birth Of Cleo. ABC1
Alex Dimitriades, The Slap. ABC1
Don Hany, East West 101, season three - The Heroes' Journey. SBS
Jonathan LaPaglia, The Slap. ABC1
BEST LEAD ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION DRAMA
Essie Davis Cloudstreet. FOXTEL - Showcase
Kerry Fox, Cloudstreet. FOXTEL - Showcase
Asher Keddie, Paper Giants: The Birth Of Cleo. ABC1
Sarah Snook, Sisters Of War. ABC1
BEST GUEST OR SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A TELEVISION DRAMA
Richard Cawthorne, Killing Time - episode two. FOXTEL - TV1
Aaron Fa'aoso, East West 101, season three - The Heroes' Journey, episode 18 The Price Of Salvation. SBS
Jacek Koman, Spirited, season two - episode two, Time After Time. FOXTEL - W
Todd Lasance. Cloudstreet - Part 3. FOXTEL -- Showcase
BEST GUEST OR SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION DRAMA
Diana Glenn, The Slap - episode three, Harry. ABC1
Rena Owen, East West 101, season three - The Heroes' Journey, episode 18 The Price Of Salvation. SBS
Susie Porter, Sisters Of War. ABC1
Lara Robinson, Cloudstreet - part one. FOXTEL - Showcase
BEST PERFORMANCE IN A COMEDY
Alison Bell, Laid. ABC1
Jess Harris, twentysomething. ABC2
Chris Lilley, Angry Boys. ABC1
Celia Pacquola, Laid. ABC1
SPECIAL AWARDS
BEST YOUNG ACTOR
Olivia DeJonge, Good Pretender.
Emma Jefferson, My Place, series two, episode 17, 1848 – Johanna, ABC3
Lara Robinson Cloudstreet, part one, FOXTEL - Showcase
Lucas Yeeda, Mad Bastards.
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Cloudstreet, Scott Zero, FOXTEL - Showcase
Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga'Hoole, Grant Freckelton.
Sanctum, David Booth, Peter Webb, Ineke Majoor, Glenn Melenhorst.
The Hunter, Felix Crawshaw, James Rogers.
RAYMOND LONGFORD AWARD
Don McAlpine
