7th AACTA Awards Nominees Announced

7th AACTA Awards Nominees Announced

The nominations for the 7th AACTA Awards are out with local WA film Hounds of Love receiving a massive 9 nominations including  BEST FILM, BEST DIRECTION, BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY, BEST LEAD ACTRESS(Emma Booth), BEST LEAD ACTOR(Stephen Curry), BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS(Susie Porter), BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY, BEST EDITING and BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP. Huge congrats to director Ben Young and the Hounds of Love team.. Take a look at the full list of nominees below, the AACTA Awards take place on December 6. 

Leading the way with a total of 12 nominations is Oscar®-nominated and AACTA International Award-winning film LION, followed closely by television productions BLUE MURDER: KILLER COP and TOP OF THE LAKE: CHINA GIRL with 11 nominations each.

Other nominees revealed today include television shows AUSTRALIAN NINJA WARRIOR, ROSEHAVEN, LITTLE BIG SHOTS, SUNSHINE, TRUE STORY WITH HAMISH AND ANDY, SEVEN TYPES OF AMBIGUITY and online series THE KATERING SHOW and RACKARACKA.

In film, a record-breaking total of 17 feature films have received nominations this year, with 5 films competing for the AACTA Award for Best Film presented by Foxtel: ALI’S WEDDING, BERLIN SYNDROME, HOUNDS OF LOVE, JASPER JONES and LION.

For the first time in AFI | AACTA history, five productions are nominated for the AACTA Award for Best Television Drama Series: CLEVERMAN, GLITCH, JANET KING – PLAYING ADVANTAGE, TOP OF THE LAKE: CHINA GIRL and WENTWORTH.

This year sees a number of nominees recognised for their work across both television and film categories, including: Oscar, BAFTA and Emmy Award winner Nicole Kidman (TOP OF THE LAKE: CHINA GIRL and LION), Hugo Weaving (SEVEN TYPES OF AMBIGUITY and JASPER JONES), Emma Booth (BLUE MURDER: KILLER COP and HOUNDS OF LOVE) and Ewen Leslie (TOP OF THE LAKE: CHINA GIRL and THE BUTTERFLY TREE).

Other international award winners receiving nominations include: Oscar and Palme D’Or-winning director Jane Campion (TOP OF THE LAKE: CHINA GIRL); BAFTA, SAG and AACTA International Award winner Dev Patel (LION); Emmy and Golden Globe winners Toni Collette (BLUE MURDER: KILLER COP) and Anthony LaPaglia (SUNSHINE); and BAFTA Award-winning writer Luke Davies (LION).

This year’s nominations also see some of Australia’s top talent receive their first television or film nominations. Toni Collette, Anthony LaPaglia, Hugo Weaving, Tina Bursill and Emma Booth all receive their first television category nominations, having previously won AFI and AACTA Awards for feature film.

Making the switch from television to film, directors Garth Davis (LION) and Jeffrey Walker (ALI’S WEDDING) both receive their first feature film nominations for Best Direction. They compete alongside first-time AACTA nominee Ben Young (HOUNDS OF LOVE) and past Best Direction winner Cate Shortland (BERLIN SYNDROME).

Emmy and Golden Globe winner Elisabeth Moss receives her first AACTA nomination this year for Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama for TOP OF THE LAKE: CHINA GIRL. Also among those receiving their first AACTA nominations are Sara West (DON’T TELL), Sunny Pawar (LION), Darren Gilshenan (NO ACTIVITY), Osamah Sami and Helana Sawires (ALI’S WEDDING).

Today’s nominations announcement also marks a number of consecutive nominations. On screen, Teresa Palmer (Best Lead Actress, BERLIN SYNDROME), Ewen Leslie (Best Lead Actor, THE BUTTERFLY TREE) and Pamela Rabe (Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama, WENTWORTH), are among those receiving consecutive category nominations.

Richard Roxburgh’s nomination for Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama for BLUE MURDER: KILLER COP marks his second consecutive nomination and sixth overall nomination in the category, making him the most nominated actor in the category in AFI | AACTA history.

Also making AFI | AACTA history is Hugo Weaving, who today received his third consecutive nomination for Best Supporting Actor for JASPER JONES. The actor, who is competing for a third consecutive win, now holds the record for most nominations and most wins in the Best Supporting Actor category.

Also chasing her third consecutive AACTA Award win is Celia Pacquola, who is nominated for Best Performance in a Television Comedy, Best Television Comedy Series and Best Screenplay in Television for ROSEHAVEN. Celia previously won Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama at the 6th AACTA Awards (for THE BEAUTIFUL LIE), and Best Performance in a Television Comedy at the 5th AACTA Awards (for UTOPIA).

Craft nominees competing for consecutive wins include writer Andrew Knight (Best Original Screenplay, ALI’S WEDDING), composer Matteo Zingales (Best Original Music Score in Television, WAKE IN FRIGHT) and cinematographer Geoffrey Hall (Best Cinematography in Television, WAKE IN FRIGHT).

Also announced today were the nominees for the inaugural AACTA Award for Best Online Video or Series. The nominees are: International Emmy Award-winning interactive children’s show DOODLES; Melbourne Web Fest Award-winning drama series HIGH LIFE; THE KATERING SHOW, which remains the most watched ABC iView original series of all time; YouTube hit SUPERWOG; and RACKARACKA, whose creators, Danny and Michael Philippou, were ranked number five on this year’s Australian Financial Review Cultural Power List.

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