Disproving that commercial success does not necessarily translate into awards, Red Dog picked up arguably Australia’s most prestigious film award, the inaugural Australian Academy Award for Best Film.
It was the icing on the cake for the West Australian feature which had not only collected the internet-based Jameson IF Best Film at the end of the year, but had also cleaned up at the 2011 Australian box-office with $A21.5 million – making it the eighth most successful local film of all time.
The filmmakers can certainly approach its forthcoming commercial release in the UK and North America with confidence, particularly as the film has also become the biggest selling Australian film on DVD/Blu Ray in history – a record achieved in a little over two months.
Snowtown takes six awards
But the feature was shut out of a number of other categories, including, surprisingly, cinematography and score. Both went to the strikingly shot The Hunter, filmed in the wilds of Tasmania and starring Willem Defoe. They were the only two awards for the film that had received, with 11, the most nominations.
The big winner, with six gongs, was Snowtown, the controversial drama focusing on serial killer John Bunting.
It may have missed out on best film, but Snowtown provided awards for a number of feature film debutantes - Justin Kurzel (director), Shaun Grant (best-adapted screenplay), Daniel Henshaw (lead actor) and, making her debut in front of the camera, Louise Harris (supporting actress).
The acclaimed feature film has already had considerable success on the international film festival circuit, collecting awards in Cannes, Chicago and Marrakesh.
Lean pickings
Period piece The Eye of the Storm unsurprisingly took out best production design and costumes, but the acting trifecta of Geoffrey Rush, Charlotte Rampling and Judy Davis was restricted to a single award: Judy Davis and best lead actress. The Fred-Schepisi-helmed feature was one of the favourites in the lead-up to the presentations.
The night also turned out to be something of a disappointment for the UK/Australian co-production Oranges and Sunshine, which converted only one of its six nominations into gold. Ever-popular local hero Hugo Weaving (The Matrix series, V for Vendetta) collected his fourth AFI award for his supporting role as one of the victims of the enforced migration of British children to Australia in the 1950s and ‘60s.
Mrs Carey’s Concert, the unexpected box-office success, dominated the documentary categories, picking up both best feature and best direction for Bob Connelly and Sophie Raymond.
Whilst currently remaining under the auspices of the Australian Film Institute, the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (to give the organisation and awards their full name) will eventually phase out the AFIs.
International awards
The Academy also presented a number of international awards, presented at a separate ceremony held in Los Angeles and hosted by the AACTA president Geoffrey Rush.
In a statement, Rush said: “The Australian Academy’s newly launched International Awards are dedicated to identifying and awarding the pinnacle of screen excellence and success regardless of geography… As our industry becomes a truly global entity, with screen performers and practitioners crossing borders to bring us the best of the big and small screens, it is fitting that the new Australian Academy recognises the industry’s best, both at home and abroad.”
It is also a shameless (but sensible) promotion of the Australian film industry in Hollywood.
Restricted to five categories – film, direction, actor, actress and screenplay – a total of four films were honoured. The Artist walked away with three awards (film, direction and best actor), whilst Meryl Streep was recognised for her performance as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady.
The Australian result caused a surprise in the script category. Not only was there a tie between two films, but it was also between two features receiving somewhat limited accolades. The inaugural AACTA award for best script was shared between The Ides of March and J.C. Chandor’s Margin Call.
Full list of winners:
- Best Film: Red Dog
- Best Director: Justin Kurzel (Snowtown)
- Best Actor: Daniel Henshaw (Snowtown)
- Best Actress: Judy Davis (The Eye of the Storm)
- Best Supporting Actor: Hugo Weaving (Oranges & Sunshine)
- Best Supporting Actress: Louise Harris (Snowtown)
- Best Original Script: Leon Ford (Griff the Invisible)
- Best Adapted Script: Shaun Grant (Snowtown)
- Best Editing: Veronika Jenet (Snowtown)
- Best Sound: Frank Lipson (Snowtown)
- Best Production Design: Melinda Doring (The Eye of the Storm)
- Best Costume Design: Terry Ryan (The Eye of the Storm)
- Best Score: Matteo Zingales (The Hunter)
- Best Cinematography: Robert Humphreys (The Hunter)
- AFI Members: Red Dog
- International Best Film: The Artist
- International Director: Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)
- Best Actor: Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
- Best Actress: Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)
- Best Script: J C Chandor (Margin Call) & George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon (The Ides of March)
Keith Lawrence - Published writer of articles in magazines, newspapers and websites, predominantly on culture, alongside ghostwriter/editor/copywriter.
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