The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) have announced the full list of Award winners, including the AACTA International Awards and public-voted Audience Choice Awards. After another high-quality year of Australian screen content, Talk to Me, The Newsreader, Deadloch and The New Boy walked away as the big winners.
Talk to Me was the biggest winner of the night, adding a further three Awards to their collection and taking their total wins to eight following the AACTA Industry Awards earlier in the week. Arguably the biggest highlights for the production were taking home Best Film and Best Direction in Film, the latter of which was bestowed upon sibling YouTuber’s turned directors Danny and Michael Philippou.
The Newsreader and Deadloch also enjoyed great success with five AACTA Awards each. The Newsreader once again took out Best Drama Series, with the second season adding to its collection of six awards from season one. Comedy duo Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan were awarded Best Screenplay in Television for penning Deadloch.
In terms of individual accolades, rising star Sophie Wilde won Best Lead Actress in Film for her performance in Talk to Me, while another young talent Aswan Reid won Best Lead Actor in Film for his turn in The New Boy. Anna Torv went back-to-back with her second win for Best Lead Actress in a Drama for her role as Helen Norville in The Newsreader.
Hugo Weaving successfully added two trophies to his collection. Performances in Love Me and The Rooster secured Weaving awards for Best Lead Actor in a Drama and Best Supporting Actor in Film respectively. Previous AACTA winner Kate Box also scooped a prize for her role in Deadloch, walking away with an award in one of the new categories for 2024; Best Acting in a Comedy.
The AACTA Trailblazer Award highlights the achievements, abilities, and success of an Australian screen practitioner who inspires others in the industry. This year, the Trailblazer recipient was none other than Margot Robbie.
Robbie’s career has seen success both in front of the camera and via her production company LuckyChap, where she continues to champion female-driven stories. Her most recent film Barbie smashed box office records and was the biggest film of 2023.
Awards season favourites Barbie, The Bear and Oppenheimer were among the winners of the AACTA International Awards, which were also presented as part of the ceremony. Individual international winners included Cillian Murphy, Margot Robbie and Christopher Nolan.
Last year, AACTA announced the inaugural Brian Walsh Award in honour of the late industry-tycoon. This year’s recipient was Ngali Shaw, who accepted the honour on-stage from virtual presenter Nicole Kidman.
In honour of the late television visionary, Reg Grundy, Rachel Berger was named the recipient of the AACTA Reg Grundy Award for the development of Seriously Funny – a factual entertainment series that follows a diverse group of people, as they develop their unique personal stories into a 5-minute stand-up comedy routine.
Once again, Australians had the chance to vote on their favourite stars across film, television and digital productions through the AACTA Audience Choice Awards.
Having received a record 300,000 votes, the big winners of the night included home grown talent such as digital creator Kat Clark and her family, Margot Robbie and media personality Sophie Monk.
The Matilda’s continued their golden run, taking home the award for Australia’s Favourite Sporting moment for their performance at the 2023 Women’s Football World Cup.
Other highlights of the ceremony included honouring the late Cal Wilson who posthumously received the AACTA Award for Best Comedy Performer. Cultural phenomenon Bluey also continued to break records, taking home its 5th award in five years for Best Children’s Program.
“As we reflect on the remarkable achievements showcased at the 2024 AACTA Awards, we are reminded of the boundless creativity and dedication within Australia’s screen industry,” said AFI Chair, Jack Christian. “From captivating performances to ground-breaking productions, the winners have exemplified excellence in storytelling.”
“We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all recipients and express our gratitude to our partners for their continued support in celebrating our nation’s rich cinematic and television landscape.”
For more information about the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards and the full list of winners, visit: www.aacta.org for details.
Image: Talk To Me (film still) – courtesy of Causeway Films