The AACTA Awards - Thursday 29th January 2015.

Sydney's 'The Star' Hotel and Casino played Host yesterday to the 4th Annual AACTA (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts) Awards at which the glitterati and glamourati turned out in all their finery to honour and acknowledge the last twelve months and all that is best in the Australian world of film & TV. Hosted this year by Cate Blanchett and Deborah Mailman with 'guest' appearances throughout by AACTA President Geoffrey Rush, it would be fair to say that (in this reviewers humble opinion) there were a few glaring omissions and some questionable decisions in the final analysis of the movie achievements for the 2014 year, as shown below.

Two things though that I was particularly pleased about were referenced by our Hosts in their opening address to the gathered crowd, the viewing nation and the world at large streaming it live or watching it delayed on TV or via the Internet. Two very simple messages that were 1) the illegal downloading of movies from the Internet and watching pirated copies is just that . . . illegal, and it will kill the industry in the fullness of time! And 2), as film loving Aussie's we need to support our own movies much more than we do. What a tragedy that last year we saw some great home grown cinema content get only a limited release and then disappear almost without a trace because no one went to see them! Tragic indeed! It seems that overseas viewers have more confidence in Australian films that we do living here! That's  pretty sad state of affairs!

Nonetheless, here is the list of the winners & grinners from the 4th Annual AACTA Awards :

Best Film : shared between 'The Babadook' and 'The Water Diviner'
Best Direction : Jennifer Kent for 'The Babadook'

Best Lead Actor : David Gulpilil for 'Charlie's Country'
Best Lead Actress : Sarah Snook for 'Predestination'
Best Supporting Actor : Yilmaz Erdogan for 'The Water Diviner'
Best Supporting Actress : Susan Prior for 'The Rover'


Best Original Screenplay : 'The Babadook'
Best Adapted Screenplay : 'The Railway Man'

Best Editing : 'Predestination'
Best Cinematography : 'Predestination'
Best Production Design : 'Predestination'
Best Costume Design : 'The Water Diviner'

Best Sound : 'The Rover'
Best Original Music Score : 'The Railway Man'
Best Visual Effects or Animation : Animal Logic for 'The LEGO Movie'

Inaugural 'Trailblazer' Award - Rose Byrne 

By my estimation then this gives 'Predestination' four awards and rightly so, and there is no question that Sarah Snook was the best choice as recipient of the Best Lead Actress Award for her work in this great film, and one of this Critic's favourites of the year. In my mind too it should have won Best Film or tied with 'The Babadook' as it is streets ahead of 'The Water Diviner' and deftly handled too by the Spierig Brothers on joint Director duty.

I have not seen 'The Babadook' as it got such a limited release here in Australia, but everything I have read and heard about this little South Australian filmed horror chiller thriller that cost just US$2M to produce, has been top notch, and it is good to see something of this genre getting the exposure it has/is. These three awards will only help further.

I was surprised to see a lack of other great Aussie fare missing from the list of nominations - films such as Joel Edgerton's Written, Produced and Starring 'Felony' picked up a solitary nomination for Best Sound only, and the Zak Hilditch Directed 'These Final Hours' didn't get a single look in! 'Healing' got a single nomination for Best Original Music, and 'Tracks' did well out of the nominations with four for Best Film, Cinematography, Costume and Lead Actress for Mia Wasikowska, but failed to score a gong!

Closing out the Awards Season we have the BAFTA's up next on 8th February and then the Academy Awards on 22nd February - stay tuned for more, and remember . . . support your home grown Aussie movies in 2015!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-