The 4th Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards (generally known as

AACTA Awards The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, known as the AACTA Awards, are presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). The awards recognise excellence in the film and television industry, ...

) are a series of awards which includes the 4th AACTA Awards Luncheon, the 4th AACTA Awards ceremony and the 4th AACTA International Awards. The former two events will be held at The Star Event Centre, in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

in late January 2015. Presented by the

Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) is a professional organisation of film and television practitioners in Australia. The Academy's aim is "to identify, award, promote, and celebrate Australia's greatest achievements i ...

(AACTA), the awards will celebrate the best in Australian feature film,

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

, documentary and short film productions of 2014. The AACTA Awards ceremony will be televised on

Network Ten Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...

for the third year running. The 4th AACTA Awards are a continuum of the Australian Film Institute Awards (known as the AFI Awards), established in 1958 and presented until 2010 after which it was rebranded the AACTA Awards when the

Australian Film Institute The Australian Film Institute (AFI) was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry. It is responsib ...

(AFI) established AACTA in 2011. The nominees were announced during a press conference on 2 December 2014 at The Star hotel in

. ''

Predestination Predestination, in theology, is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God, usually with reference to the eventual fate of the individual soul. Explanations of predestination often seek to address the paradox of free will, whereby G ...

'' and ''

The Water Diviner ''The Water Diviner'' is a 2014 drama film starring and directed by Russell Crowe, in his directorial debut, and written by Andrew Anastasios and Andrew Knight. The film is loosely based on the book of the same name written by Andrew Anastasio ...

'' received the most feature-film nominations with nine, earning a nomination in most of the categories, except for

Best Sound This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow List of film awards, film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awa ...

. In television, '' The Code'' gained the most nominations with ten. ''

Ukraine is Not a Brothel ''Ukraine Is Not a Brothel'' is a 2013 Australian documentary film directed by Kitty Green. The film debuted at the 70th Venice International Film Festival, although it was not part of the competition. The documentary concerns the FEMEN (Фе ...

'' earned six nominations in the documentary field.

Background

Entry and eligibility

On 20 May 2014, AACTA made its first call for entrants in short film and feature film prizes for 2015, also mentioning that, unlike previous years, only AACTA members are allowed to submit material for nomination in all categories (documentary, feature film, short film and television). Feature film eligibility was also broadened for the 4th AACTA Awards, to accept entries for films released on

video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of o ...

(VOD) and

direct-to-DVD Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...

platforms, as well as films that have had one film festival screening in at least three Australian states. Films meeting the aforementioned criteria were eligible to compete alongside those that have the traditional 2–4 capital city release. Entries for the documentary categories opened on 18 June 2014 and closed on 18 July 2014.

Social Shorts

At the call for entry announcement, the Academy also revealed a new short film initiative called "Social Shorts". The program allowed the films not nominated in any of the short film categories to be seen by the public via the AACTA website. It also aimed to draw attention to future filmmakers through this initiative. The shorts were split into comedy, drama and independent categories, and received acknowledgements and certifications as chosen by the general public, and AFI and AACTA members. In addition to this, the Academy announced that it the lowering of the entry fee into the official awards from A$396 in the previous year, to A$100 for shorts.

Ceremonies

The AACTA Awards were held over two events: the AACTA Awards Luncheon and AACTA Awards Ceremony on the 27 and 29 of January, respectively. Both presentations took place at The Star Event Centre, the latter of which was broadcast on

free-to-air Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, allowing any person with the FTA Receiver, appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring ...

for the third year running, with an encore screening on subscription television channel

Arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

on 31 January. The luncheon was to be presented by

Angus Sampson Angus Sampson (born 1979) is an Australian actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his performances in the ''Insidious'' film series, ''The Mule'', '' Mad Max: Fury Road'', and the Peabody-winning second season of '' Fargo''. Early life Samp ...

, however, due to filming commitments he had to pull out from hosting duties and replaced by Australian actor

Adam Zwar Adam Zwar (born 13 January 1972) is an Australian actor, voice artist, and writer. He is best known for co-creating the Australian comedy series '' Squinters'', '' Lowdown'', '' Wilfred'' and creating the critically acclaimed Channel 10 comedy ...

. The ceremony was presided over by Australian actresses

Cate Blanchett Catherine Elise Blanchett (; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor. Regarded as one of the finest performers of her generation, she is known for her versatile work across independent films, blockbusters, and the stage. She has received nu ...

and

Deborah Mailman Deborah Jane Mailman (born 14 July 1972) is an Australian television and film actress, and singer. Mailman played the character Kelly Lewis on the Australian television series ''The Secret Life of Us'' and Cherie Butterfield in the Australian c ...

. The Channel Ten broadcast was seen as a flop, rating just 297,000 viewers in a

primetime Prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for a television show. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...

slot.

Nominees and winners

The first round of nominees were announced on 3 September for Best Short Animation and Best Short Fiction Film. Six days later, the nominees for Best Feature Length Documentary were revealed. The feature-films in contention were announced on 17 September with 25 films competing in the 4th AACTA Awards. The number of films in competition are up from the previous year where only 15 features competed. The nominees for feature-films and Television were announced during a press conference on 2 December 2014 in

.Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson are among the acting nominees
Retrieved 8 December 2014. The nominations event was hosted by

Rob Carlton Rob Carlton (born 4 May 1971) is a Logie Award winning Australian actor and writer. He is best known for writing and starring in the comedy series ''Chandon Pictures''. He also had starring roles in the comedy satire ''The Hollowmen'' and the chi ...

and announced by

Susie Porter Susie Porter (born 1970 or 1971) is an Australian television, film and theatre actress. She made her debut in the 1996 film '' Idiot Box'', before rising to prominence in films including '' Paradise Road'' (1997), ''Welcome to Woop Woop'' (1997) ...

and

Dan Wyllie Daniel Wyllie (born 1970) is an Australian stage, film and television actor. Wyllie began acting in theatre. Early life Wyllie grew up on Sydney's North Shore. He attended North Sydney Boys High School and the University of New South Wales, whe ...

. Of the nominees, Peter Spierig, and Michael Spierig's sci-fi thriller ''

'' and

Russell Crowe Russell Ira Crowe (born 7 April 1964) is an actor. He was born in New Zealand, spent ten years of his childhood in Australia, and moved there permanently at age twenty one. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maxi ...

's ''

'' received the most feature-film nominations with nine, including

Best Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Production Design and Best Costume Design. In television, '' The Code'' received the most nominations with ten. These include Best Drama Series, Best Direction in a Television Drama or Comedy, Best Screenplay in Television, Best Cinematography in Television, Best Lead Actor – Drama (double nomination) for

Dan Spielman Dan Spielman (born 1979) is an Australian actor. His career spans film, television and theatre. Spielman grew up with his younger sister in Beaumaris, Melbourne. Without formal acting training, Spielman has worked in theatre, television and fil ...

and

Ashley Zukerman Ashley Zukerman (born 30 December 1983) is an Australian-American actor known for playing Dr. Charlie Isaacs on WGN America's ''Manhattan'', Senior Constable Michael Sandrelli in Australian drama series ''Rush'', and Jesse Banks in the Australia ...

, and Best Guest or Supporting Actress – Drama for Chelsie Preston-Crayford, Best Editing in Television, Best Sound in Television, Best Production Design in Television and Best Original Music Score in Television.

Feature film

Winners will be listed first and highlighted in boldface.

Television

Documentary

Short film

Other

Productions with multiple nominations

Feature film

The following feature films received multiple nominations. * Nine: ''

'', and ''

'' * Seven: '' The Rover'' * Six: ''

The Babadook ''The Babadook'' is a 2014 Australian supernatural horror film written and directed by Jennifer Kent in her directorial debut, and produced by Kristina Ceyton and Kristian Moliere. The film stars Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman, Daniel Henshall, Hay ...

'', '' The Railway Man'', and '' The Little Death'' * Five: ''

Charlie's Country ''Charlie's Country'' is a 2013 Australian drama film directed by Rolf de Heer. It was selected to compete in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival where David Gulpilil won the award for Best Actor. It was also screened ...

'' * Four: '' Tracks'' * Two: ''

52 Tuesdays ''52 Tuesdays'' is a 2013 Australian coming of age drama film directed by Sophie Hyde, with the screenplay written by Matthew Cormack and story by Cormack and Hyde. The film centres on a teenage girl dealing with the gender transition of a paren ...

Television

The following television shows received multiple nominations. * Ten: '' The Code'' * Six: ''

Please Like Me ''Please Like Me'' is an Australian television comedy-drama series created by and starring Josh Thomas. Thomas also serves as a writer for most episodes. The series premiered on 28 February 2013 on ABC2 in Australia and is now available on Netf ...

'' * Five: ''

The Broken Shore ''The Broken Shore'' (2005) is a Duncan Lawrie Dagger award-winning novel by Australian author Peter Temple. Synopsis The novel's central character is Joe Cashin, a Melbourne homicide detective. Following serious physical injuries he is posted ...

'', '' Rake (Series 3)'', and ''Carlotta'' * Four: '' Devil's Playground'' * Three: ''

The Moodys ''The Moodys'' is an Australian television comedy series, which follows on from '' A Moody Christmas''. ''The Moodys'' began airing on ABC on 5 February 2014 and aired in the United States on Hulu in Spring 2014. Originally written and created ...

'', '' Puberty Blues (Season 2)'', '' INXS: Never Tear Us Apart'', ''

ANZAC Girls The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) was a First World War army corps of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. It was formed in Egypt in December 1914, and operated during the Gallipoli campaign. General William Birdwood comman ...

'', and '' Janet King'' * Two: '' The Flamin' Thongs'', ''

MasterChef Australia (series 6) The sixth series of the Australian cooking game show '' MasterChef Australia'' premiered on Monday, 5 May 2014 on Network Ten. This series was won by Brent Owens in the final against Laura Cassai on 28 July 2014. Coincidentally, Cassai and th ...

'', ''

The Voice The Voice may refer to: Fictional entities * The Voice or Presence, a fictional representation of God in DC Comics * The Voice (''Dune''), a fictional ability in the ''Dune'' universe * The Voice, a character in the American TV series ''Cleo ...

'', '' Secrets & Lies'', '' Hamish & Andy's Gap Year: South America'' and ''

Utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', describing a fictional ...

Documentaries

The following documentaries received multiple nominations. * Six: ''

'' * Five: ''Tender'' * Four: ''Deepsea Challenge 3D'', ''Sons & Mothers'', and ''All This Mayhem''

References

External links

The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts official website

Official broadcast website
at

{{Australian Film Institute Awards AACTA Awards ceremonies

Background

Entry and eligibility

Social Shorts

Categories

Ceremonies

Nominees and winners

Feature film

Television

Documentary

Short film

Other

Productions with multiple nominations

Feature film

Television

Documentaries

References

External links