AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF CINEMA AND TELEVISION ARTS 2ND AACTA AWARDS RECOGNISING FILM AND TELEVISION EXCELLENCE IN AUSTRALIA A YEAR IN REVIEW CONTENTS Welcome Messages 4 Inaugural AACTA Awards 11 2nd AACTA Awards 13 AACTA Raymond Longford Award 15 Byron Kennedy Award 17 NOMINEES International, Young Actor, Visual Effects & Additional Awards 19 Television 21 Documentary & Short Film 25 Feature Film 28 In Memoriam 30 AACTA Awards Jurors 32 Acknowledgements & Credits 34 CREDITS PRINT Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in Madman Printing Pty Ltd this publication. PUBLISHER The publisher does not accept liability for errors or omissions. Similarly, every effort has Australian Film Institute | Australian been made to obtain permission from the copyright holders for material that appears Academy of Cinema and Television Arts in this publication. Enquiries should be addressed to the publisher. Comments and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of AFI | AACTA, which accepts no responsibility for these comments and opinions. This collection © Copyright 2013 AFI | AACTA and individual contributors. CONTENTS 3 WELCOME In little more than a year, the new As President of AACTA, I invite Australian Academy of Cinema all Australians to celebrate the and Television Arts has become talents and achievements of our an established and essential part screen industry. To those within of our national screen industry. the industry, the Academy is yours, and we look forward to An AACTA Award is the ultimate working with you to build upon mark of peer-assessed excellence our strong new foundations. for Australian film and television performers and practitioners, and GEOFFREY RUSH I extend my congratulations to all AACTA PRESIDENT nominees and winners of the 2nd AACTA Awards. Welcome to the 2nd AACTA Awards, They develop consensus around marking an incredible year for excellence, and what it takes to Australian film and television, and make and sustain outstanding 55 years of celebrating screen screen content. heritage through the Australian Film Institute (AFI) and AACTA. They create new opportunities, nurture new talent and inspire This year also marks record results generations ahead. for AACTA; record voting, record membership and record media However, this cannot be sustained coverage. without significant industry support. Of course, AACTA celebrates its Now, more than ever, we must successes both with and because work together to uphold your of those working in Australian Awards, not only as a national and screen. international measure of screen success, but in recognition of your Nominated feature films have hard work. achieved audience, critical and festival success, short film On that note, we honour the hard- nominees signal great things for earned place that all nominees emerging filmmakers, nominated have secured in Australian screen documentaries have innovated history. with new technologies and compelling content, and our We also sincerely thank all partners, television excelled, highlighting our sponsors, members and industry appetite for great Australian stories. colleagues for their critical support, particularly the News South As we celebrate in Sydney at The Wales government through its Star’s stunning Event Centre, it’s tourism and major events agency timely to remember the importance Destination NSW, and our telecast of these Awards. partner, Network Ten. As Australia’s highest peer-assessed DAMIAN TREWHELLA screen Awards, the AACTA AFI | AACTA CEO Awards not only open doors, but complement quantitative ratings ALAN FINNEY and box office data. AFI | AACTA CHAIR 4 WELCOME MESSAGES WELCOME All Australians should be reflected in these Awards, deeply proud of the quality which are rightly prized by of our film and television all who dedicate themselves industry, which so brilliantly to the screen arts. tells our stories to each other and to the world. In these Awards we see an industry that is confident, The past year has been a mature and abundant in vintage year for Australian achievement, and I hope film and TV production, that all who are nominated allowing our writers, actors for AACTA Awards feel and crew to shine and their professionalism and affirming the faith of those dedication is valued deeply who invest their hopes and by the community. passion in the sector. My best wishes to all those It has also been a great attending the AACTA Awards year for the Australian and to everyone whose Academy of Cinema and commitment to excellence Television Arts as it begins its has made our film and journey of representing and television such a stunning celebrating the industry here success. and abroad. THE HONOURABLE The renewal signalled by the JULIA GILLARD MP creation of AACTA is also PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA The NSW Government, per cent of the industry’s through our tourism and workforce and 37 per cent major events agency of all Australian creative Destination NSW, is proud industry businesses. to support the 2nd AACTA Awards, a key creative Sydney’s natural beauty industries event on the NSW will provide the perfect Events Calendar. backdrop for Australia’s premier film and television NSW is home to an awards night, showcasing impressive concentration our harbour city to the world. of world-class creative skills and has the most extensive Best of luck to all the screen infrastructure in nominees and have a Australia. wonderful night. Almost half of Australia’s film THE HONOURABLE and television businesses BARRY O’FARRELL MP is based in our global city NSW PREMIER of Sydney, in addition to 46 WELCOME MESSAGES 5 Good luck AACTA Award nominees Stories that stay with you WELCOME Have you seen The There’s something about Shadowcatchers, the the Australian filmmaking pictorial history of Australian community and it’s ethos. cinematographers by Resourceful, tireless and Martha Ansara, published graceful under pressure, by the ACS? it’s no wonder that our practitioners are sought I have a copy signed by the after all over the world. Sadly five Australian cameramen it means that so many of who have won Oscars: them haven’t worked in John Seale, Dean Semler, this country for many, many Andrew Lesnie, Russel years. Boyde and Dion Beebe. I’ve had the good fortune Tonight is a kind of antidote to collaborate with the first to all that. Tonight we get to three. Most recently with the acknowledge the wide- redoubtable Johnny Seale ranging talents and best on a long, hard shoot (Mad labours of our moviemakers. Max - Fury Road) and was reminded once again what DR GEORGE MILLER extraordinary talent, cast AFI | AACTA PATRON and crew, has emerged from this country. It’s wonderful to note a highlights, and it’s fitting new cultural confidence in that such excellence is Australian screen storytelling recognised through a variety – from Best Film nominees of nominations for the 2nd Burning Man, Lore, The AACTA Awards. Sapphires and Wish You Were Here, to television Congratulations and best nominees including Redfern wishes to all! Now, Puberty Blues, Rake and Tangle. CATE BLANCHETT AFI | AACTA AMBASSADOR Sophisticated, entertaining, and socially engaged, these productions highlight the breadth, diversity and depth of Australian talent, both on the screen and behind the camera. The extraordinary talent of our Indigenous performers and practitioners is one of this year’s additional WELCOME MESSAGES 5 THE STAR WELCOME The Star is extremely proud than by hosting one of to support the 2nd AACTA Australia’s most prestigious Awards as Destination awards ceremonies. Partner. Like our television and film industries, Echo The AACTA Awards shine Entertainment Group is an important light on our driven by the relentless talented and passionate pursuit to entertain screen industries. With the Australian and international Awards and associated audiences, making our publicity, comes a greater partnership with AACTA the appreciation of the perfect fit. remarkable contribution our actors, writers and producers It was in a previous role make to our nation’s creative as Chairman of Events and cultural landscape. NSW that we, on behalf of the New South Wales Echo Entertainment Group Government, managed to thanks AFI | AACTA for bring what was then the their partnership and AFI Awards from Melbourne congratulates all nominees to Sydney and it has been and winners. inspiring to watch the growth of the Awards in JOHN O’NEILL AO recent years, particularly CHAIRMAN, ECHO with the launch of AACTA ENTERTAINMENT GROUP and last year’s inaugural AACTA Awards Ceremony at the Opera House. On behalf of Echo Entertainment, I am delighted to welcome you to The Star Event Centre to celebrate the 2nd AACTA Awards. The Event Centre is the final piece of The Star’s transformation into a total leisure and entertainment destination. Multi-use in every sense, this venue is a major asset for the people of Sydney and will give the city an edge on the competition for entertainment events both around the country and globally. There is no better way to showcase the venue WELCOME MESSAGES 9 S1225003 SCORE No AU00001149 A GOLDEN DEBUT THE INAUGURAL AACTA AWARDS In a stunning debut, the screen accolade, the AACTA The inaugural AACTA Inaugural AACTA Awards Raymond Longford Award. Awards season culminated were held in January 2012, Internationally acclaimed in the spectacular AACTA a continuum of the proud writer, director and Awards Ceremony at the tradition established by the composer, Ivan Sen, was Sydney Opera House on 31 Australian