Glenn here. As expected, it was a big night for Oscar hopeful Mad Max: Fury Road at the AACTA Awards last night, while Cate Blanchett gave yet another wonderful speech upon winning the Longford Lyell Award for outstanding achievement to Australian screen. Split over two ceremonies in Sydney, this year’s “Australian Oscars” were honouring the most successful year for Australian film on record – yes, that means of all time (inflation not included) – as well as television. Miller’s film picked up eight trophies all up, bringing the total number of AFI/AACTA Awards won by the franchise to 16, while Miller has now amassed 8 career statues. Yes, eight!!
Jocelyn Moorhouse’s homegrown phenomenon The Dressmaker was also a hit winning five including for actors Kate Winslet, Judy Davis, and Hugo Weaving as well as the audience choice award, which goes to show just how popular that period western has been here and how much it's captured the public's attention (it has come within mere millions of Mad Max’s box office). The most sentimental win of the night was for lead actor Michael Caton, the industry legend whose first win finally came at age 72 in Last Cab to Darwin about a dying man driving cross-country. AIDS-era gay romance Holding the Man sadly went home empty-handed despite being one of the finest dramas this country has ever produced.
Best Film: Mad Max: Fury Road
People's Choice Award: The Dressmaker
Best Direction: George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Lead Actor: Michael Caton, Last Cab to Darwin
Best Lead Actress: Kate Winslet, The Dressmaker
Best Supporting Actor: Hugo Weaving, The Dressmaker
Best Supporting Actress: Judy Davis, The Dressmaker
Best Original Screenplay: Robert Connolly and Steve Worland, Paper Planes
Best Adapted Screenplay: Reg Cribb and Jeremy Sims, Last Cab to Darwin
Best Documentary Feature: That Sugar Film
More winners + Cate Blanchett (!) after the jump...
No, we won't stop using this gif!
Best Cinematography: John Seale, Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Editing: Margaret Sixel, Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Costume Design: Marion Boyce and Margot Wilson, The Dressmaker
Best Production Design: Colin Gibson, Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Original Music Score: Tom Holkenborg aka Junkie XL, Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Sound: Ben Osmo, David White, Chris Jenkins, Gregg Rudloff, Scott Hecker, Wayne Pashley and Mark Mangini, Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Visual Effects or Animation: Andrew Jackson, Holly Radcliffe, Dan Oliver, Andy Williams, Tom Wood and Fiona Crawford, Mad Max: Fury Road
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Best Short Animation: Ernie Biscuit, Adam Elliot
Best Short Fiction Film: Nulla Nulla, Dylan River and Tanith Glynn-Maloney
Best Direction in a Documentary: Bill Guttentag and Michael Ware, Only the Dead
Best Editing in a Documentary: Jane Moran, Only the Dead
Best Original Music Score in a Documentary: Antony Partos, Sherpa
While Kate Winslet didn't come down to accept here award, another actress heavy on the American awards campaign trail did. Cate Blanchett was awarded for her contribution to screen culture with an introduction by Hugo Weaving, Richard Roxburgh and Gillian Armstrong, the latter of whom spoke about spending five months convincing Fox to allow her to cast a then virtually unknown Blanchett in Oscar and Lucinda. Directors like Martin Scorsese, Robert Redford, Ron Howard, Ridley Scott, and Todd Haynes - for whom she will no doubt fly back to America ASAP to hawk Carol to Oscar voters alongside - were on hand in video to thank her.
Blanchett, ever reliable for good reaction shots, jokingly checked her nails during embarrassing anecdotes and wiped away tears upon accepting the award.
Thank you. Look, thank you, to receive this from you guys is astonishing. You’re not only three of the most influential people in my career, [but also] the greatest humans that I’ve had the great pleasure to work with and call my friends, so thank you. And there’s several of you in the house tonight and Sasha’s there and Marta’s there and so many of you. It’s so annoying! So, thank you to AACTA. But particularly thank you for recognising Lottie Lyle’s work and expanding the title of this award. So often in any industry, the film industry is no different, female achievements are sort of… because we just sort of get on and do stuff and get swept under the carpet, so I think it’s fantastic that AACTA are coming into the 21st century. So it’s got a particular pleasure for me to receive this and also with the extraordinary and eclectic bunch of people who have received it before me.
And walking the red carpet, every time we all do we talk about ‘isn’t this a great year for Australian film?’ as if it’s some fluke or it’s something we should be surprised by. We should be bloody proud of it. And the films don't necessarily need to go to another country. Our stories are worth consuming here. And box office is great – all hail to the extraordinary and diverse films that have made huge successes at the box office – but it’s not the only measure of success and I am incredible proud to continue to work in this industry for no other reason than it’s great.
I did want to say that Gill omitted to say that she had to fight very, very hard back then to have an Australian play an Australian character. And it seems like a no-brainer, but it’s a testament to directors like Gill who come back and say, ‘no, I want an Australian to play this role.’ It’s not a quota, but it needs to be fought for. And budget cuts, it’s true, you actually took a cut in the budget to have an Australian play an Australian role. Isn’t that silly? But there you go. And you fought for it and I wouldn’t be here without you, Gill, so thank you. And thank you all, this is an extraordinary industry and this means so very much. Thank you.
We keep talking about how Cate's Oscar win just two years ago means it's extremely unlikely she would win again, but you guys she gives such good speeches... If nothing else, hopefully these awards was a trial run for some Oscar speeches in a few months time. What do you think?
Thank you. Look, thank you, to receive this from you guys is astonishing. You’re not only three of the most influential people in my career, the greatest humans that I’ve had the great pleasure to work with and call my friends, so thank you. And there’s several of you in the house tonight and Sasha’s there and Marta’s there and so many of you. It’s so annoying! So, thank you to AACTA. And, but particularly thank you for recognising Lottie Lyle’s work and expanding the title of this award. So often in any industry, the film industry is no experience, female achievements are sort of… because we just sort of get on and do stuff and get swept under the carpet, so I think it’s fantastic that AACTA are coming into the 21st century. So it’s got a particular pleasure for me to receive this and also with the extraordinary and eclectic bunch of people who have received it before me.
Walking the red carpet, every time we all do we talk about ‘isn’t this a great year for Australian film?’ as if it’s some fluke or it’s something we should be surprised by. We should be bloody proud of it. And we don’t need the films to necessarily go to another country. Our stories are worth consuming here. And box office is great – all hail to the strong and diverse films that have made huge successes at the box office – but it’s not the only measure of success and I am incredible proud to continue to work in this industry for no other reason than it’s great.
I did want to say that Gill omitted to say that she had to fight very, very hard back then to have an Australian play an Australian character. And it seems like a no-brainer, but it’s a testament to directors like Gill who come back and say, ‘no, I want an Australian to play this role.’ It’s not a quota, but it needs to be fought for. And budget cuts, it’s true, you actually took a cut in the budget to have an Australian play an Australian role. Isn’t that silly? But there you go. And you fought for it and I wouldn’t be here without you, Gill, so thank you. And thank you all, this is an extraordinary industry and this means so very much. Thank you.