AACTA Makes Changes In Bid To Sustain Awards

Australia's premier film industry awards, the AACTA Awards, have today outlined their intentions for the future of the awards after they struggled to attract viewers in 2013.

AACTA CEO Damian Trewhella told theMusic.com.au earlier this year that their last minute negotiations with a TV network meant the broadcast was buried, while the loss of their naming-rights sponsor was also a hit. The Academy are ringing the changes early for the third edition of the awards, announcing a new collection of television awards as part of a category upheaval and calling for both entries and jurors.

The categories, Best Screenplay In A Short Film, Best Visual Effects, Best Young Actor and the documentary-specific Best Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Editing and Best Sound In A Documentary will be placed “on hold” until the 2015 awards. The new television category will include Best Cinematography In Television, Best Editing In Television, Best Sound In Television, Best Original Music Score In Television, Best Production Design In Television and Best Costume Design In Television.

The changes have been made as part of an annual review which includes the AACTAS working with Guild representatives and results of a recent awards survey.

Today Trewhella said, “Reviewing the AACTA Awards will be a continual process in order to reflect industry trends, ensuring the relevancy and therefore worth of the Awards within Australia and aboard. We are very pleased with the input and collaboration of the Guilds in working with AACTA to determine the slate of [the] third AACTA Awards, and plan to continue this into the future. Together we have created Awards which achieve greater inclusivity for more screen crafts than before, particularly within the television sector.”

He added, “We also reviewed the AACTA Awards in light of AACTA's economic challenges, and whilst a small number of AACTA Awards will need to be put on hold for the moment largely due to the considerable administrative process they require, the fact that we are presenting just one less AACTA Award next year compared with this year is a good result.”

Applications for content to be submitted for the next awards, or for juror consideration, are made through AACTA's website.