Last night's ceremony highlighted the technical wizardry of the industry's behind-the-scenes heroes
George Miller's shiny and chrome 'revisitation' of the Mad Max universe, Mad Max: Fury Road, has emerged the clear dominant winner following the revelation of this year's recipients of the AACTA Screen Craft Awards, winning a whopping six categories from eight nominations at last night's Industry Dinner.
Although it couldn't quite make it a clean sweep, losing out to Paper Planes' Robert Connolly and Steve Worland in the field of Best Original Screenplay, and missing out on Best Costume Design (which went to Marion Boyce and Margot Wilson for The Dressmaker) — but it's hard to feel too bad for the team, considering the film sealed the deal for Best Cinematography (John Seale ASC ACS), Best Editing (Margaret Sixel), Best Sound (Ben Osmo, Chris Jenkins, Gregg Rudloff, David White, Mark Mangini, Scott Hecker, Wayne Pashley), Best Original Music Score (Tom Kolkenborg aka Junkie XL), Best Production Design (Colin Gibson) and Best Visual Effects Or Animation (Andrew Jackson, Holly Radcliffe, Dan Oliver, Andy Williams, Tom Wood, Fiona Crawford), beating out, impressively, Avengers: Age Of Ultron, among other challengers.
On the small screen, historical drama Deadline Gallipoli and biopic Peter Allen: Not The Boy Next Door both picked up two awards apiece, the former picking up Best Cinematography In Television (Geoffrey Hall ACS, for Part One) and Best Sound In Television (Des Kenneally, Robert Mackenzie, Justine Angus, Liam Price, Jed Dodge, John Simpson), while the latter grabbed its wins for Best Direction In A Television Drama Or Comedy (Shawn Seet, Episode 2) and Best Costume Design In Television (Jenny Miles, Episode 1).
Last night's industry dinner also saw the AACTAs step up where the ARIAs embarrassingly did not, not only ensuring there were multiple female nominees in the field of Best Performance In A Television Comedy but — gasp — actually awarding the prize to Celia Pacquola for her work as Nat Russell on Utopia. Meanwhile, Not John Oliver Charlie Pickering's The Weekly was recognised as the best the country has to offer in light entertainment, while Cornel Wilczek was honoured with the prize for Best Original Music Score In Television for his work on the fourth episode of supernatural drama Glitch.
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Also recognised last night were standout achievers across short film, TV and feature-length documentary; see below for a full list of winners.
"Each year the AACTA Awards remind us of the breadth of screen practitioner talent Australia produces, and tonight’s Industry Dinner was no exception," AACTA chief executive Damian Trewhella said in a statement. "As well as confirming leaders across screen crafts, with many of tonight’s winners internationally recognised industry icons and multi-AFI and AACTA Award winners, tonight we also recognised the talent of many first-time winners, whose careers will now enter an exciting new chapter having received the nation’s top screen accolade in front of our industry’s best.
"We congratulate all winners announced tonight, and look forward with great anticipation to revealing the remaining winners at the fifth AACTA Awards Ceremony presented by Presto in Sydney, home of the AACTA Awards, in an exciting new broadcast on Channel Seven."
The fifth annual AACTA Awards will be telecast on Channel Seven next Wednesday, 9 December, from 8.30pm. For more information, see the event's website.
LITTLE LUNCH Robyn Butler, Wayne Hope – ABC3
THE NEW ADVENTURES OF FIGARO PHO Daniel Fill, Frank Verheggen, Luke Jurevicius – ABC3
NOWHERE BOYS SERIES 2 Beth Frey – ABC3
READY FOR THIS Darren Dale, Miranda Dear, Joanna Werner – ABC3
DIRTY LAUNDRY LIVE Tarni James, Peter Lawler, Rachel Millar, Richard Kelly – ABC
JUDITH LUCY IS ALL WOMAN Anna Bateman, Judith Lucy – ABC
JULIA ZEMIRO'S HOME DELIVERY Damian Davis, Polly Connolly, Nick Murray – ABC
THE WEEKLY WITH CHARLIE PICKERING Charlie Pickering, Kevin Whyte, Chris Walker, Frank Bruzzese - ABC
BANISHED Episode 7 Jeffrey Walker – FOXTEL - BBC First
DEADLINE GALLIPOLI Part 1 Michael Rymer – FOXTEL - Showcase
PETER ALLEN - NOT THE BOY NEXT DOOR Episode 2 Shawn Seet – Seven Network
THE PRINCIPAL Episode 1 Kriv Stenders – SBS
HIPSTERS Episode 1 - What Is A Hipster? Seth Larney – SBS2
JUDITH LUCY IS ALL WOMAN Episode 2 - Hanky Panky Anna Bateman – ABC
JULIA ZEMIRO'S HOME DELIVERY Episode 7 - Waleed Aly Damian Davis – ABC
KITCHEN CABINET Episode 7 - Clive Palmer Stamatia Maroupas – ABC
Nathan Lovejoy SAMMY J & RANDY IN RICKETTS LANE – ABC
Celia Pacquola UTOPIA – ABC
Randy SAMMY J & RANDY IN RICKETTS LANE – ABC
Emily Taheny SHAUN MICALLEF'S MAD AS HELL – ABC
BANISHED Episode 6 Martin McGrath ACS – FOXTEL - BBC First
DEADLINE GALLIPOLI Part 1 Geoffrey Hall ACS – FOXTEL - Showcase
REDFERN NOW - PROMISE ME Mark Wareham ACS – ABC
THE SECRET RIVER Part 1 Bruce Young – ABC
DEADLINE GALLIPOLI Part 1 Dany Cooper ASE, Martin Connor – FOXTEL - Showcase
LITTLE LUNCH Episode 5 - The Top of the Fireman's Pole Annabelle Johnson – ABC3
PETER ALLEN - NOT THE BOY NEXT DOOR Episode 1 Deborah Peart ASE – Seven Network
REDFERN NOW - PROMISE ME Nicholas Holmes ASE – ABC
BANISHED Episode 6 Paul ‘Salty’ Brincat, Gary Desmond, Dan Johnson – FOXTEL - BBC First
DEADLINE GALLIPOLI Part 1 Des Kenneally, Robert Mackenzie, Liam Price, Jed Dodge, Justine Angus, John Simpson – FOXTEL - Showcase
PETER ALLEN - NOT THE BOY NEXT DOOR Episode 1 Grant Shepherd, Ashley Irwin, Ian Neilson, Ben Anderson, Nigel Croydon, Robert Sullivan – Seven Network
REDFERN NOW – PROMISE ME Rainier Davenport, Ian McLoughlin CAS, Wes Chew, Tom Herdman, Annie Breslin, Blair Slater – ABC
DEADLINE GALLIPOLI Part 1 David Bridie – FOXTEL - Showcase
GLITCH Episode 4 Cornel Wilczek – ABC
REDFERN NOW - PROMISE ME Antony Partos – ABC
THE SECRET RIVER Part 1 Burkhard Dallwitz – ABC
BANISHED Episode 6 Claire Kenny – FOXTEL - BBC First
DEADLINE GALLIPOLI Part 1 Pete Baxter – FOXTEL – Showcase
PETER ALLEN - NOT THE BOY NEXT DOOR Episode 1 Tim Ferrier – Seven Network
THE SECRET RIVER Part 1 Herbert Pinter – ABC
HOUSE OF HANCOCK Part 1 Shareen Beringer – Nine Network
MISS FISHER’S MURDER MYSTERIES SERIES 3 Episode 1 - Death Defying Feats Marion Boyce – ABC
PETER ALLEN - NOT THE BOY NEXT DOOR Episode 1 Jenny Miles – Seven Network
THE SECRET RIVER Part 1 Edie Kurzer – ABC
ERNIE BISCUIT Adam Elliot
THE MEEK Laura DiMaio, Joe Brumm
THE ORCHESTRA Mikey Hill, Melanie Brunt
THE STORY OF PERCIVAL PILTS John Lewis, Janette Goodey
FLAT DADDY Annie Kinnane, Matt Holcomb
KARROYUL Kelrick Martin, Jaclyn Hewer, Melissa Kelly
NULLA NULLA Dylan River, Tanith Glynn-Maloney
REG MAKES CONTACT Corrie Chen, Jiao Chen, Raquelle David
GAYBY BABY Charlotte Mars
ONLY THE DEAD Patrick McDonald, Michael Ware
SHERPA Bridget Ikin, John Smithson
THAT SUGAR FILM Nick Batzias, Damon Gameau
WOMEN HE’S UNDRESSED Damien Parer, Gillian Armstrong
BETWEEN A FROCK AND A HARD PLACE Jo-anne McGowan – ABC
THE CAMBODIAN SPACE PROJECT - NOT EASY ROCK'N'ROLL Richard Kuipers – ABC
THE KILLING SEASON Deborah Masters, Sarah Ferguson – ABC
PRISON SONGS Harry Bardwell, Kelrick Martin – SBS
THE KILLING SEASON Episode 2 - Great Moral Challenge (2009-2010) Deborah Masters – ABC
ONLY THE DEAD Bill Guttentag, Michael Ware
PRISON SONGS Kelrick Martin – SBS
URANIUM – TWISTING THE DRAGON’S TAIL Episode 1 - The Rock That Became A Bomb; Wain Fimeri, Steve Westh – SBS
THE KILLING SEASON Episode 2 - Great Moral Challenge (2009-2010) Louie Eroglu ACS – ABC
LIFE ON THE REEF Episode 1 Nick Robinson, Luke Peterson, Jon Shaw – ABC
PRISON SONGS Torstein Dyrting ACS – SBS
SHERPA Renan Ozturk, Hugh Miller, Ken Sauls
THE CAMBODIAN SPACE PROJECT - NOT EASY ROCK'N'ROLL Andrea Lang ASE – ABC
THE KILLING SEASON Episode 2 - Great Moral Challenge (2009-2010) Lile Judickas – ABC
ONLY THE DEAD Jane Moran
SHERPA Christian Gazal
THE CAMBODIAN SPACE PROJECT - NOT EASY ROCK'N'ROLL Keith Thomas – ABC
LIFE ON THE REEF Episode 1 Caspar Mazzotti, Craig Beckett, Dan Miau, Terry Meehan – ABC
ONLY THE DEAD Steve Burgess, Leah Katz, Andy Wright, Chris Goodes CAS
PRISON SONGS Glenn Martin, Kim Lord – SBS
ONLY THE DEAD Michael Yezerski
PRISON SONGS Shellie Morris, Casey Bennetto, Tim Cole – SBS
SHERPA Antony Partos
URANIUM – TWISTING THE DRAGON’S TAIL Episode 1 - The Rock That Became A Bomb Dale Cornelius - SBS
CUT SNAKE Blake Ayshford
KILL ME THREE TIMES James McFarland
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD George Miller, Brendan McCarthy, Nico Lathouris
PAPER PLANES Robert Connolly, Steve Worland
HOLDING THE MAN Tommy Murphy
LAST CAB TO DARWIN Reg Cribb, Jeremy Sims
RUBEN GUTHRIE Brendan Cowell
THE DRESSMAKER Donald M. McAlpine ACS ASC
LAST CAB TO DARWIN Steve Arnold ACS
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD John Seale ASC ACS
ODDBALL Damian Wyvill ACS
CUT SNAKE Andy Canny
THE DRESSMAKER Jill Bilcock ACE ASE
HOLDING THE MAN Dany Cooper ASE
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD Margaret Sixel
THE DRESSMAKER Andrew Ramage, Glenn Newnham, Chris Goodes CAS, David Williams, Mario Vaccaro, Alex Francis
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD Ben Osmo, Chris Jenkins, Gregg Rudloff, David White, Mark Mangini, Scott Hecker, Wayne Pashley
PAPER PLANES Chris Goodes CAS, James Ashton, Emma Bortignon, Trevor Hope
PARTISAN Robert Mackenzie, Dane Cody
THE DRESSMAKER David Hirschfelder
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD Tom Holkenborg aka Junkie XL
PAPER PLANES Nigel Westlake
PARTISAN Daniel Lopatin
CUT SNAKE Jo Ford
THE DRESSMAKER Roger Ford
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD Colin Gibson
PARTISAN Steven Jones-Evans APDG, Sarah Cyngler
CUT SNAKE Cappi Ireland
THE DRESSMAKER Marion Boyce, Margot Wilson
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD Jenny Beavan
PARTISAN Maria Pattison, Sarah Cyngler
AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON Christopher Townsend, Ryan Stafford, Paul Butterworth, Matt Estela
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD Andrew Jackson, Holly Radcliffe, Dan Oliver, Andy Williams, Tom Wood, Fiona Crawford
PAN Chas Jarrett, Dan Barrow, Mark Holt, Marc Varisco, Alana Newell
TED 2 Glenn Melenhorst, Ineke Majoor