On the 7th of February, the Australian Film Critics Association hosted its annual Film & Writing Awards at ACMI in Melbourne’s Federation Square, with comedian Tegan Higgenbotham serving as the host.
The evening celebrated a remarkable year of Australian cinema, with The Babadook and Charlie’s Country emerging as the standout winners. Essie Davis and Noah Wiseman graced the ceremony and joyfully accepted their acting accolades for their outstanding performances in The Babadook, while Ian Jones, the cinematographer for Charlie’s Country, proudly received his award.
A special moment occurred during Melbourne’s BlakNite event at Treasury Gardens on Friday evening, where David Gulpilil was surprised with the Best Actor award. Aaron Pedersen, last year’s AFCA Best Actor recipient, presented the award to Mr. Gulpilil, who was deeply moved and dedicated the honour to “the spirit of the country and his family.”
WRITING AWARDS
Key industry figures externally judged the writing awards –Kristian Connelly (General Manager, Cinema Nova), Phillipa Hawker (Film Critic/Arts Writer, The Age & Fairfax Media), Michael Bodey (Film Editor/Media Journalist, The Australian), and Alan Finney (Chair of the Australian Film Institute (AFI) / AACTA).
THE IVAN HUTCHINSON AWARD FOR BEST LONG-FORM WRITING
Winner: Thomas Caldwell for “Anger and Banality in Ghosts… of the Civil Dead”
AWARD FOR WRITING ON NON-AUSTRALIAN CINEMA
Winner: Jake Moody for “Time Enough at Last: The Long History of the Long Film“
AWARD FOR BEST REVIEW OF AN INDIVIDUAL AUSTRALIAN FILM
Winner: Alexandra Donald for “The Babadook“
AWARD FOR BEST REVIEW OF AN INDIVIDUAL NON-AUSTRALIAN FILM
Winner: Kristen S. Hé for “Boyhood”
FILM AWARDS
BEST FILM
The Babadook
Charlie’s Country
Predestination
The Infinite Man
Tracks
WINNER: The Babadook
BEST DIRECTOR
Jennifer Kent – The Babadook
Rolf De Heer – Charlie’s Country
Sophie Hyde – 52 Tuesdays
David Michod – The Rover
Michael & Peter Spierig – Predestination
WINNER: Jennifer Kent for The Babadook
BEST ACTOR
David Gulpilil – Charlie’s Country
Don Hany – Healing
Guy Pearce – The Rover
Nathan Phillips – These Final Hours
Angus Sampson – The Mule
WINNER: David Gulpilil for Charlie’s Country
BEST ACTRESS
Essie Davis – The Babadook
Tilda Cobham-Hervey – 52 Tuesdays
Angourie Rice – These Final Hours
Sarah Snook – Predestination
Mia Wasikowska – Tracks
WINNER: Essie Davis for The Babadook
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Noah Wiseman – The Babadook
Jai Courtney – Felony
Alex Dimitriades – The Infinite Man
Robert Pattinson – The Rover
Hugo Weaving – The Mule
WINNER: Noah Wiseman for The Babadook
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Sarah Snook – These Final Hours
Noni Hazlehurst – The Mule
Erin James – The Little Death
Gillian Jones – The Rover
Susan Prior – The Rover
WINNER: Sarah Snook for These Final Hours
BEST SCREENPLAY
Rolf De Heer & David Gulpilil – Charlie’s Country
Matthew Cormack – 52 Tuesdays
Jennifer Kent – The Babadook
Michael & Peter Spierig – Predestination
Hugh Sullivan – The Infinite Man
WINNER: Rolf De Heer & David Gulpilil for Charlie’s Country
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Ian Jones – Charlie’s Country
Natasha Braier – The Rover
Radek Ludczuk – The Babadook
Ben Nott – Predestination
Mandy Walker – Tracks
WINNER: Ian Jones for Charlie’s Country
BEST DOCUMENTARY (Local or International)
Jodorowsky’s Dune
20,000 Days on Earth
All This Mayhem
Finding Vivian Maier
The Missing Picture
WINNER: Jodorowsky’s Dune
INTERNATIONAL CATEGORIES (IN ENGLISH)
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Boyhood
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nightcrawler
Under The Skin
WINNER: The Grand Budapest Hotel
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM FOREIGN LANGUAGE
Two Days, One Night
Ida
The Great Beauty
Wadjda
Winter Sleep
WINNER: Two Days, One Night