It will come as a surprise to nobody with a scintilla of knowledge about the Australian film industry that journo-cum-director David Michôd’s Melbourne-set crime opus Animal Kingdom scored big at this year’s AFI Awards nominations, which were announced earlier this afternoon. The film was nominated in every category in which it was eligible – 18 in total – which confirms what most commentators already knew: that the real challenge will be to predict what it won’t win.
Second place in the noms tally is actor-cum-director Jeremy Sims’s WWI drama Beneath Hill 60, which surprisingly trumped Jane Champion’s Oscar-nominated Bright Star, a sumptuously shot biopic of John Keats. The commercially triumphant Tomorrow When the War Began, from writer-cum-director Stuart Beattie, chalked up eight. The indigenous musical Bran Nue Dae received seven; same goes for the morbid high falutin’ The Tree. All six titles will compete for Best Film. No prizes for guessing which will win.
News Ltd outlets instantly yelped “Oscar” upon the no-surprises-here news that Animal Kingdom star Jackie Weaver has been nominated for Best Actress. She has strong competition in Abbie Cornish (Bright Star) and Charlotte Gainsbourg (The Tree) but Weaver will be taking that trophy home as sure as light is day and dark is night. Will it help her win an Oscar? Fraid not – Hollywood doesn’t pay much attention to the AFIs, which is probably for the best given the dodgy production elements synonymous with the event. Hopefully this year they’ll swank it up a little.
Ben Mendelsohn’s creepy turn as Pope in Animal Kingdom is also a shoo-in. If he doesn’t win expect film bloggers to take to the streets to protest – and that’s a mob you don’t want to offend, lest they do something rash and, say, tweet about it. As if to emphasize the film’s uniformly exemplary acting, Animal Kingdom scored three out of four nominations in a single category: AK colleagues Joel Edgerton, Guy Pearce and Sullivan Stapleton will compete against each other for the Best Supporting Actor category. Guy Pearce will snag it.
It was nice to see the Spierig Bros’ inventive vampire flick Daybreakers receive two nominations, for Original Screenplay and Visual Effects. It’s a shame writer/director Steven Kastrissio’s low-budget jet-black revenge thriller The Horseman didn’t make a mark on the score board, though it’s hard to imagine what category it could have snuck into. The technical categories such as Best Editing (Animal Kingdom, Beneath Hill 60, Bright Star and Tomorrow When the War Began) are tied up with legitimate high quality contenders.
The full list of nominations is below. The ceremony will be held in Melbourne on December 10 and 11.
FEATURE FILM NOMINEES
AFI MEMBERS’ CHOICE AWARD
Animal Kingdom – Liz Watts
Beneath Hill 60 – Bill Leimbach
Bran Nue Dae – Robyn Kershaw, Graeme Isaac
Bright Star – Jan Chapman, Caroline Hewitt
The Boys Are Back – Greg Brenman, Tim White
Tomorrow When The War Began – Andrew Mason, Michael Boughen
SAMSUNG MOBILE AFI AWARD FOR BEST FILM
Animal Kingdom – Liz Watts
Beneath Hill 60 – Bill Leimbach
Bran Nue Dae – Robyn Kershaw, Graeme Isaac
Bright Star – Jan Chapman, Caroline Hewitt
The Tree – Sue Taylor – Yaël Fogiel
Tomorrow When The War Began – Andrew Mason, Michael Boughen
AFI AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTION
Animal Kingdom – David Michôd
Beneath Hill 60 – Jeremy Hartley Sims
Bright Star – Jane Campion
The Tree – Julie Bertuccelli
MACQUARIE AFI AWARD FOR BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Animal Kingdom – David Michôd
Beneath Hill 60 – David Roach
Bright Star – Jane Campion
Daybreakers – Peter Spierig, Michael Spierig
MACQUARIE AFI AWARD FOR BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Bran Nue Dae – Reg Cribb, Rachel Perkins, Jimmy Chi
The Boys Are Back – Allan Cubitt
The Tree – Julie Bertuccelli
Tomorrow When The War Began – Stuart Beattie
AFI AWARD FOR BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Animal Kingdom – Adam Arkapaw
Beneath Hill 60 – Toby Oliver ACS
Bright Star – Greig Fraser
The Waiting City – Denson Baker ACS
AFI AWARD FOR BEST EDITING
Animal Kingdom – Luke Doolan
Beneath Hill 60 – Dany Cooper ASE
Bright Star – Alexandre de Franceschi ASE
Tomorrow When The War Began – Marcus D’Arcy
AFI AWARD FOR BEST SOUND
Animal Kingdom – Sam Petty, Rob Mackenzie, Philippe Decrausaz
Beneath Hill 60 – Liam Egan, Alicia Slusarski, Mark Cornish, Tony Murtagh
Bran Nue Dae – Andrew Neil, Steve Burgess, Peter Mills, Mario Vaccaro, Blaire Slater, David Bridie, Scott Montgomery
Tomorrow When The War Began – Andrew Plain, David Lee, Gethin Creagh, Robert Sullivan
AFI AWARD FOR BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC SCORE
Animal Kingdom – Antony Partos, Sam Petty
Beneath Hill 60 – Cezary Skubiszewski
Bran Nue Dae – Cezary Skubiszewski, Jimmy Chi, Patrick Duttoo Bin Amat, Garry Gower, Michael Manolis Mavromatis, Stephen Pigram
Bright Star – Mark Bradshaw
AFI AWARD FOR BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Animal Kingdom – Jo Ford
Beneath Hill 60 – Clayton Jauncey
Bright Star – Janet Patterson
Tomorrow When The War Began – Robert Webb, Michelle McGahey, Damien Drew, Bev Dunn
AFI AWARD FOR BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Animal Kingdom – Cappi Ireland
Beneath Hill 60 – Ian Sparke, Wendy Cork
Bran Nue Dae – Margot Wilson
Bright Star – Janet Patterson
AFI AWARD FOR BEST LEAD ACTOR
Brendan Cowell – Beneath Hill 60
James Frecheville – Animal Kingdom
Ben Mendelsohn – Animal Kingdom
Clive Owen – The Boys Are Back
AFI AWARD FOR BEST LEAD ACTRESS
Abbie Cornish – Bright Star
Morgana Davies – The Tree
Charlotte Gainsbourg – The Tree
Jacki Weaver – Animal Kingdom
AFI AWARD FOR BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Joel Edgerton – Animal Kingdom
Guy Pearce – Animal Kingdom
Kodi Smit-McPhee – Matching Jack
Sullivan Stapleton – Animal Kingdom
AFI AWARD FOR BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Julia Blake – The Boys Are Back
Kerry Fox – Bright Star
Deborah Mailman – Bran Nue Dae
Laura Wheelwright – Animal Kingdom
AFI INTERNATIONAL AWARD FOR BEST ACTOR
Simon Baker – The Mentalist, Season 2 – Nine Network
Ryan Kwanten – True Blood, Season 3 – Showcase
Kodi Smit-McPhee – The Road
Sam Worthington – Avatar
AFI INTERNATIONAL AWARD FOR BEST ACTRESS
Toni Collette – United States of Tara, Season 2 – ABC1
Bojana Novakovic – Edge of Darkness
Mia Wasikowska – Alice in Wonderland
Naomi Watts – Mother and Child
AFI YOUNG ACTOR AWARD
Ashleigh Cummings – Tomorrow When The War Began
Morgana Davies – The Tree
James Frecheville – Animal Kingdom
Harrison Gilbertson – Beneath Hill 60
AFI VISUAL EFFECTS AWARD
Daybreakers – Peter Spierig, Michael Spierig, Rangi Sutton, James Rogers, Randy Vellacott
The Tree – Dave Morley, Felix Crawshaw, Claudia Lecaros, Tim Walker
Tinglewood – Wil Manning
Tomorrow When The War Began – Chris Godfrey, Sigi Eimutis, Dave Morley, Tony Cole
TELEVISION NOMINEES
AFI AWARD FOR BEST CHILDREN’S TELEVISION DRAMA
Dance Academy – Joanna Werner ABC
Dead Gorgeous – Ewan Burnett, Margot McDonald – ABC
Lockie Leonard – Kylie Du Fresne – Nine Network
My Place – Penny Chapman – ABC
AFI AWARD FOR BEST CHILDREN’S TELEVISION ANIMATION
dirtgirlworld – Cate McQuillen – ABC
Erky Perky – Kristine Klohk, Barbara Stephen, Tracy Lenon – Seven Network
The Legend Of Enyo – Avrill Stark, Michael Christensen – Seven Network
AFI AWARD FOR BEST TELEVISION COMEDY SERIES
Lowdown – Nicole Minchin, Amanda Brotchie, Adam Zwar – ABC
Review With Myles Barlow, Season 2 – Dean Bates – ABC
Wilfred II – Jenny Livingston, Tony Rogers, Adam Zwar, Jason Gann – SBS
AFI AWARD FOR BEST LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION SERIES
The Gruen Transfer, Series 3 – Andrew Denton, Anita Jacoby, Jon Casimir, Debbie Cuell – ABC1
Hungry Beast, Series Two – Andrew Denton, Andy Nehl – ABC1
MasterChef Australia – Margaret Bashfield, Judy Smart, Caroline Spencer – Network Ten
Talkin’ ’bout Your Generation – Peter Beck – Network Ten
AFI AWARD FOR BEST TELEVISION DRAMA SERIES
The Circuit, Series 2 – Ross Hutchens, Colin South – SBS
Rush, Season 3 – John Edwards, Mimi Butler – Network Ten
Spirited – Claudia Karvan, Jacquelin Perske, John Edwards – W
Tangle, Season 2 – John Edwards, Imogen Banks – Showcase
AFI AWARD FOR BEST TELEFEATURE, MINI SERIES OR SHORT RUN SERIES
A Model Daughter: The Killing Of Caroline Byrne – Karl Zwicky – Network Ten
Hawke – Richard Keddie – Network Ten
AFI AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTION IN TELEVISION
Dance Academy – Episode 2, ‘Week Zero’ – Jeffrey Walker – ABC
Hawke – Emma Freeman – Network Ten
Rush, Season 3 – Episode 308, ‘Train’ – Grant Brown – Network Ten
Tangle, Season 2 – Episode 16, ‘Lost and Found’ – Emma Freeman – Showcase
AFI AWARD FOR BEST SCREENPLAY IN TELEVISION
Hawke – Glen Dolman – Network Ten
Review With Myles Barlow, Season 2 – Episode 6, ‘Happiness, Escapism, Acceptance’
Trent O’Donnell, Phil Lloyd – ABC
Tangle, Season 2 – Episode 15, ‘Sleepwalking’ – Fiona Seres – Showcase
Wilfred II – Episode 7, ‘Dog Star’ – Jason Gann, Adam Zwar – SBS
AFI AWARD FOR BEST LEAD ACTOR IN A TELEVISION DRAMA
Garry McDonald – A Model Daughter: The Killing Of Caroline Byrne – Network Ten
Corey McKernan – Lockie Leonard – Nine Network
Aaron Pedersen – The Circuit, Series 2 – SBS
Richard Roxburgh – Hawke – Network Ten
AFI AWARD FOR BEST LEAD ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION DRAMA
Cheree Cassidy – Underbelly: The Golden Mile – Episode 7, ‘Full Force Gale’ – Nine Network
Justine Clarke – Tangle, Season 2 – Showcase
Poppy Lee Friar – Dead Gorgeous – ABC
Catherine McClements – Tangle, Season 2 – Showcase
AFI AWARD FOR BEST GUEST OR SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A TELEVISION DRAMA
Damien Garvey – Underbelly: The Golden Mile – Episode 10, ‘Hurt on Duty’ – Nine Network
Rhys Muldoon – Lockie Leonard – Episode 11, ‘Snake Hide Oil – Nine Network
John Waters – Offspring – Network Ten
Ben Winspear – My Place – Episode 5, ‘1968 Sofia’ – ABC
AFI AWARD FOR BEST GUEST OR SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION DRAMA
Linda Cropper – Satisfaction, Season 3 – Episode 8, ‘Not Vanilla’ – Showcase
Sacha Horler – Hawke – Network Ten
Asher Keddie – Hawke – Network Ten
Deborah Mailman – Offspring – Network Ten
AFI AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE IN A TELEVISION COMEDY
Paul Denny – Lowdown – ABC
Jason Gann – Wilfred II – SBS
Phil Lloyd – Review With Myles Barlow, Season 2 – ABC
NON-FEATURE FILM NOMINEES
AFI AWARD FOR BEST FEATURE LENGTH DOCUMENTARY
Contact – Martin Butler, Bentley Dean – ABC1
Inside The Firestorm – Lucy Maclaren, Alex West – ABC
The Snowman – Rachel Landers, Dylan Blowen
Strange Birds In Paradise – A West Papuan Story – Jamie Nicolai, John Cherry
AFI AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY UNDER ONE HOUR
A Thousand Encores: The Ballets Russes In Australia – Sharyn Prentice, Marianne Latham, Lavinia Riachi – ABC
Rudely Interrupted – Susie Jones, Benjamin Jones – ABC1
Surviving Mumbai – Andrew Ogilvie, Andrea Quesnelle – ABC
You Only Live Twice – The Incredibly True Story Of The Hughes Family – Ruth Cullen – ABC1
AFI AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY SERIES
Addicted To Money – Andrew Ogilvie, Andrea Quesnelle – ABC
Disable Bodied Sailors – Karina Holden, Nick Robinson – SBS
Kokoda – Andrew Wiseman – ABC1
Liberal Rule- The Politics That Changed Australia – Nick Torrens, Frank Haines – SBS
AFI AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTION IN A DOCUMENTARY
A Thousand Encores: The Ballets Russes In Australia – Amanda Chang – ABC
Contact – Martin Butler, Bentley Dean – ABC1
Inside The Firestorm – Jacob Hickey – ABC
Strange Birds In Paradise – A West Papuan Story – Charlie Hill-Smith
AFI AWARD FOR BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY IN A DOCUMENTARY
Disable Bodied Sailors – Episode 3 – Nick Robinson – SBS
Miracles – Episode 1, ‘Miracle in the Storm’ – Tony Oliver ACS – ABC1
Strange Birds In Paradise – A West Papuan Story – Angus Kemp
Surviving Mumbai – Jim Frater – ABC
AFI AWARD FOR BEST EDITING IN A DOCUMENTARY
A Thousand Encores: The Ballets Russes In Australia – Karin Steininger – ABC
Contact – Tania Nehme – ABC1
Inside The Firestorm – Steven Robinson – ABC
Surviving Mumbai – David Fosdick – ABC
AFI AWARD FOR BEST SOUND IN A DOCUMENTARY
A Thousand Encores: The Ballets Russes In Australia – Brett Aplin, Andrew McGrath, Erin McKimm – ABC
Inside The Firestorm – Jock Healy, Tristan Meredith – ABC
Kokoda – Episode 1, ‘The Invasion’ – David Bridie, Chris Goodes, Ian Grant, Patrick Slater – ABC1
Strange Birds In Paradise – A West Papuan Story – Mik la Vage, Doron Kipen, David Bridie
AFI AWARD FOR BEST SHORT ANIMATION
The Lost Thing – Sophie Byrne, Andrew Ruhemann, Shaun Tan
Zero – Christopher Kezelos, Christine Kezelos
AFI AWARD FOR BEST SHORT FICTION FILM
Deeper Than Yesterday – Ariel Kleiman, Benjamin Gilovitz, Sarah Cyngler, Anna Kojevnikov
The Kiss – Sonya Humphrey, Ashlee Page
The Love Song Of Iskra Prufrock – Lucy Gaffy, Lyn Norfor
Suburbia – Antonio Oreña-Barlin, Richard Halsted
AFI AWARD FOR BEST SCREENPLAY IN A SHORT FILM
A Parachute Falling In Siberia – Sarah Shaw, Ian Meadows
Deeper Than Yesterday – Ariel Kleiman
Glenn Owen Dodds – Trent Dalton
The Kiss – Ashlee Page
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