The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) crowned the winners from its 2020 awards ceremony today, with Babyteeh and Stateless dominating the film and TV categories respectively.
Shannon Murphy’s tragi-comedy Babyteeth was the big winner on the film side, scooping Best Film, Best Direction, Screenplay (Rita Kalnejais), Actor (Toby Wallace), Actress (Eliza Scanlen), Supporting Actor (Ben Mendelsohn) and Supporting Actress (Essie Davis).
On the TV side, Stateless, the series starring and created by Cate Blanchett, won Best Mini Series, Lead Actor (Fayssal Bazzi), Lead Actress (Yvonne Strahovski), Supporting Actor (Darren Gilshenan), Supporting Actress (Blanchett), Screenplay (Elise McCredie), and Direction (Emma Freeman).
Further winners included Rebel Wilson, who took Best Presenter for LOL: Last One Laughing Australia, and Tim Minchin, who won Comedy Performer for Upright.
Elsewhere, Better Days took Best Asian Film, the Bryon Kennedy Award was presented to The Babadook filmmaker Jennifer Kent, and Steve Bedwell, Bryan Cockerill and Geraldine Coy were the recipients of the inaugural AACTA Reg Grundy Award, which comes with a $50,000 prize.
“COVID has been an enormous challenge for everyone but it has also highlighted just how critical our screen industry is to audiences around the world,” said AACTA CEO Damian Trewhella. “We have turned to the local entertainment industry to keep us informed and entertained, with the work of our creative industry valued by audiences more than ever before. It has been a great pleasure to be able to gather tonight, albeit in smaller numbers than we are used to, to celebrate the outstanding productions of 2020 across television, film, documentary and the ever evolving, exciting online space”
Here’s the full list of winners:
AACTA Award Best Telefeature or Mini Series: Stateless Cate Blanchett, Elise McCredie, Tony Ayres, Sheila Jayadev, Paul Ranford, Liz Watts, Andrew Upton—Matchbox Pictures, Dirty Films (ABC)
AACTA Award Best Reality Program: Masterchef Australia Marty Benson, Adam Fergusson—Endemol Shine Australia (Network Ten)
AACTA Award Best Entertainment Program: Have You Been Paying Attention? Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner, Michael Hirsh, Rob Sitch—Working Dog Productions (Network Ten)
AACTA Award Best Lifestyle Program – The Living Room Sarah Thornton, Caroline Spencer, Nicole Rogers, Ciaran Flannery—Network Ten (Network Ten)
AACTA Award Best Online Entertainment: The Norris Nuts Sabre Norris, Sockie Norris, Biggie Norris, Naz Norris—The Norris Nuts
AACTA Award Best Online Drama or Comedy: Love In Lockdown Robyn Butler, Wayne Hope, Lucy Durack, Eddie Perfect—Gristmill
AACTA Award Best Children’s Program: Bluey Joe Brumm, Charlie Aspinwall, Sam Moor, Daley Pearson—Ludo Studio (ABC)
AACTA Award Best Comedy Entertainment Program: Shaun Micallef’s Mad As Hell Shaun Micallef, Peter Beck, Gary McCaffrie—ITV Studios Australia, Giant Baby Productions (ABC)
AACTA Award Best Drama Series: Mystery Road David Jowsey, Greer Simpkin—Bunya Productions (ABC)
AACTA Award Best Comedy Series: Upright Jason Stephens, Helen Bowden, Melissa Kelly, Chris Taylor, Tim Minchin—Lingo Pictures (Foxtel)
AACTA Award Best Factual Entertainment Program: Gogglebox Australia Howard Myers, David McDonald, Kerrie Kerr—Endemol Shine, Network Ten, Foxtel (Foxtel, Network Ten)
AACTA Award Best Documentary or Factual Program: Murder in The Outback: The Falconio And Less Mystery Andrew Farrell, Matt Campbell, Bethan Arwel-Lewis, Sophie Meyrick—CJZ (Seven Network)
AACTA Award Subscription Television Award for Best Presenter: Rebel Wilson—LOL: Last One Laughing Australia
AACTA Award Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama: Fayssal Bazzi (Stateless)
AACTA Award Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama: Yvonne Strahovski (Stateless)
AACTA Award Best Guest or Supporting Actor in a Television Drama: Darren Gilshenan (Stateless)
AACTA Award Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama: Cate Blanchett (Stateless)
AACTA Award Best Screenplay in Television: Elise McCredie Stateless Episode 1 – The Circumstances in Which They Come
AACTA Award Best Direction in a TV Drama or Comedy: Emma Freeman Stateless Episode 1 – The Circumstances in Which They Come
AACTA Award Best Comedy Performer: Tim Minchin (Upright)
AACTA Award Best Film presented by Foxtel: Babyteeth Alex White—Whitefalk Films
AACTA Award Best Indie Film: Standing Up For Sunny Steve Vidler (Dir), Jamie Hilton, Michael Pontin, Drew Bailey—Ticket To Ride
AACTA Award Best Asian Film: Better Days Kwok Cheung Tsang (Dir.), Jojo Yuet-Jan Hui
AACTA Award Best Documentary: Firestarter – The Story of Bangarra Nel Minchin (Dir.), Wayne Blair (Dir.), Ivan O’Mahoney—In Films
AACTA Award Best Screenplay in Film: Rita Kalnejais (Babyteeth)
AACTA Award Best Direction in Film: Shannon Murphy (Babyteeth)
AACTA Award Best Lead Actor in Film: Toby Wallace (Babyteeth)
AACTA Award Best Lead Actress in Film: Eliza Scanlen (Babyteeth)
AACTA Award Best Supporting Actor in Film: Ben Mendelsohn (Babyteeth)
AACTA Award Best Supporting Actress in Film: Essie Davis (Babyteeth)
AACTA Award Best Short Film: The Mirror Joel Kohn (Dir.), Mike Horvath, Tom Davies—Screen Invaders, Finest Hour Company, Savvy Cinema
AACTA Award Best VFX or Animation: The Eight Hundred Tim Crosbie, Joy Wu, Jason Troughton, Tom Wood, Julian Hutchens—Rising Sun Pictures