‘Lion’ roars at AACTA Awards, Dangal wins Best Asian Film

Sunny Pawar, Nakul Kamte, Dangal make India proud at recently concluded AACTA Awards in Australia

Garth Davis’s Lion, the biggest Australian film at the box office this year, has won in all the 12 categories in which it was nominated at this year’s AACTA Awards.

The AACTA Awards, presented by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts, take place in Sydney in two stages: the first instalment was on Monday and the second last night.

The Awards this year are very special for India as Sunny Pawar became the youngest ever recipient of the Best Lead Actor at AACTA Awards while Indian origin actor Dev Patel won Best Supporting Actor for playing the same character’s Adult version.

Nakul Kamte also won for the Best Sound from India along with Robert Mackenzie, Glenn Newnham, Andrew Ramage, James Ashton and Mario Vaccaro.

Icing on the cake being for the first time, AACTA announced award for best Asian film and the inaugural winner for the Best Asian Film presented by PR Asia came home with Aamir Khan, Kiran Rao, Siddharth Roy Kapur for the Blockbuster Dangal.

The Awards presented by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts are considered oscars Australian Film Institute Awards or AFI Awards, began in 1958 and are Australia’s highest film and television Awards, the AACTA Awards are Australia’s equivalent of the Oscars and the British Academy Film and Television Academy Awards (BAFTAs).

 

AACTA AWARD WINNERS:

Special awards

Longford Lyell Award: Phillip Noyce

Trailblazer Award: Simon Baker

Byron Kennedy Award: Martin Butler, Bentley Dean

Television

Drama series: Top of the Lake: China Girl (Foxtel/BBC First)

Miniseries: Sunshine (SBS)

Comedy series: Utopia (ABC)

Light entertainment: Australian Ninja Warrior (Nine Network)

Lifestyle: Selling Houses Australia (Foxtel/Lifestyle)

Reality series: MasterChef Australia (Network Ten)

Children’s: Little Lunch — The Specials (ABC)

Lead actor (drama): Hugo Weaving, Seven Types of Ambiguity (ABC)

Lead actress (drama): Elisabeth Moss, Top of the Lake:China Girl (Foxtel/BBC First)

Performance (comedy): Celia Pacquola, Rosehaven (ABC)

Supporting actor (drama): Ewen Leslie, Top of the Lake: China Girl (Foxtel/BBC First)

Supporting actress (drama): Nicole Kidman, Top of the Lake: China Girl(Foxtel/BBC First)

Direction (drama or comedy): Glendyn Ivin, Seven Types of Ambiguity (ABC)

Director (light entertainment): Richard Franc, Australian Survivor (Network Ten)

Screenplay: Jacquelin Perske, Seven Types of Ambiguity, Episode 2, Alex (ABC)

Cinematography: Bonnie Elliott, Seven Types of Ambiguity, Episode 1, Joe (ABC)

Editing: Rodrigo Balart, Seven Types of Ambiguity, Episode 1, Joe (ABC)

Sound: Stephen Smith, Liam Price, Paul Brincat, Shanti Burn, Tony Murtagh, Wake in Fright, Episode 1, Part 1 (Network Ten)

Music score: Antony Partos, Matteo Zingales, Wake in Fright, Episode 1, Part 1 (Network Ten)

Production design: Fiona Donovan, A Place to Call Home, Episode 2, Fallout(Foxtel/Showcase)

Costume design: Damir Peranovic, Blue Murder: Killer Cop, Episode 1, Part One

Feature film

Best film: Lion (Emile Sherman, Iain Canning, Angie Fielder)

Direction: Garth Davis, Lion

Lead actor: Sunny Pawar, Lion

Lead actress: Emma Booth, Hounds of Love

Supporting actor: Dev Patel, Lion

Supporting actress: Nicole Kidman, Lion

Original screenplay: Andrew Knight, Osamah Sami, Ali’s Wedding

Adapted screenplay: Luke Davies, Lion

Cinematography: Greig Fraser, Lion

Editing: Alexandre de Franceschi, Lion

Sound: Robert Mackenzie, Glenn Newnham, Nakul Kamte, Andrew Ramage, James Ashton, Mario Vaccaro, Lion

Music score: Volker Bertelmann, Dustin O’Halloran, Lion

Production design: Chris Kennedy, Lion

Costume design: Cappi Ireland, Lion

Asian film: Dangal (Aamir Khan, Kiran Rao, Siddharth Roy Kapur)

Documentary: Casting JonBenet (Kitty Green, Scott Macaulay, James Schamus)

TV documentary: War on Waste, Jodi Boylan (ABC)

Direction (documentary): James Bogle, Whiteley

Cinematography (documentary): Jody Muston, Jon Shaw, Blue

Editing (documentary): Lawrie Silvestrin, Whiteley

Sound (documentary): Ric Curtin, John Simpson, Lawrie Silvestrin, Whiteley

Music score (documentary): Ash Gibson Greig, Whiteley

Online video or series

Best video or series: RackaRacka (Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou, Judd Wild, Timani Seve)

Visual effects or animation: Joe Bauer, Steve Kullback, Glenn Melenhorst, Ineke Majoor, Josh Simmonds, Game of Thrones: The Spoils of War (Foxtel/Showcase)

Hair and makeup: Katherine Brown, Troy Follington, Simon Joseph, Cleverman (ABC)

Subscription television

Female presenter: Margaret Pomeranz, Stage & Screen (Foxtel/Arts)

Male presenter: David Speers, PM Agenda/Speers Tonight (Foxtel/Sky News)

Live event: Steve Crawley, Matt Weiss, Joe Bromham, Jeff Horn v Manny Pacquiao (Foxtel/Fox Sports)

New talent: Zahra Newman, Wentworth (Foxtel/Showcase)

Short films

Short animation: Lost Property Office (Daniel Agdag, Liz Kearney)

Short fiction: The Eleven O’Clock (Derin Seale, Josh Lawson, Karen Bryson