Australia’s answer to the Golden Globes is right around the corner, so throw on a dress and break out the black tie.
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Awards has announced the full list of nominees for next year’s ceremony.
Topping the film list with a record-breaking 16 nominations is Robbie Williams’ quirky biopic Better Man, which replaces the heartthrob with a chimpanzee stand-in.
The first time I saw the Robbie Williams biopic starring a CGI chimpanzee, I was frankly bananas.
The film, directed and co-written by Melbourne filmmaker Michael Gracey, was supported by Film Victoria’s VICSREEN incentive, a $191.5 million four-year strategy to boost the state’s film industry. It was filmed in Melbourne’s Docklands in 2022.
The film received rave reviews at the Toronto and Telluride film festivals, but is not scheduled for release in Australia until Boxing Day.
Just behind “Better Man” with 15 total nominations is director George Miller’s sensational “Mad Max” sequel “Furiosa” and director Binge, based on Paul Kelly’s iconic song of the same name. Christmas movie “How to Make Gravy.”
Anya Taylor-Joy was nominated for her performance in Furiosa: A Mad Max Story. (YouTube: Warner Bros.)
Australian horror Late Night With The Devil, from the directorial team of brothers Colin and Cameron Cairns, was not far behind with 14 nominations, while claymation sensation Memoir of a Snail was a strong hitter with 11 nominations. It concludes.
The Boy Swallows Universe is coming to live-action on Netflix
There were even more record-breakers in the television category, with Netflix’s “Boy Swallows Universe” miniseries receiving 21 nominations, making it the most nominated film in AACTA history.
Trent Dalton’s semi-autobiographical film adaptation took the Logies by storm earlier this year, winning five awards, including Best Miniseries and Best Actor in a Drama for the show’s young star, Felix Cameron.
Alice Springs creator Dylan River’s Thou Shall Not Steal garnered nine nominations, leading to a second season of Colin From Account and historical crime drama The Artful Dodger. ‘ was not far behind with eight nominations.
ABC’s award-winning comedy “Fisk” earned five nominations, including its two leads, Kitty Flanagan and Aaron Chen.
Kitty Flanagan and Aaron Chen are both nominated for their work on Fisk. (Courtesy of ABC Television)
Working Dog, the Australian production company behind shows such as Frontline and films such as The Castle, recognizes local film professionals who have made a valuable contribution to promoting Australian film culture.AACTA Long He was awarded the Ford Lyell Award.
When is the AACTA Award?
The 2025 AACTA Awards will be presented at two ceremonies: the Industry Awards on February 5th and the Main Awards Ceremony on February 7th.
The AACTA Awards, previously held in Sydney, will move to the Gold Coast in 2023 as Queensland is “leading the way” in film and TV production, AACTA chairman Russell Crowe said at the time. .
This year’s awards ceremony will be held as part of a five-day festival featuring a variety of free and ticketed events, including interviews with some of this season’s nominees and winners.
Here’s the list of TV and movie nominations:
AACTA Award for Best Picture “Better Man Furiosa: The Mad Max Saga” How to Make Gravy “Late Night with the Devil” The Snail’s Memoirs “Runt” AACTA Award for Best Drama Series “Fake” Heartbreak High “Artful” Dodger” The Twelve “Thou Shall Not Steal” Total Control
Season 2 of Netflix’s Heartbreak High reboot tackles toxic masculinity and cancel culture. (Elise Lockwood)
AACTA Award for Best Narrative Comedy Series
‘Women can be ordinary now’: Felicity Ward talks about playing The Office’s first female boss
Austin Bump Colin From Account Fisk Strife The Office AACTA Award for Best Miniseries Boys Swallows Universe Exposure 4 Years Later House of the Gods Human Error Last Days of the Space Age AACTA Best Actress in a Motion Picture Laura Gordon — With the Devil Late Night Service Sarah Snook — Snail Memoirs Jackie Van Beek — Audrey Anya Taylor-Joy — Furiosa: The Mad Max Saga Anna Torv — Forces of Nature: The Dry 2 Phoebe Tonkin — Kid Snow AACTA Best Actor in a Motion Picture Eric Bana — Forces of Nature: The Dry 2 David Dastmalchian — Midnight with the Devil Jono Davies — Betterman Daniel Henshall — Gravy How to Make Guy Pearce — The ConvertKodi Smit-McPhee — Memoir Of A SnailAACTA Best Actress in a Drama Asher Keddy — Fake Deborah Mailman — Total Control Leah Purcell — High Country Anna Torv — Territory Phoebe Tonkin — Boy Swallows Universe Shelley-Lee Watson — Don’t Steal AACTA Best Drama Actor Zach Burgess – Boy Swallows・Universe Felix Cameron — Boy Swallows Universe Rob Collins — Total Control Brendan Cowell — Plumsome Neil – The Twelve Noah Taylor – Don’t steal.
Felix Cameron plays Eli Bell and Phoebe Tonkin plays Frances Bell in Boy Swallows Universe. (Netflix)
AACTA Best Performance in a Comedy Patrick Bramall – Colin Fromme Account Aaron Chen – Fisk Harriet Dyer – Colin Frome Account Kitty Flanagan – Fisk Genevieve Hegney – Colin Frome Account Asher Keddie – Strife Michael・Theo – Austin Felicity Ward – The Office AACTA Award for Best Original Song Dream On (Meg Washington, Electric) Field and Prison Choir) — How To Make GravyForbidden Road (Robbie Williams, Freddie Wexler, Sacha Skarbek) — Better ManFine (Meg Washington, Brendan MacLean & Prison Choir) — How To Make GravySide By Side (Paul Kelly) — RuntStreetlights (Jacob Harvey) —AACTA Best Documentary Award: A Horse Named WinxEvery Little ThingMidnight Oil: The Hardest LineOtto by OttoThe Porcelain WarThe Musical Mind: A Portrait In Process
Absurd and chaotic joy: This is the Great Emu War like you’ve never seen it before
AACTA Award for Best Indie FilmBefore DawnBirdeaterChristmesJust A FarmerThe Emu WarYou’ll Never Find MeAACTA Award for Best Comedy PerformerWill Anderson — The Taskmaster Australia Aaron Chen — Guy Montgomerie’s Guy Montgomerie Spelling Behan Edmonds — The Taskmaster Australia Tom Gleeson — Hard Quiz Guy Montgomery — Guy Montgomerie’s Guy Mont Spelling BeeCharlie Pickering – The Weekly with Charlie PickeringAACTA Award for Best Supporting actress in FilmAlayla Brown — Furiosa: The Mad Max SagaHannah Divigny — Audrey-Kate Mulvaney — Better ManKate Mulvaney — How to Make Gravy Ingrid Torelli — Late Night with the Devil, Jacki Weaver — The Snail memoir
18-year-old Ingrid Torelli (far left) received her first AACTA Award nomination for her role as a possessed teenager in A Night with the Devil. (Courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment)
AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Faisal Bazzi — Midnight with the Devil, Chris Hemsworth — Furiosa: The Mad Max Saga Damon Herriman — Better Man Damon Herriman — How to Make Gravy Richard Roxburgh — Forces of Nature: The Dry 2 Hugo Weaving — How to Make Gravy AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Essie Davis — ExposureRachel Griffiths — Total Control Heather Mitchell – Fake Deborah Mailman – The Boy Swallows Universe Sophie Wilde – The Boy Swallows Universe Usher Jasvinczyk – Heartbreak High AACTA Drama Supporting Actor Simon Baker – The Boy Swallows Universe Wayne Blair – Total Control Brian Brown – The Boy Swallows Universe Travis Fimmel – The Boy Swallows Universely Tiger Halley— Boy Swallows Universe Ewen Leslie – Prosper
From Dara to The Gap: How Netflix recreated 1980s Brisbane with the Boy Swallows universe
AACTA Award for Best Film Director Better Man — Michael Gracey Furiosa: The Mad Max Saga — George Miller How to Make Gravy — Nick Waterman Late Night with the Devil — Colin Cairns, Cameron Cairns Memoirs of a Snail — Adam・Elliott AACTA Best Entertainment Program Award Dancing with the Stars Lego Masters Australia vs The World Mastermind Spix and Spex The 1% Club Tipping Point Australia AACTA Best Direction in a Drama or Comedy Boy Swallows Universe – Episode 1 – Bharat Naruri Colin From Account – Episode 3 – Trent O’Donnell Colin From Account – Episode 6 – Madeline Dyerfake – Episode 5 – Emma Freeman Thou Shall Not Steal – Episode 2 – Dylan River AACTA Best Children’s Award Program Bluey Eddie’s Lil Homies Hard Quiz Kids Little J & Big CuzPlay School: Big Ted’s Time MachineSpooky FilesAACTA Award for Best Stand-Up SpecialAnn Edmonds: Why is my bag wet?Lloyd Langford: What’s your current mood?Mel Battle: Tell me anyway Please?Melbourne International Comedy Festival — All Stars Super ShowMelbourne International Comedy Festival — GalaRove McManus: Loosey GooseyAACTA Award for Best Comedy Entertainment Are you paying attention to ProgramGuyMontgomery’s Guy Mont Spelling Bee Difficult Quiz? Thank God I’m Here Cheap Seats Charlie Pickering’s Weekly
Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mon Spelling Bee began as a Zoom-based show during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Courtesy of ABC Television)
AACTA Best Factual Entertainment Program Alone Australian Gogglebox Australian Master Dogstuff The British Stalltake 5 Rally with Zan Lowe AACTA Best Documentary or Factual Program Award Dr Michael Mosley and the Australian Sleep Revolution I Was Actually There Maggie Beer’s Big Mission Miriam Margolyes The Unlikely Australian Ray Martin: The Final Farewell Who Do You Think You Are? AACTA Award Winner Best Screenplay for the Film “Better Man” — Michael Gracey, Simon Gleeson, Oliver Colefuriosa: The Mad Max Saga — George Miller, Nico Latrice How to Make Gravy — Nick Waterman, Meg Washington Late Night with the Devil — Colin Cairns, Cameron Cairns The Snail Memoirs of — Adam Elliott AACTA Award for Best Original Screenplay for Television Boy Swallows Universe – Episode 4 — John ColleeColin From Account – Episode 6 – Patrick Bramall, Harriet Dyerfake – Episode 1 – Anya Beyerdsdorffisk – Episode 3 – Kitty Flanagan, Penny Flanagan Thou Shalt Not Steal – Episode 2 – Dylan River, Tanith Glynn-Maroney, Sophie Miller AACTA Best Short Film Award And The Sea Sleeps Before We Agree Die Bully Die Favorite Golgo Why Fight AACTA Award Best Online Drama or Comedy Award Bad Ancestor Buried Descent Girl Crash Wolvie Attended an All-Girls School Videoland
Click here for the complete list of 2025 AACTA Award nominees.
