Final nominees and details announced for the 2021 AACTA Industry Awards presented by Foxtel Group

Australia’s best screen practitioners to be recognised at the industry ceremony being broadcast on AACTA TV, on Monday, December 6, 2021.

This year’s AACTA Industry Awards presented by Foxtel Group will be held virtually and broadcast online on AACTA TV as part of the 2021 ScreenFest Program, as well as BINGE and Foxtel Arena, at 6.30pm on Monday, December 6.

Today, AACTA is pleased to announce the nominees for the Technical Craft Awards. The Newsreader – a six-part ABC drama about a 1980s TV newsroom – has the most nominations and is now in the running for 16 awards after picking up additional six technical craft nominations including Best Casting and Best Production Design in Television.

Fires, Clickbait, and New Gold Mountain are among the other TV shows picking up new technical craft nominations. Peter Rabbit 2, Nitram, High Ground, and The Dry also earned a suite of additional nominations.

The AACTA Award for Best Visual Effects or Animation recognises impressive creativity of local teams working on Mortal Kombat, Peter Rabbit 2, Jungle Cruise, and Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

The full list of nominees for the 2021 AACTA Awards Presented by Foxtel Group is available below.

Earlier this week, AACTA announced the 2021 AACTA Awards Ceremony presented by Foxtel Group will proceed on Wednesday, December 8, 2021, at the iconic Sydney Opera House.  The ceremony will be broadcast on its new home, Channel 10, at 7.30pm, Wednesday, and encore in the days following on FOX ARENA on FOXTEL, BINGE, and AACTA TV.

The awards being presented at the 2021 AACTA Awards Ceremony presented by Foxtel Group in Sydney on December 8 include:

• AACTA Award for Best Comedy Entertainment Program
• AACTA Award for Best Comedy Performer
• AACTA Award for Best Direction in Film
• AACTA Award for Best Documentary
• AACTA Award for Best Drama Series
• AACTA Award for Best Entertainment Program
• AACTA Award for Best Factual Entertainment Program
• AACTA Award for Best Film
• AACTA Award for Best Lead Actor in a Drama presented by Foxtel
• AACTA Award for Best Lead Actor in Film
• AACTA Award for Best Lead Actress in a Drama presented by Foxtel
• AACTA Award for Best Lead Actress in Film
• AACTA Award for Best Lifestyle Program
• AACTA Award for Best Miniseries or Telefeature
• AACTA Award for Best Reality Program
• AACTA Award for Best Screenplay in Television
• AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama
• AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama
• Byron Kennedy Award
• Favourite Australian Actor
• Favourite Australian Competition Reality Show
• Favourite Australian Digital Comedy Creator 
• Favourite Australian Entertainment Show
• Favourite Australian Film
• Favourite Australian TV Drama 
• Favourite Australian TV Host
• Longford Lyell Award

The list of awards being presented at the 2021 AACTA Industry Awards Virtual Ceremony presented by Foxtel Group (broadcast on 6^th December) include:

• AACTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in Film
• AACTA Award for Best Casting presented by Casting Networks
• AACTA Award for Best Children’s Program
• AACTA Award for Best Cinematography in a Documentary
• AACTA Award for Best Cinematography in Film
• AACTA Award for Best Cinematography in Television
• AACTA Award for Best Costume Design in Film
• AACTA Award for Best Costume Design in Television
• AACTA Award for Best Direction in Drama or Comedy
• AACTA Award for Best Direction in Nonfiction Television
• AACTA Award for Best Documentary of Factual Program
• AACTA Award for Best Editing in a Documentary
• AACTA Award for Best Editing in Film
• AACTA Award for Best Editing in Television
• AACTA Award for Best Hair and Makeup presented by HASK
• AACTA Award for Best Indie Film
• AACTA Award for Best Narrative Comedy Series
• AACTA Award for Best Original Score in a Documentary
• AACTA Award for Best Original Score in Film
• AACTA Award for Best Original Score in Television
• AACTA Award for Best Original Screenplay in Film
• AACTA Award for Best Production Design in Film
• AACTA Award for Best Production Design in Television
• AACTA Award for Best Short Form Comedy presented by Facebook
• AACTA Award for Best Short Form Drama
• AACTA Award for Best Short Form Entertainment
• AACTA Award for Best Sound in a Documentary
• AACTA Award for Best Sound in Film
• AACTA Award for Best Sound in Television
• AACTA Award for Best Stand-Up Special
• AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actor in Film
• AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actress in Film
• AACTA Award for Best Visual Effects or Animation

AACTA members can see all of the nominated productions on AACTA TV. Round Two voting is open to AACTA Members and determines the winner of the 2021 AACTA Awards. Voting closes at 5pm AEDT Monday, November 8.

The AACTA Industry Awards have been made possible by the support of Cutting Edge.

2021 AACTA AWARDS PRESENTED BY FOXTEL GROUP – KEY DATES

December 6:

• 2021 AACTA Industry Awards presented by Foxtel Group will be delivered online at AACTA TV  and broadcast on BINGE and Foxtel Arena at 6.30pm. These awards celebrate Australia’s finest creative practitioners in film, TV and digital platforms.

December 8:

• 2021 AACTA Awards presented by Foxtel Group Ceremony
  • The ceremony will be held at The Sydney Opera House.
  • The AACTA Awards Ceremony presented by Foxtel Group will be broadcast nationally on Channel 10 at 7.30pm AEDT and encored on BINGE, Foxtel Arena, and AACTA TV.

2021 AACTA AWARDS PRESENTED BY FOXTEL GROUP NOMINEES

TELEVISION

Best Children’s Program

• 100% Wolf: Legend of the Moonstone
• Bluey
• The Bureau of Magical Things
• Dive Club
• Hardball
• Kangaroo Beach

Best Cinematography in Television

• A Sunburnt Christmas – Dylan River
• Bump (Episode 1: Sorpresa!) – Garry Phillips
• Clickbait (Episode 6: Simon) – Marden Dean
• Fires (Episode 2: Everything’s Gone) – Bonnie Elliot
• The Newsreader (Episode 1: Three, Two, One…) – Earle Dresner

Best Comedy Entertainment Program

• Dom and Adrian 2020
• Hard Quiz
• The Moth Effect
• Spicks And Specks
• The Weekly

Best Comedy Performer

• Mark Samual Bonanno – Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House Of Fun
• Kitty Flanagan – Fisk
• Tom Gleeson – Hard Quiz
• Broden Kelly – Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House Of Fun
• Sarah Kendall – Frayed
• Nakkiah Lui – Preppers
• Luke McGregor – Rosehaven
• Celia Pacquola – Rosehaven

Best Costume Design in Television

• Dancing With The Stars: All Stars (Episode 6) – Tim Chappel
• Fires (Episode 2: Everything’s Gone) – Cappi Ireland
• Ms Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries (Episode 1: Death By Design) – Penny Dickinson
• New Gold Mountain (Episode 1: Propriety) – Cappi Ireland
• The Newsreader (Episode 1: Three, Two, One…) – Marion Boyce

Best Direction in Drama or Comedy

• Fires (Episode 2: Everything’s Gone) – Ana Kokkinos
• Mr Inbetween (Episode 6: Ray Who?) – Nash Edgerton
• The Newsreader (Episode 1: Three, Two, One…) – Emma Freeman
• Wakefield (Episode 5) – Kim Mordaunt
• Wakefield (Episode 8) – Jocelyn Moorhouse

Best Direction in Non-Fiction Television

• Brazen Hussies – Catherine Dwyer
• Hannah Gadsby – Douglas – Madeleine Parry
• Love on the Spectrum (Episode 4) – Cian O’Clery
• Ms Represented with Annabel Crabb (Episode 1: Getting There) – Stamatia Maroupas
• You Can’t Ask That (Episode 1: Cheaters) – Kirk Docker

Best Documentary or Factual Program

• Brazen Hussies
• EXPOSED: The Ghost Train Fire
• Life in Colour with David Attenborough
• Ms Represented with Annabel Crabb
• Old People’s Home For 4 Year Olds
• The School That Tried to End Racism

Best Drama Series

• Clickbait
• Jack Irish
• Mr Inbetween
• The Newsreader
• Total Control
• Wakefield
• Wentworth

Best Editing in Television

• Clickbait (Episode 1: Five Million Hits) – Rodrigo Balart
• Fires (Episode 2: Everything’s Gone) – Mark Atkin
• The Newsreader (Episode 5: No More Lies) – Angie Higgins
• Total Control (Episode 1: Aftermath) – Nicholas Holmes
• Wakefield (Episode 8) – Gabriel Dowrick

Best Entertainment Program

• Australian Ninja Warrior
• LEGO® Masters Australia
• The Masked Singer
• Mastermind
• Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras 2021
• The Voice

Best Factual Entertainment Program

• Australia Talks
• Courtney Act’s One Plus One
• Gogglebox Australia
• Love on the Spectrum
• The Project
• You Can’t Ask That

Best Lead Actor in a Drama Presented by Foxtel

• Rudi Dharmalingam – Wakefield
• Guy Pearce – Jack Irish
• Sam Reid – The Newsreader
• Richard Roxburgh – Fires
• Scott Ryan – Mr Inbetween

Best Lead Actress in a Drama Presented by Foxtel

• Deborah Mailman – Total Control
• Mandy McElhinney – Wakefield
• Miranda Otto – Fires
• Pamela Rabe – Wentworth
• Anna Torv – The Newsreader

Best Lifestyle Program

• Adam and Poh’s Malaysia in Australia
• The Cook Up with Adam Liaw
• Gardening Australia
• Grand Designs Australia
• The Living Room
• Love it or List it Australia

Best Miniseries or Telefeature

• A Sunburnt Christmas
• The End
• Fires
• New Gold Mountain
• The Unusual Suspects

Best Narrative Comedy Series

• Aftertaste
• Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House Of Fun
• Fisk
• Frayed
• Preppers
• Rosehaven

Best Production Design in Television

• Fires (Episode 2: Everything’s Gone) – Jo Ford
• Jack Irish (Episode 1) – Carrie Kennedy
• Ms Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries (Episode 1: Death By Design) – Ben Bangay
• New Gold Mountain (Episode 1: Propriety) – Paddy Reardon & Adele Flere
• The Newsreader (Episode 1: Three, Two, One…) – Melinda Doring

Best Reality Program

• The Amazing Race Australia
• Australian Survivor: Brains v Brawn
• The Block
• Luxe Listings Sydney
• MasterChef Australia
• The Real Housewives of Melbourne

Best Original Score in Television

• Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House Of Fun (Episode 1: Housemates) – Tom Armstrong
• Clickbait (Episode 1: Five Million Hits) – Cornel Wilczek
• Fires (Episode 2: Everything’s Gone) – Cornel Wilczek
• Frayed (Episode 1) – Bryony Marks
• New Gold Mountain (Episode 1: Propriety) – Caitlin Yeo

Best Screenplay in Television

• Mr Inbetween (Episode 6: Ray Who?) – Scott Ryan
• The Newsreader (Episode 1: Three, Two, One…) – Michael Lucas
• The Newsreader (Episode 5: No More Lies) – Kim Ho & Michael Lucas
• Total Control (Episode 1: Aftermath) – Stuart Page
• Wakefield (Episode 5) – Sam Meikle

Best Sound in Television

• Clickbait (Episode 1: Five Million Hits) – Emma Bortignon, Stephen Witherow, Nigel Croyden & John Wilkinson
• Fires (Episode 2: Everything’s Gone) – Emma Bortignon, Paul Pirola & Roger Van Wensveen
• Frayed (Episode 1) – Paul Finlay, Robert Sullivan, James Andrews & Dino Giacomin
• The Newsreader (Episode 1: Three, Two, One…) – Nick Godkin
• Total Control (Episode 1: Aftermath) – Phil Keros, Stuart Waller, Andy Wright & Diego Ruiz

Best Stand-Up Special

• Anne Edmonds and Lloyd Langford – Business with Pleasure
• Celia Pacquola – Let Me Know How It All Works Out
• Hannah Gadsby – Douglas
• Lano and Woodley in Lano and Woodley
• Rhys Nicholson Live at the Athenaeum
• Tom Gleeson – Lighten Up

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama

• Harry Greenwood – Wakefield
• William McInnes – The Newsreader
• Matt Nable – Mr Inbetween
• Stephen Peacocke – The Newsreader
• Justin Rosniak – Mr Inbetween

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama

• Michelle Lim Davidson – The Newsreader
• Marg Downey – The Newsreader
• Harriet Dyer – Wakefield
• Rachel Griffiths – Total Control
• Noni Hazlehurst – The End

FILM

Best Adapted Screenplay in Film

• The Dry – Rob Connolly & Harry Cripps
• Penguin Bloom – Shaun Grant & Harry Cripps
• Peter Rabbit 2 – Will Gluck & Patrick Burleigh
• Rams – Jules Duncan

Best Cinematography in Film

• The Dry – Stefan Duscio
• High Ground – Andrew Commis
• Mortal Kombat – Germain McMicking
• Nitram – Germain McMicking
• Penguin Bloom – Sam Chiplin

Best Costume Design in Film

• The Dry – Cappi Ireland
• High Ground – Erin Roche
• Mortal Kombat – Cappi Ireland
• Nitram – Alice Babidge
• Rams – Tess Schofield

Best Direction in Film

• The Dry – Rob Connolly
• The Furnace – Roderick MacKay
• High Ground – Stephen Maxwell Johnson
• Nitram – Justin Kurzel
• Penguin Bloom – Glendyn Ivin

Best Editing in Film

• The Dry – Nick Meyers & Alexandre de Franceschi
• Friends and Strangers – James Vaughan
• High Ground – Jill Bilcock, Karryn de Cinque & Hayley Miro Browne
• Nitram – Nick Fenton
• Peter Rabbit 2 – Matt Villa

Best Film

• The Dry
• The Furnace
• High Ground
• Nitram
• Penguin Bloom
• Rams

Best Indie Film

• Disclosure
• Ellie and Abbie (& Ellie’s Dead Aunt)
• Lone Wolf
• Moon Rock For Monday
• My First Summer
• Under My Skin

Best Lead Actor in Film

• Simon Baker – High Ground
• Eric Bana – The Dry
• Caleb Landry Jones – Nitram
• Ahmed Malek – The Furnace
• Jacob Junior Nayinggul – High Ground

Best Lead Actress in Film

• Rose Byrne – Peter Rabbit 2
• Judy Davis – Nitram
• Noni Hazlehurst – June Again
• Genevieve O’Reilly – The Dry
• Naomi Watts – Penguin Bloom

Best Original Score in Film

• The Dry – Peter Raeburn
• June Again – Christopher Gordon
• Nitram – Jed Kurzel
• Penguin Bloom – Marcelo Zarvos
• Rams – Antony Partos

Best Original Screenplay in Film

• Ellie and Abbie (& Ellie’s Dead Aunt) – Monica Zanetti

• The Furnace – Roderick MacKay
• High Ground – Chris Anastassiades
• June Again – JJ Winlove
• Nitram – Shaun Grant

Best Production Design in Film

• 2067 – Jacinta Leong
• Mortal Kombat – Naaman Marshall
• Nitram – Alice Babidge
• Penguin Bloom – Annie Beauchamp
• Peter Rabbit 2 – Roger Ford

Best Sound in Film

• Ascendant – Angus Robertson & Peter Purcell
• The Dry – Chris Goodes
• Mortal Kombat – Robert McKenzie, Steve Burgess & Phil Heywood
• Nitram – Steve Single, Dean Ryan & James Ashton
• Peter Rabbit 2 – Kevin O’Connell, Robert Mackenzie, Andy Wright & Ben Osmo

Best Supporting Actor in Film

• Michael Caton – Rams
• Baykali Ganambarr – The Furnace
• Anthony LaPaglia – Nitram
• Sean Mununggurr – High Ground
• Jack Thompson – High Ground

Best Supporting Actress in Film

• Essie Davis – Nitram
• Claudia Karvan – June Again
• Esmerelda Marimowa – High Ground
• Miranda Tapsell – The Dry
• Jacki Weaver – Penguin Bloom

SHORT FORM NOMINEES

Best Short Form Comedy Presented by Facebook

• A Life in Questions: Wisdom School with Aaron Chen
• All My Friends Are Racist
• Celebration Nation
• Hug the Sun
• Jimmy Rees
• Samantha Andrew

Best Short Form Drama

• Beautiful They
• The Bends
• Dwarf Planet
• Grace
• The Tailings
• You and Me, Before and After

Best Short Form Entertainment

• Chopsticks or Fork?
• Gourmet Lazy
• Nat’s What I Reckon
• Ozzy Man Reviews
• Strong Women
• Woven Threads – Stories from Within

DOCUMENTARY

Best Cinematography in a Documentary

• After The Night (Episode 1: The End of Innocence) – Jim Frater
• The Beach (Episode 1: Too Mad Too Shy) – Dylan River
• The Bowraville Murders – Nathan Barlow
• FREEMAN – Bonnie Elliott
• Step into Paradise – Bonnie Elliott

Best Documentary

• Girls Can’t Surf
• I’m Wanita
• My Name is Gulpilil
• Playing With Sharks
• Strong Female Lead        
• When the Camera Stopped Rolling

Best Editing in a Documentary

• FREEMAN – Daniel Wieckmann
• My Name is Gulpilil – Tania M. Nehme
• Playing With Sharks – Adrian Rostirolla
• Under The Volcano – Karen Johnson
• When the Camera Stopped Rolling – Ray Thomas

Best Original Score in a Documentary

• FREEMAN – James Henry
• Playing With Sharks – Caitlin Yeo
• Step into Paradise – Amanda Brown & Nick Wales
• The Beach (Episode 1: Too Mad Too Shy) – Megan Washington & Kristin Rule
• When the Camera Stopped Rolling – Kyls Burtland

Best Sound in a Documentary

• The Bowraville Murders – Richard Boxhall
• FREEMAN – Byron Scullin
• Life in Colour with David Attenborough (Episode 1: Seeing in Colour) – Wayne Pashley
• My Name is Gulpilil – Tom Heuzenroeder
• When the Camera Stopped Rolling – Sam Petty

OTHER
Best Casting Presented by Casting Networks

• The Dry – Jane Norris
• High Ground – Anousha Zarkesh
• The Newsreader – Nathan Lloyd
• Nitram – Nikki Barrett, Alison Telford & Kate Leonard
• Wakefield – Marianne Jade

Best Hair and Makeup presented by HASK

• Australian Gangster – Sheldon Wade
• Mortal Kombat – Nikki Gooley
• Ms Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries – Lynn Wheeler
• New Gold Mountain – Cheryl Williams, Helen Magelaki & Ian Loughnan
• Nitram – Fiona Rees-Jones

Best Visual Effects or Animation

• Jungle Cruise (Rising Sun Pictures)
• Mortal Kombat (Method Studios)
• Mortal Kombat (Rising Sun Pictures)
• Peter Rabbit 2 (Animal Logic Entertainment)
• Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Method Studios)