2011 AACTA Film Awards
Encyclopedia
The 2011 AACTA Awards, presented by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts
(AACTA), will honour the best Australian films of 2011
and take place on two separate events, in Sydney
, New South Wales
: the AACTA Awards Luncheon, on 15 January 2012, at the Westin Hotel, and the AACTA Awards Ceremony, on 31 January 2012, at the Sydney Opera House
. Following the establishment of the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts, by the Australian Film Institute
(AFI), these awards will mark the inauguration of the AACTA Awards, but serve as a continuum to the AFI Awards, which were presented by the AFI since 1958. The ceremony will be televised on the Nine Network
.
(AACTA) was established by the Australian Film Institute
(AFI), to raise the profile of Australian film and television in Australia and abroad, and to change the way it rewards talent from its previous jury system, to the more recognised and understood elements of foreign film organisations. These awards will serve as a continuum to the Australian Film Institute Awards, which were presented by the Australian Film Institute. A gold statuette was created by Australian sculptor Ron Gomboc, which depicts "a human silhouette based on the shape of the Southern Cross constellation." The nominees and winners will be determined by the Academy's fifteen Chapters, which comprise of screen professionals from industry guilds and organisations including actors, directors, producers and screenwriters, who will each decide the nominees in their individual fields and then vote for the winners of each category. The president of the awards is Australian actor Geoffrey Rush
.
, New South Wales
: the AACTA Awards Luncheon, at the Westin Hotel on 15 January 2012 and the AACTA Awards Ceremony, at the Sydney Opera House
, in Sydney
, New South Wales
on 31 January 2012. The luncheon will present awards in film production, television, all non-feature film categories and the Raymond Longford Award, and the ceremony will hand out all other feature film and television awards. This will mark the first time in ten years since the awards have been presented in Sydney, which had been held in Melbourne
previously. The awards date has been shifted from its usual November/December date, to January, 2012, to align them with the international film awards season. The awards ceremony will be broadcast by the Nine Network
.
, could no longer compete due to a change in their release dates. The films were showcased at the inaugural Festival of Film from 6 October - 14 November in Sydney and Melbourne, for the general public, and for Academy and AFI members to view and judge. The first nominees were announced on 30 August 2011, for non-feature film categories: Best Feature Length Documentary, Best Short Animation and Best Short Fiction Film. Round one voting for feature film categories commenced on 2 November and will end on 16 November. This will be followed by the announcement of the nominees on 30 November, 2011, at the National Institute of Dramatic Art
in Sydney, hosted by Adam Elliot
. Following the announcement of the nominees, round two voting will commence to determine the winners in each category, and will end on 14 December 2011. The first award to be announced was the Raymond Longford Award, which will be presented to cinematographer Don McAlpine, at the AACTA awards luncheon, and will mark the first award presented by the Academy since its inception.
Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts is a professional organisation of film and television practitioners in Australia. The Academy's aim is "to identify, award, promote and celebrate Australia's greatest achievements in film and television."It was established in August 2011 with...
(AACTA), will honour the best Australian films of 2011
Australian films of 2011
-2011:...
and take place on two separate events, in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
: the AACTA Awards Luncheon, on 15 January 2012, at the Westin Hotel, and the AACTA Awards Ceremony, on 31 January 2012, at the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
. Following the establishment of the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts, by the Australian Film Institute
Australian Film Institute
The Australian Film Institute was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry...
(AFI), these awards will mark the inauguration of the AACTA Awards, but serve as a continuum to the AFI Awards, which were presented by the AFI since 1958. The ceremony will be televised on the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
.
Background
On 18 August 2011, the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television ArtsAustralian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts is a professional organisation of film and television practitioners in Australia. The Academy's aim is "to identify, award, promote and celebrate Australia's greatest achievements in film and television."It was established in August 2011 with...
(AACTA) was established by the Australian Film Institute
Australian Film Institute
The Australian Film Institute was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry...
(AFI), to raise the profile of Australian film and television in Australia and abroad, and to change the way it rewards talent from its previous jury system, to the more recognised and understood elements of foreign film organisations. These awards will serve as a continuum to the Australian Film Institute Awards, which were presented by the Australian Film Institute. A gold statuette was created by Australian sculptor Ron Gomboc, which depicts "a human silhouette based on the shape of the Southern Cross constellation." The nominees and winners will be determined by the Academy's fifteen Chapters, which comprise of screen professionals from industry guilds and organisations including actors, directors, producers and screenwriters, who will each decide the nominees in their individual fields and then vote for the winners of each category. The president of the awards is Australian actor Geoffrey Rush
Geoffrey Rush
Geoffrey Roy Rush is an Australian actor and film producer. He is one of the few people who has won the "Triple Crown of Acting": an Academy Award, a Tony Award and an Emmy Award. He has won one Academy Award for acting , three British Academy Film Awards , two Golden Globe Awards and four Screen...
.
Ceremony
The AACTA Awards will be held on two separate events in SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
: the AACTA Awards Luncheon, at the Westin Hotel on 15 January 2012 and the AACTA Awards Ceremony, at the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
, in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
on 31 January 2012. The luncheon will present awards in film production, television, all non-feature film categories and the Raymond Longford Award, and the ceremony will hand out all other feature film and television awards. This will mark the first time in ten years since the awards have been presented in Sydney, which had been held in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
previously. The awards date has been shifted from its usual November/December date, to January, 2012, to align them with the international film awards season. The awards ceremony will be broadcast by the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
.
Nominees
The eligibility period for works entered for awards is between 7 October 2010 and 2 November 2011 for films, and 5 May 2010 and 24 May 2011 for short films and documentaries. The films in competition for the inaugural awards were revealed at the announcement of the Academy, with twenty-three Australian feature films originally slated to compete for awards, but it was eventually brought down to twenty-one, when two of the films, Burning Man and The Dragon PearlThe Dragon Pearl
The Dragon Pearl is a 2011 family film that follows the story of two teenagers who meet in China to encounter a real live Chinese dragon, and also discover the mystery behind the whereabouts of his all powerful pearl....
, could no longer compete due to a change in their release dates. The films were showcased at the inaugural Festival of Film from 6 October - 14 November in Sydney and Melbourne, for the general public, and for Academy and AFI members to view and judge. The first nominees were announced on 30 August 2011, for non-feature film categories: Best Feature Length Documentary, Best Short Animation and Best Short Fiction Film. Round one voting for feature film categories commenced on 2 November and will end on 16 November. This will be followed by the announcement of the nominees on 30 November, 2011, at the National Institute of Dramatic Art
National Institute of Dramatic Art
The National Institute of Dramatic Art is an Australian national training institute for students of theatre, film, and television, based in the Sydney suburb of Kensington. It is supported by the federal Office for the Arts, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. NIDA is located adjacent...
in Sydney, hosted by Adam Elliot
Adam Elliot
Adam Elliot is an independent stop-motion animation writer and director based in Melbourne, Australia. His five films have collectively participated in over six-hundred film festivals and have received over one hundred awards, including an Oscar for Harvie Krumpet and the Annecy Cristal for Mary...
. Following the announcement of the nominees, round two voting will commence to determine the winners in each category, and will end on 14 December 2011. The first award to be announced was the Raymond Longford Award, which will be presented to cinematographer Don McAlpine, at the AACTA awards luncheon, and will mark the first award presented by the Academy since its inception.
Competitive awards
| Category | Nominees |
|---|---|
| Best Feature Length Documentary | Life in Movement – Sophie Hyde, Bryan Mason |
| Mrs Carey’s Concert – Bob Connolly, Helen Panckhurst, Sophie Raymond | |
| Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure — Sophie Hyde, Matthew Bate | |
| The Tall Man — Darren Dale | |
| Best Short Animation | Forget Me Not – Emily Dean |
| The Missing Key – Garth Nix, Anna McFarlane, Jonathan Nix | |
| The Moment — Justin Wight, Kristian Moliere, Troy Bellchambers, Shane McNeil | |
| Nullarbor — Alister Lockhart, Patrick Sarell, Katrina Mathers, Merrin Jensen, Daryl Munton | |
| Best Short Fiction Film | Adam’s Tallit – Justin Olstein, Marie Maroun |
| Cropped – Bettina Hamilton, Dave Wade | |
| The Palace The Palace (film) The Palace is a 2011 Cypriot-Australian short film co-production, written and directed by Anthony Maras, and shot along the United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus.... — Kate Croser, Anthony Maras Anthony Maras Anthony Theo Maras is an Australian film director, writer and producer born in Adelaide, South Australia.-Biography:Maras graduated from Flinders University in South Australia with a degree in Law and Legal Practice , before going on to study both film production and "Law and Society" at the... , Andros Achilleos |
|
| The Telegram Man — James F. Khehtie, Victoria Wharfe McIntyre | |