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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Entertainment
Nancy Groves and Alexandra Spring in Sydney

Aacta awards 2015 – as they happened

Cate Blanchett and Deborah Mailman
Presenters Cate Blanchett and Deborah Mailman on the red carpet at the 2015 AFI Aacta Awards on Thursday. Photograph: Nikki Short/AAP

And that’s all folks

The big winners? The Water Diviner and The Babadook for film, and The Code for its multiple awards in the telly categories.

Plenty more to celebrate and debate in the coming days. We’ll be back on Friday with the best quotes and pictures. Not to mention our weekly film column that sees Luke Buckmaster re-watching the cult classics of Australian cinema, week in week out, for your reading/viewing pleasure.

Aussie (film) rules okay.

Updated

And the biggie ... best Australian film

And, breathe, we’re almost there. Cate and Debs are back on stage to lead into the final and biggest gong of the night: the award for best Australian film of 2014.

And it goes to The Water Diviner. Cue a very jolly looking Russell Crowe live on video and an army of his creative team pouring onto stage. Crowe’s directorial debut, which was released on Boxing Day, made more money in two weeks than its nearest competitor did during the rest of the year.

Here’s our interview with Rusty from just before Christmas.

Oh, but what’s this? There’s a second award. Best film is tied (surely an oxymoron).

And the joint award goes to The Babadook!

It’s an unusual but not unprecedented turn of events. And it kind of feels right. A belated but well-deserved nod that thumbs its nose (hmm, mixed facial metaphors there) at the OTHER Academy over in LA and should help the growing cult fanbase for this tiny Aussie horror hit.

Then again ...

We’ll be getting all the reaction from Luke and you lot on Friday.

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Best television drama

Goes to The Code, its fourth award of the night (and that’s not even including its two “luncheon” awards). So really, the big winner. When we wrote about the show last year, we suggested this political thriller was “set for a world stage”, having already been sold to multiple countries before even airing in Australia.

We’re not sure it made such a big splash when it actually did hit our screens, but this award suggests otherwise. Let us know what you made of it in the comments below.

Updated

Best lead actor in a film

The contenders are:

Russell Crowe in The Water Diviner.
David Gulpilil for Charlie’s Country.
Damon Herriman in The Little Death.
Guy Pearce in The Rover.

Aaaaand in perhaps the best decision of the night the award goes to David Gulpilil.

David Gulpilil arrives at the 4th AACTA Awards.
David Gulpilil. Photograph: Don Arnold/WireImage

Cannes recognised David’s extraordinary performance in Charlie’s Country and now, not before time, his own country has too. We’ll be running a full interview on the Guardian Australia site very soon, but David did tell us earlier how much this recognition would mean to him if he won.

This is a story of my people, he tells the press room, after his win.

Updated

Next presenters up are Kerry Packer and Roberta Williams, aka Lachy Hume and Kat Stewart.

And, just because, why not, cricketer and budding film star, Brett Lee, who we hobnobbed with earlier on the carpet.

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Best television screenplay

But it’s all okay, because Josh wins this one, and for episode seven of the second season for all you Please Like Me anoraks out there. Third season coming up soon, thank to US channel Pivot, who funded it.

Updated

Best reality TV and best performance in a TV comedy

The Voice beats Masterchef, The X Factor and its own baby, The Voice Kids, in the first category.

And actor Debra Lawrence beats her on-screen son and fellow nominee Josh Thomas in the second.

Enough with the child-beating. Call in social services.

Updated

Best director of a feature film

Goes to Jennifer Kent. Her second award of the night after picking up best original screenplay. Hugely well deserved.

The Babadook
No reason to scream anymore: The Babadook Photograph: Allstar/ICON FILM DISTRIBUTION/Sportsphoto Ltd./Allstar

Updated

Best light entertainment show

We think it might have been an oblique reference to best film nominee Tracks. A nice flashback for Mia Wasikowska there. Even if there’s no Adam Driver.

The point though was to award this much coveted telly gong.
So best light entertainment show in a contested category goes to...

PRINCE PHILIP

Prince Philip
Prince Philip, courting knighthoods at the Great Aussie Barbecue in Perth, 2011. Photograph: Richard Hatherly/AAP

Not really (and not even our joke, soz). It actually goes to Hamish and Andy’s Gap Year, South America.

Gap Yah.

Two words I can’t even say seriously anymore. But well done Hamish and Andy.

Updated

First a Gosling. Now a camel (led in by Dan Wylie and Stephen Currie).

I repeat a camel.

Called Geoffrey.

Cue close-up of Geoffrey.

Then, a cut to Julia Morris and Chris Brown on the set of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, which kicks off in Oz on Sunday.

This is taking quite the surrealist turn.

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Best television direction

The Code (ABC) wins its third award of the night for best TV direction, after best actor and best supporting actress, making it one of the biggest successes so far.

Updated

Best television comedy

Those who thought this was a shoo-in for our pal Josh Thomas were wrong. The award goes to ABC’s Utopia.

As its star Celia Pacquola said of this popular satire of government bureaucracy and the absurdity of infrastructure policy, “often, fact trumps fiction”.

Updated

Best supporting actress in a feature film

... is Susan Prior for The Rover.

Alert. Alert. RYAN GOSLING is in the building.

Well, on screen anyway.

Russell Crowe is presenting best supporting actress award on a live video link from the set of their his movie The Nice Guys, and he’s only gone and persuaded his co-star Ryan into shot. I think that makes everyone in this category a winner.

Gosling is a new dad and, we have to tell you, he’s looking a little frazzled.

He’s also attempting an Ocker accent and says he’s an honorary Aussie because he lived in New Zealand for two years. Australia’s greatest ever grossing actor, ahem, Rusty, reminds him they are two different countries, MAAATE.

Updated

A look back at Rose’s best films including Two Hands, The Internship, Annie (?) and Bad Neighbours, and of course ... Bridesmaids.

Rose says nice things ....

Hand clap emoji. A Rose by any other name as well as her own.

Updated

Time for the trailblazer award

Rush! Rose!

Not the perfume counter at David Jones but tonight’s trailblazer award. Geoffrey Rush, president of Aacta, is on stage to present Australian pride, Rose Byrne with the honour. But not before Glenn Close pays tribute to her Damages co-star.

We didn’t get a chance to chat to Rose on the red carpet, alas. If we had, we’d have asking if she’s gutted not be in the new Ghostbusters movie alongside her Bridemaids friends, Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiiiiiig.

We didn’t get to chat to Rush either. He almost came to say hello to us, but when we said we worked for the Guardian, he said he couldn’t right now “darling”.

Updated

We’re now hearing from Adam Zvar, creator of the infamous Elijah Wood plays opposite a dog vehicle, Wilfred, speaking at the Aacta luncheon earlier in the week. Question: is film the only remaining industry that still takes “luncheon”?

Apparently Russell Crowe movies have made $4bn at the global box office, says Zvar. If you take all the money my movies have made and add $4bn, you’ll get to the same number, he laments.

Updated

The divine Eamon Farren is in the press room. Major swoons from me and Alex. He’s talking about dressing in drag to play 1960s cabaret artist Carlotta. Scary and exciting in equal measure, apparently. Tucking stuff in, he said, took a few goes, especially on location in Kings Cross. The hair and make up artists gave him “half his character”. He also pays tribute to the original cabaret performers like Carlotta, who would walk out each night despite being spat on and hated, and perform.

Updated

Another honorary award now, the Longford Lyell award, dubbed Australia’s highest screen prize, goes to producer and writer Andrew Knight. He adapted The Water Diviner (2014’s biggest Aussie film) as well as writing Rake, Seachange, and Full Frontal. (Thanks imdb!) Tributes flow in from Eric Bana and Shaun Micallef.

In the press room, Andrew makes an urgent plea to let young kids fail by trying their hand at sketch comedy. Like he did. “I did some awful things and no one cares [now].”

Updated

Best supporting actress and actor in a TV drama award

Chelsie Preston Crayford for The Code and Eamon Farren for Carlotta respectively. An ABC double.

Eamon, who was recently in the premiere of Joanna Murray Smith’s fantastic new play Switzerland at Sydney Theatre Company, brought the real Carlotta as his date tonight.

Transgender trailblazer Carlotta on the Aacta red carpet.
Transgender trailblazer Carlotta on the Aacta red carpet. Photograph: Don Arnold/WireImage

Updated

Next presenter up is Celia Pacquola who uses her time on stage to let everyone know she’s single – “worth a shot!” Well, it sure beats a Tinder profile. We talked to Celia earlier about her part in ABC comedy, Utopia, which she confirmed is back for a second series. Hurrah. We also tried to recruit her as a Guardian writer, so watch this space.

Updated

Best feature length documentary

... goes to Ukraine is Not a Brothel, directed by Kitty Green, about the feminist organisation Femen.

A male colleague represented Kitty, who can’t be here, with apologies. “Those who have seen the film know how ridiculous it is that a man is accepting this award for a film that is about smashing the patriarchy.”

Best lead actress in a film

Contenders: Kate Box (The Little Death), Essie Davis (The Babadook), Sarah Snook (Predestination) and Mia Wasikowska (Tracks).

And the winner, accepting from a hotel room, is Sarah Snook. She thanks her make-up artists for turning her into a man every single day, and co-star Ethan Hawke. Or Mr Le Hawke as she says he should be called. “This would not have happened without him.”

Here is a fact for you: Snook was in the running to play the lead in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and got down to the final three. Thanks again to Alex for that one.

Updated

And now we get the moving tribute to those in the industry who have died in the past year. And accompanying them pop star Samantha Jade, who played Kylie Minogue in INXS: Never Tear Us Apart and is about to support One Direction on tour. Because this is Australia. And that’s how we roll.

Samantha Jade
Samantha Jade on the red carpet (sans Harry, for now) Photograph: Nancy Groves

Updated

We’ve just had Colin Firth bigging up The Railway Man, one of tonight’s best film nominees. He looked a little tired on the video link from London. As an expat who spends too much time on Skype for my own good I know that feeling.

Updated

Devil’s Playground, about child abuse in the Catholic church, has just picked up best mini-series. It followed on from the landmark 1976 film of the same name. But its makers says it’s much darker than the original when they come and chat about it in the press room.

Updated

Presenters Yael Stone and Danielle McCormack (who also starred in The Water Diviner) are clowning around on stage.

Alex had a great chat with Yael on the carpet about the third series of Orange is the New Black. And its new star: Ruby Rose. Appparently they only have one scene together but the cast are a very social bunch. She also spilled on new sci-fi series, Childhood’s End, currently filming in Melbourne, in which she plays the “last faithful woman on earth”.

Updated

Best supporting actor in a film

Contenders: Patrick Brammall (The Little Death), Yilmaz Erdogan (The Water Diviner), RPattz (The Rover), and TJ Power (The Little Death).

And the award goes to Erdogan. He’s an actor, poet and filmmaker in his native Turkey - and this is his first English language film.

He pays sweet tribute to his family and to his co-star and first-time director Russell Crowe for trusting him with the part - and his non-existent horse-riding skills.

Updated

We’ve just had the first of several clips paying tribute to this year’s Aacta trailblazer, Rose Byrne - top of the queue up was Ghostbuster-to-be Kristen Wiig (Rose’s Bridesmaids co-star).

Sadly, there are some technical issues in the press room, so we can’t tell you what she said. But here’s Rose on the red carpet instead with her partner Bobby Cannavale.

Who, handily, is just up to present the next award. Cate pays tribute to his roles in Blue Jasmine, Boardwalk Empire ... and the amazing SNAKES ON A PLANE!

Updated

LEGO MOVIE NEWS

The creative team are in the press room and saying they have not one, but a NUMBER of new Lego films in the pipeline, after the success of numero uno. We don’t know what number, but that’s a definite plural there.

Lego - more of the same please.
Lego - more of the same please. Photograph: Allstar/WARNER BROS/Sportsphoto Ltd./Allstar

Updated

Best lead actor in a television drama

The contenders are Richard Roxburgh (Rake), Luke Arnold (INXS: Never Tear Us Apart), Dan Spielman (The Code) and Ashley Zukerman (The Code).

And the winner is ... Ashley Zukerman.

He’ll soon be seen in new US nuclear drama Manhattan, the voiceover man tells us. Anyone know much about that? For now though, read this excellent feature on The Code by our esteemed colleague Amanda Meade.

Updated

The Lego Movie has just won for best visual effects / animation. This is the worldwide smash hit that somehow hasn’t made it onto the Oscar’s animation shortlist.

Our film critic Luke Buckmaster got rightly worked up about this, and the Babadook’s snub, here.

(though Essie Davis, the Babadook’s star, filled us in on the details of why the film wasn’t eligible, boo hiss, earlier on the red carpet)

Updated

Screenwriting awards

Actors Kate Box (The Little Death) and Dan Spielman (The Code) are on to present the screenwriting awards.

First, best adapted screenplay for a film, which goes to The Railway Man (Frank Cottrell Boyce and Andy Paterson).

Apparently we’re going to hear from Fitzwilliam Darcy, aka Colin Firth, on the film, which is also a best film nominee a little later.

Second, best original screenplay for a film, which goes to The Babadook. Hurrah. Remember this is the movie the Exorcist director called the scariest film he’s even seen. That’s good writing there. Well done Jennifer Kent.

Updated

Byron Kennedy Award

At the Movies legend Margaret Pomeranz and Jack Charles (in a glorious Aboriginal flag waistcoat) are here to give the next award, the Byron Kennedy Award, which honours outstanding creative enterprise with $10,000 in cold hard useful cash! It goes to Bastardry, Ruin and Hail documentary director Amiel Courtin-Wilson.

Updated

First award: best lead actress in a television drama

And the award goes to Marta Dusseldorp for Janet King (ABC). Her first Aacta. How is that possible? She pays credit to the real prosecutors the cast played in the show particularly Margaret Cunneen, who “took me under her silks”.

And lovely Marta already has to be played out by the tinkly tinkly music.

Wow, this is going to take some time, people.

Updated

Blanchett and Mailman: "We made it"

And ... “tonight we celebrate the very best in Australian film and TV.”

Namechecks for The Lego Movie, The Water Diviner, Orange is the New Black and more amazing examples of Aussie talent on a world stage. And this week’s “biggest illegally downloaded movie” The Babadook.

Our films “wipe their bums in the ratings”. Did Cate just say bum?

And a funny jab at Josh Thomas and his hit show Please Like Me. Debs: “We really really like you, Josh. No we really really do.”

Updated

And now highlights from the red carpet. Don’t know why they didn’t ask us for our expert Twitter pics. Such as ...

Best actor nominee, David Gulpilil!

Best actress nonimee, Essie Davis. Everyone say BabaDOOOK.

AND POMERANZ!

Updated

And we're off...

We’re currently getting a funny little VT of Cate and Deborah getting their make-up done like REAL people, not the talented goddesses they are. “Keep your dress out of your knickers,” Cate tells Debs. Easy to say if yours are custom made, La Blanchett!

Plus lots of jabs at the expense of the sponsors. And a sort of “funny ha ha” joke about a traffic man mistaking Deborah for Cathy Freeman.

Updated

Tonight’s show will be presented by the twin greats that are Deborah Mailman and Cate Blanchett. According to the well informed Alex Spring, Cate is in Alexander McQueen. Corner her one day and she’ll tell you a great anecdote about who makes Cate’s undies too.

If anyone can tell us who made Deborah’s very pretty dress, do share in the comments or tweet us @nancyarts / @alexspring ...

Updated

Looking at that list makes you realise that despite the hand-wringing over domestic distribution and box office takings, 2014 was a fine 12 months for Aussie movies – and as Luke Buckmaster wrote back in December, the year that genre film-making found its feet.

As for TV, 2014 saw INXS mini-series joy, end of Offspring sorrow and untold reality TV brou-ha-has. Here’s our telly man Jazz Twemlow summing it all up. And here is Please Like Me’s Josh Thomas posing for us with BOTH his mums on the red carpet.

Updated

Cos we’re at a casino and all, we thought you might be interested in the odds for the biggest gong of the night, the award for best Australian film.

Invest one Aussie dollar in the following and these would be your returns (correct as of 2pm). Click on the films themselves for our Guardian film critics’ reviews.

The Water Diviner – 2.00
The Babadook – 2.75
Charlie’s Country – 6.00
Predestination – 7.50
Tracks – 11.00
The Railway Man – 16.00

It's the 2015 Aactas, darling

Welcome to Guardian Australia’s live coverage of the 2015 Aactas, or the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts awards to give them their full and rather weighty moniker.

We’re here with the stars at the Star, Sydney – nice one, Academy! – so while we can’t bring our readers Instagrammed shots of the iconic Opera House, former home of this illustrious ceremony ...

Brendon Thorne
Sydney Opera House: not an AACTA in sight. Photograph: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

... oh, go on then ... we can guess who’ll be heading for a flutter later on to celebrate.

Alex Spring and I have just spent a sunny two hours on the red carpet pestering a range of familiar faces from Aussie screens, big and small. Check out my Twitter feed @nancyarts for some of those piccies, and we’ll feed you the best soundbites here.

In attendance today are presenters Cate Blanchett and Deborah Mailman, Geoffrey Rush awarding the 2015 trail-blazer award to Rose Byrne, not to mention TV stars Josh Thomas, Yael Stone and many many more.

Thankfully some of the awards were handed out at a pre-do “luncheon” on Wednesday, but we’ve still got a zillion* to get through tonight. So strap in.

(*24)

Updated

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