By Chris Daniel
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) has today announced the eligible feature films and the actual nominees for the feature Documentary category at this year’s AACTA Awards – Australia’s highest screen accolade.
This year, AACTA has introduced several changes to its eligibility policy, paving the way for a more inclusive and diverse approach. There has been a marked increase in films and filmmakers competing, recording a 74% increase in female filmmakers and more emerging filmmakers competing alongside industry luminaries.
In addition to its eligibility process, AACTA has unveiled the five nominees for Best Feature Length Documentary: Casting JonBenét, David Stratton: A Cinematic Life, Deep Water: The Real Story, Whitely, and Zach’s Ceremony.
The nominees from this category present a fascinating collection of stories, representing a vast range of issues in modern society. “By engaging with the larger documentary community, we’ve seen overwhelming engagement and an increase in votes,” stated AFI and AACTA CEO Damian Trewhella.
With the full list of feature films announced, 35 films will compete at this year’s AACTA Awards. The nominees in competition are: 2:22, A Few Less Men, Ali’s Wedding, Australia Day, Bad Blood, Bad Girl, Berlin Syndrome, Better Watch Out, Blue World Order, The Butterfly Tree, The Colour of Darkness, Dance Academy: The Movie, The Death and Life of Otto Bloom, Don’t Tell, Drama, Ellipsis, Emo: The Musical, Event Zero, Hounds of Love, Jasper Jones, Jungle, Killing Ground, The Legend of Ben Hall, The LEGO® Batman Movie, Lion, One Less God, The Osiris Child: Science Fiction Volume One, Red Dog: True Blue, Rip Tide, Skin Deep, The Space Between, That’s Not Me, Three Summers, What If It Works?, and Zelos.
In order to qualify, the films have to have had a theatrical release before November 15, pointing to some great local product that will be out in cinemas in one form or another before that date.
Accompanying today’s nominations, AACTA has also launched the Festival of Australian Film – For Your Consideration. The full program will screen again in Sydney and Melbourne in late August with special screenings of Ali’s Wedding. The full program will also be extended to Brisbane with a special screening of The Butterfly Tree.
The festival is set to return to Perth, screening the nominees for Best Feature Length Documentary, best Short Fiction Film and Best Short Animation.
