By Erin Free
While most awards ceremonies unfurl at the beginning of the year, The AACTA Awards have now settled into the more unconventional mid-December time period, effectively getting in before everyone else, but also arriving in front of audiences at a time when most people are contemplating their holidays or writing their Christmas card lists. As a result, The AACTA Awards usually fly very, very low under the radar, a flight position obviously not aided by the local population’s near indifference to local film. But while local audiences might not be overly enamoured of their local film industry, the commitment of the industry’s major players can never be questioned. As they do every year, many of the biggest names in Australian film – this year’s big guns included Russell Crowe, Chris Hemsworth, Guy Pearce, Rebel Wilson and a linked in Nicole Kidman and Cate Blanchett – come out eagerly to play and support the local industry.
With this year’s Australian cinema releases severely impacted by the ravages of Covid, it was decidedly slim pickings for AACTA’s voting panel. Unsurprisingly, Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis was the big winner of the night, picking up Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress and a host of technical awards. A moustachioed and characteristically enthusiastic Baz was beamed in from London to accept the gongs for his wonderfully vivid and deeply emotional biopic, while his extraordinary leading man Austin Butler delivered a charmingly casual but very gracious acceptance speech from the US.
As a side note, hasn’t the camera phone been the greatest gift to awards ceremonies since, well, the autocue? With actors now so easily able to merely record their acceptance speech on their phone and then email or text it to the relevant party, is there really any excuse to not contribute? If an actor can’t take two minutes to record a message on their phone (geez, check all the hard work Nasser from MAFS is doing on Cameo for twelve bucks a pop, people!), they must really and profoundly not give a fuck. Sure, the award recipients might sometimes look like they’ve just woken up from a three-day bender (please note: not Austin Butler!) to record their message, but it’s a huge improvement on the whole awkward “We’ll accept this award on their behalf” no-show situation.
Elvis’ Catherine Martin – the most Oscared Aussie ever – was also the well-deserved recipient of the Longford Lyall Award lifetime achievement award. The clips played amply demonstrated just how extraordinary and eye-popping Catherine Martin’s costume and production design truly is. The Aussie veteran’s acceptance speech was very funny (she accepted her “inner bogan” on seeing her various past hairstyles in the clip package, and suggested that Baz might be a little “high maintenance” as a husband) and illuminating, while the range of stars (again, thank you, camera phones, and the clear highlights: Hugh Jackman and Joel Edgerton) that chimed in with their thoughts and congratulations was enjoyably impressive.
Also picking up a special award on the night was Chris Hemsworth with the slightly spurious Trailblazer Award. This rather nebulous gong seems predicated on which big name will be in the country at the time of the ceremony, with previous winners including Rose Byrne, Simon Baker and, um, Isla Fisher. Chris Hemsworth was obviously the biggest fish snagged so far, and he was amusingly introduced by a very jovial Russell Crowe, accompanied by a host of vintage, shirt-off, beefcake promo photos. Wonder if they’ll do that when Margot Robbie receives the award next year? Hemsworth was gracious and very funny in his acceptance speech (even Dancing With The Stars got a mention), and even dropped a few pearls of inspirational wisdom. “I love working here and the talent, but also we have the opportunity to take advantage of such a diverse landscape,” Hemsworth said. He also revealed that director Kenneth Branagh suggested he watch Russell Crowe in Gladiator for inspiration when devising his vocal approach to play Thor for the first time. “If you’re going to steal, steal from the best of them,” Hemsworth admitted. Again, there were some cool phone messages (clear highlight: nice guy Tom Hiddleston, who even wielded Mjolnir for the occasion), and lots of characteristic self-deprecation from Hemsworth.
The freshly blonde Leah Purcell gave a typically impassioned, fiery and inspiring acceptance speech upon winning the Best Actress Award for her powerful work in the stunning labour of love The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson. British actor Sean Harris (who was kicking it with Baz in London) was considerably less effusive when accepting the Best Supporting Actor Award for his bravura exercise in low-key, disturbing menace in the masterful crime drama-thriller The Stranger. Olivia De Jonge (again, thank you camera phones) gave a nice speech for Best Supporting Actress for her fine job of embodying Priscilla in Elvis. Many of the film awards, however, were presented earlier in the evening and not included in the broadcast, which, well, sucks.
In terms of presenters, the audience at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion were treated to the usual mix of cringing awkwardness and momentary amusement. Most of the jokes of host Amanda Keller landed, but they were largely safe and fairly middle of the road, per the TV and radio veteran’s “brand”. Rove annoyingly fucked around in the audience, pretty much making a nuisance of himself, but achieving nowhere near the level of pithy hilarity that Andrew Denton did decades ago when he first pulled the same kind of stunt at the Logies. Rebel Wilson dropped a few funny weight-loss gags, and probably carved it a little close to the bone with one of her opening jokes. “I hosted the BAFTAs this year… look at me now,” Wilson said when she hit the stage. “Failing upwards!” Guy Pearce, meanwhile, hilariously reflected upon (and now likely regrets) the much publicised (and now unnecessary due to its Amazon revival) finale episode of Neighbours, before introducing musical guest…Natalie Imbruglia! And yes, she sang “Torn”. And proving that the new government is hopefully a little more committed to the arts than the last one (could it actually be possible to be any less committed than apparently job-hungry philistine Scomo, who likely wouldn’t even take on an Arts portfolio even if it was vacant), Minister For The Arts Tony Burke was even on hand to dish out a gong.
So while a fast-paced, entertaining celebration of a strange, pandemic-induced half-baked year in Australian film, The AACTA Awards went by in their usually quiet way, with the film portion of the event slightly drowned out by the louder, more annoying, and considerably more in attendance television sector. Another side note…don’t we already have the Logies for that? And does Hamish “show me the money” Blake really need another fucking award? Really? Or actually anything else at all, for that matter? It’s enough to make you long for the days of The AFI Awards…
For more on the AACTA Awards, head to the official website.
FULL LIST OF WINNERS IN THE FILM CATEGORY
Best Film: Elvis
Best Direction in Film: Elvis – Baz Luhrmann
Best Cinematography in Film: Elvis – Mandy Walker
Best Costume Design in Film: Elvis – Catherine Martin
Best Editing in Film: Elvis – Matt Villa, Jonathan Redmond
Best Indie Film: A Stitch In Time
Best Lead Actor in Film: Austin Butler – Elvis
Best Lead Actress in Film: Leah Purcell – The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson.
Best Original Screenplay in Film: The Stranger – Thomas M. Wright
Best Production Design in Film: Elvis – Catherine Martin, Karen Murphy, Beverley Dunn
Best Original Score in Film: Falling For Figaro– Cezary Skubiszewski
Best Sound in Film: Elvis – David Lee, Wayne Pashley, Andy Nelson, Michael Keller
Best Supporting Actor in Film: Sean Harris – The Stranger
Best Supporting Actress in Film: Olivia De Jonge – Elvis
