Baz Luhrman’s The Great Gatsby wins 13 awards at third annual AACTAs
The Australian Academy of Cinema Television Arts celebrated Baz Luhrman’s The Great Gatsby with 13 awards awards last night as it won all but one of its nominated categories including the top prize for best film.
The third annual AACTA awards held at The Star in Sydney also saw ABC drama Redfern Now win best drama for its second series, and Masterchef: The Professionals, on Channel Ten, take the AACTA for best reality TV series. The prize for best comedy or light entertainment series went to ABC2’s Please Like Me.
Actress Jackie Weaver was bestowed the AACTA Raymond Longford Award, the most prestigious at the ceremony, for her outstanding contribution to Australian film.
However the night also paid tribute to Luhrman’s work as songs performed by Delta Goodrem, Natalie Bassingthwaite, David Gleeson and Prinnie Stevens celebrated his films Strictly Ballroom, Romeo and Juliet and Moulin Rouge.
Luhrman took to the stage for no less than four acceptance speeches as his epic, filmed entirely in Australia, won him the prize for best direction and he and co-writer Craig Pearce took the AACTA for best adapted screenplay as well as best lead actor for Leonardo DiCaprio, best supporting actor for Joel Edgerton, and best supporting actress for Elizabeth Debicki.
In his speeches, Luhrman celebrated the dedication and hard work of the Australian film industry, and encouraged young actor Sitthiphon Disamoe of The Rocket, who lost out on the best actor award to Leonardo DiCaprio, by saying he still had time on his side.
The Great Gatsby was only scooped in the best lead actress category by Rose Byrne as she took the prize for her performance in The Turning over Gatsby’s Carey Mulligan, after winning each of the six awards for which it was nominated at the AACTA luncheon for the technical awards on Tuesday.
Accepting the award for best film Luhrman said: “I’m genuinely surprised because it doesn’t happen to me that often, this kind of thing. From the outset, when we were in trouble with getting it off the ground, I said we can make this film in Australia because we knew what our country was capable of in terms of never giving up, and there were so many obstacles in making this film, but I don’t remember a moment not a second, when anyone ever gave up.”
The AACTA winners:
AACTA RAYMOND LONGFORD AWARD
- Jacki Weaver
BYRON KENNEDY AWARD
- Australian Cinematographers Society (ACS)
TELEVISION
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST TELEVISION COMEDY OR LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT SERIES
- PLEASE LIKE ME Todd Abbott – ABC2
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST REALITY TELEVISION SERIES
- MASTERCHEF: THE PROFESSIONALS Margaret Bashfield, David McDonald, Mark Barlin and Tim Toni – Network Ten
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST TELEVISION DRAMA SERIES
- REDFERN NOW – SERIES 2 Darren Dale and Miranda Dear – ABC1
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST TELEFEATURE OR MINI SERIES
- TOP OF THE LAKE Emile Sherman, Iain Canning, Jane Campion and Philippa Campbell – FOXTEL – UKTV
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTION IN A TELEVISION DRAMA OR COMEDY
- POWER GAMES: THE PACKER-MURDOCH STORY Part 1 Geoff Bennett – Nine Network
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST SCREENPLAY IN TELEVISION
- OFFSPRING – SEASON 4 Episode 13 Debra Oswald – Network Ten
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST LEAD ACTOR IN A TELEVISION DRAMA
- Lachy Hulme POWER GAMES: THE PACKER-MURDOCH STORY – Nine Network
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST LEAD ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION DRAMA
- Claudia Karvan THE TIME OF OUR LIVES – ABC1
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST GUEST OR SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A TELEVISION DRAMA
- Luke Ford POWER GAMES: THE PACKER-MURDOCH STORY Part 2 – Nine Network
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST GUEST OR SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION DRAMA
- Kat Stewart OFFSPRING – SEASON 4 Episode 9 – Network Ten
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE IN A TELEVISION COMEDY
- Shaun Micallef SHAUN MICALLEF’S MAD AS HELL – SERIES 2 – ABC1
DOCUMENTARY
- RED OBSESSION Warwick Ross
FEATURE FILM
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST FILM
- THE GREAT GATSBY Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Martin, Douglas Wick, Lucy Fisher and Catherine Knapman
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTION
- THE GREAT GATSBY Baz Luhrmann
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
- THE ROCKET Kim Mordaunt
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
- THE GREAT GATSBY Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST LEAD ACTOR
- Leonardo DiCaprio THE GREAT GATSBY
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST LEAD ACTRESS
- Rose Byrne THE TURNING
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
- Joel Edgerton THE GREAT GATSBY
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
- Elizabeth Debicki THE GREAT GATSBY
And the award for the Most Publicly Subsidised Film goes too…
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Gatsby – $40 million Federal subsidy to Warner Bros. World box office gross to date USD350 million. Ancillary revenue now flowing in. Australian taxpayer share of returns and profits = 0. Ongoing jobs created = 0. Cultural relevance to Australia = 0
SPC Ardmona -$25 million Federal subsidy = denied.
Federal government declares industry to be productive can’t rely on handouts. Where is Pauline Hanson when you need her to please explain.
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Last time I mentioned how the channel that screens the Logies tend to get surprise winners and people said this was not the case. Now we have Masterchef: The Professionals beating My Kitchen Rules and The Voice for Best Reality TV series. Come on!!!!
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if you can watch the acctas and not upchuck well …..
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Not very diverse nominations – again…
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