Shannon Murphy’s drama Babyteeth has swept the board at the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) awards, winning nine prizes including best film and all four acting awards.
The Australian title – which premiered in Competition at the Venice Fil Festival in 2019 – was nominated for 13 awards, also taking home best direction for Murphy, best screenplay for Rita Kalnejais, best original score for Amanda Brown and best casting for Kirsty McGregor and Stevie Ray.
Other film winners included Universal Pictures’ The Invisible Man, which picked up best cinematography, best editing and best sound; and True History Of The Kelly Gang, which won best production design, best costume design and best hair and makeup.
Babyteeth follows a seriously-ill teenager who falls in love with a drug dealer, to the chagrin of her middle-class parents.
Following its Venice debut – where Toby Wallace won the Marcelo Mastroianni award for best young actor or actress - it went on to play festivals including Hamburg, Zurich, London and Rotterdam.
It was released by IFC Films in the US in June 2020; Universal Pictures in Australia and New Zealand in July; and Picturehouse Entertainment in the UK and Ireland in August.
On the TV side, immigration mini-series Stateless was the big winner with 13 prizes. It is co-created by and stars Cate Blanchett, who won best guest or supporting actress in a television drama.
The show was released by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Australia in March; it debuted in international territories on Netflix in July.
The AACTA awards were split into two physical events, both held in Sydney, Australia; physical tickets were limited to one ticket per nomination per production, to comply with Australian Covid-19 regulations.
AACTA awards 2020 - selected winners
Best film – Babyteeth, dir Shannon Murphy
Best direction – Shannon Murphy, Babyteeth
Best lead actor – Toby Wallace, Babyteeth
Best lead actress – Eliza Scanlen, Babyteeth
Best supporting actor – Ben Mendelsohn, Babyteeth
Best supporting actress – Essie Davis, Babyteeth
Best screenplay – Rita Kalnejais, Babyteeth
Best cinematography – Stefan Duscio, The Invisible Man
Best editing – Andy Canny, The Invisible Man
Best sound – P.K. Hooker, Will Files, Paul ‘Salty’ Brincat, The Invisible Man
Best original score – Amanda Brown, Babyteeth
Best production design – Karen Murphy, Rebecca Cohen, True History Of The Kelly Gang
Best costume design – Alice Babidge, True History Of The Kelly Gang
Best casting – Kirsty McGregor, Stevie Ray, Babyteeth
Best visual effects or animation – Tim Crosbie, Joy Wu, Jason Troughton, Tom Wood, Julian Hutchens, The Eight Hundred
Best hair and makeup – Kirsten Veysey, True History Of The Kelly Gang
Best indie film – Standing Up For Sunny, dir. Steve Vidler
Best documentary – Firestarter – The Story Of Bangarra, dirs. Nel Minchin, Wayne Blair
Best Asian film – Better Days (China-HK) dir. Derek Tsang
Best drama series – Mystery Road
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