Celebrating the L’Oréal Paris 2008 AFI Awards

50 Years of Pride and Passion

On a blue-lit stage that looked like a space-ship about to take off, Stephen Curry emerged, dancing to the opening riffs of the Choir Boy’s ‘Run to Paradise’. It was retro, it was cool, it was catchy. And very very funny. It made the audience want to get up and dance, and it was the perfect start for a night of celebration. This was the L’Oréal Paris 2008 AFI Awards, and also the 50th Anniversary of the AFI.   The celebrations began the previous night with the L’Oréal Paris 2008 AFI Industry Awards Presented by Digital Pictures. Host Julia Zemiro was a cheeky diva, directing the proceedings with irreverent aplomb and setting a high standard for Stephen Curry, who was to helm the next night’s Ceremony. Curry rose to the challenge with his wonderfully self-deprecating deadpan humour. There were fabulous frocks, numerous jokes, and the most heartfelt of tributes – a standing ovation for our lost but not forgotten star, the late Heath Ledger.

What characterised the weekend was a genuine spirit of celebration; a palpable camaraderie as the people who make up the Australian film and television industry got together for a huge party. The triumph belonged to everyone involved in the creation of Australian screen culture over the last 50 years. While there was much nostalgia, it was equally a time for looking to the future and acknowledging the combination of fresh and established talent that constitute the winners of the L’Oréal Paris 2008 AFI Awards.
 
For more pictures click here and for a full list of winners from both nights click here. You can see video clips on the AFI’s official YouTube site or here and you can read on for a full wrap-up of the celebrations: 
 
FEATURE FILM

The prestigious L’Oréal Paris Award for Best Film went to The Black Balloon, a warm and moving story about a family living with autism. The film’s producer, Tristram Miall (Strictly Ballroom, Looking For Alibrandi) said he was glad he’d come out of retirement to work on The Black Balloon which is currently screening to acclaim in New York and California. The Black Balloon’s director and co-writer, the exuberant Elissa Down, took home the AFI Award for Best Direction and the Macquarie AFI Award for Best Original Screenplay – an award she shares with co-writer Jimmy the Exploder. The Black Balloon continued its success with the AFI Award for Best Supporting Actress going to Toni Collette, who plays the endlessly patient and down-to-earth mother; and the AFI Award for Best Supporting Actor going to Luke Ford for his portrayal of the film’s central figure, autistic boy Charlie Mollison. The film’s editor, Veronika Jenet ASE also picked up the AFI Award for Best Editing.

Unfinished Sky, a romance thriller about an isolated farmer and an Afghan refugee-on-the-run was another big winner, with the film’s lead actors, William McInnes and Monic Hendrickx picking up the AFI Award for Best Lead Actor and the AFI Award for Best Lead Actress respectively. The film’s writer/director Peter Duncan took home the Macquarie AFI Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, while cinematographer Robert Humphreys collected the AFI Award for Best Cinematography. The soundtrack and score for Unfinished Sky were also celebrated, with the AFI Award for Best Original Music Score going to Antony Partos, and the AFI Award for Best Sound given to Andrew Plain, Annie Breslin and Will Ward.

Gemma Jackson was given the AFI Award for Best Production Design in absentia for her work on Death Defying Acts, Gillian Armstrong’s film set in the world of Harry Houdini’s 1920s London.
 
Costume designer Cappi Ireland won the AFI Award for Best Costume Design for her work on The Tender Hook, a period romance-thriller set in 1920s Sydney. Ireland, who last year won this award for her work on Home Song Stories, expressed her delight in dressing The Tender Hook’s beautiful young actresses, Rose Byrne and Pia Miranda. 

DOCUMENTARY
 

In a year of strong and important documentaries, the AFI was delighted to have Oscar-winning documentary producer Eva Orner in attendance to present a number of awards. The energetic and entertaining exploration of ‘Ozploitation’ cinema, Not Quite Hollywood, took out the AFI Award for Best Documentary (Craig Griffin and Michael Lynch). The film’s writer/director Mark Hartley will receive the special honour of becoming Australia’s inaugural Trailblazer at the International Trailblazer Tribute to be held in April 2009 at MIPDOC/MIPTV, the global television and content market held in Cannes, France. Hartley expressed surprise and gratitude at the fact that he’d been able to bring to light the work of many forgotten genre filmmakers, and now he’d be able to expose them to a broader international audience.

The Oasis, a tough but moving documentary about an inner-city youth refuge, won the AFI Award for Best Direction in a Documentary (Ian Darling and Sascha Ettinger Epstein). The AFI Award for Best Editing in a Documentary also went to The Oasis’ Sally Fryer, who sorted through 250 hours of footage to make the feature-length film.
 
The AFI Award for Best Cinematography in a Documentary went to A Northern Town’s Andrew Commis and Rachel Landers, whose beautiful footage of the picturesque country-town of Kempsey counterpointed the ugliness of racism directed against indigenous Australians.
 
Collecting the AFI Award for Best Sound in a Documentary were Rare Chicken Rescue’s Brett Aplin, Greg Docwra, John Willsteed and David White. The team (with Docwra in absentia) acknowledged the comical-sounding name of their film but said they hoped they’d created a film that dealt lightly with the dark topic of human depression.
 
SHORT FILM AND ANIMATION
 
Ending a year of success in which their film Jerrycan won the Jury Prize at Cannes, Stuart Parkyn and Julius Avery collected the AFI Award for Best Short Fiction Film. The AFI Award for Best Short Animation went to Steve Baker and Damon Escott for their funny and inventive Dog With Electric Collar. Writer/director Rene Hernandez picked up the AFI Award for Best Screenplay in a Short Film for his work on the poignant but hopeful coming-of-age film The Ground Beneath. The AFI Award for Outstanding Achievement in Short Film Screen Craft went to Xanthe Highfield for her groovy production design on fOUR, a film set in the wife-swapping 1970s. 
 
TELEVISION

Like a close-knit band of gangsters, the cast and crew of the Nine Network’s television series Underbelly took to the stage as a group. The sexy fast-paced underworld drama was given the AFI Award for Best Television Drama Series (Greg Haddrick and Brenda Pam); the AFI Award for Best Direction in Television (Peter Andrikidis); and the AFI Award for Outstanding Achievement in Television Screen Craft (Steve Evans, Editing). Kat Stewart and Gyton Grantley were rewarded for their portrayals of real-life couple Carl and Roberta Williams, with the AFI Awards for Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama and Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama respectively. Grantley, especially, seemed thrilled and excited to receive the Award, saying that he’d “never been on a production with so much heart”, and that the AFI’s recognition of Underbelly signified the ability of the industry to tell fascinating, entertaining and distinctively Australian stories. Underbelly’s dashing Damian Walshe-Howling collected the AFI Award for Best Guest of Supporting Actor in a Television Drama, while Madeleine West shone as she received the AFI Award for Best Guest of Supporting Actress in a Television Drama.

Another cop drama, the edgy East West 101, set in Sydney’s inner west received the AFI Award for Best Telefeature, Mini Series or Short Run Series (Steve Knapman and Kris Wyld). In the media room, East West 101’s director Peter Andrikidis, also of Underbelly, wistfully wished that SBS’s East West 101 might get just a little of the audience attention directed at Underbelly.
 
The AFI Award for Best Children’s Television Drama went to the third series of ABC’s Blue Water High (Noel Price and Dennis Kiely), while the AFI Visual Effects Award went to the second series of Network 10’s mermaid drama H20 – Just Add Water. Holding the award in the media room, H20’s Barry Lanfrachi talked about the challenges of creating local children’s television that looks as good as the more expensive effects-laden international product.
 
The ABC had a strong showing in the television categories, with the AFI Award for Best Light Entertainment Television Series going to Enough Rope with Andrew Denton (Andrew Denton and Anita Jacoby); while the AFI Award for Best Television Comedy Series went to Summer Heights High (Chris Lilley and Laura Waters). Chris Lilley’s work in Summer Heights High was again recognised as he picked up the AFI Award for Best Performance in a Television Comedy. Another ABC show, the political satire The Hollowmen, received the AFI Award for Best Screenplay in Television (Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner and Rob Sitch).
 
AFI INTERNATIONAL AWARDS
 

The AFI International Award for Best Actor was awarded to the late Heath Ledger for his work as the menacing Joker in this year’s Batman film, The Dark Knight. Ledger’s father, mother and sister paid tribute to him and collected the award on his behalf; the audience spontaneously offered a standing ovation in what was a truly memorable moment of unity.   The AFI International Award for Best Actress was given to Cate Blanchett for her work in Elizabeth: The Golden Age, and although Blanchett could not be present, she appeared in a video address, thanking the AFI and wishing it a happy 50th anniversary.   The AFI International Award for Excellence in Filmmaking was this year given to cinematographer Peter James, ACS,ASC, whose extensive work with director Bruce Beresford stretches back to Driving Miss Daisy and encompasses the upcoming Mao’s Last Dancer.

THE L’ORÉAL PARIS YOUNG ACTOR AWARD
 
Danielle Catanzariti collected the L’Oréal Paris AFI Young Actor Award for her work as the spunky Jewish schoolgirl in Hey Hey It’s Esther Blueburger. The 16-year-old actress was presented the Award from last year’s winner, Kodi Smit-McPhee. Catanzariti spoke of the fun she’d had making the film – and in particular, working with a very cute duckling! She’ll be seen next year in James Bogle’s Elise, acting alongside Natalie Imbruglia. 
 
THE BYRON KENNEDY AWARD

This award is given to an individual, usually early in their career, whose work embodies the qualities of the late Byron Kennedy: innovation, vision and the relentless pursuit of excellence. This year’s recipient was writer/performer/producer Chris Lilley, for his unique, multidimensional skills as an actor, writer and producer. The jury deciding this award commended Lilley for “his groundbreaking series’ We Can Be Heroes and Summer Heights High, at once poignant and hilarious, mark[ing] him as an incisive observer of our national culture and a potent artist relentlessly in search of excellence and truth.”

THE RAYMOND LONGFORD AWARD
 
Named in honour of one of Australia’s great filmmaking pioneers, the Raymond Longford Award is given to a person who has demonstrated unwavering commitment and excellence over a career of many years. The 2008 AFI Raymond Longford Award was presented to Dione Gilmour, a nature documentary filmmaker who headed up the ABC’s natural history unit for three decades. Gilmour spoke passionately about the challenges faced by nature documentaries, but also expressed hope at the fact that new young viewers are tuning into such programs and turning them into ratings winners – perhaps, she joked, because they had such a lot of sex and violence in them!
 
NEWS LIMITED READERS’ CHOICE AWARD
 
Leading man of the moment, Hugh Jackman won this popularity contest and thanked his fans and the AFI by video hook-up.
 
AUSTRALIA’S FAVOURITE FILM
 
Voted by the Australian public in an on-line poll, The Castle was announced as Australia’s favourite film, with The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Muriel’s Wedding, Lantana and Gallipoli making up the rest of the Top Five Favourite Australian Films. All of these films are honoured in a series of collectable postage stamps released by Australia Post early in November. 

So there they are, this year’s winners, and the AFI salutes them for their achievements!
 
To view photos of all of this year's winners click here. Or, to view highlights from the Industry night and behind the scenes footage from the media room click here. Over the next few weeks we’ll be updating the AFI website and our official YouTube site with more footage from Australian film and television’s night of nights so stay tuned to afi.org.au or become a subscriber to our YouTube page to make sure you don't miss a thing.
 
Rochelle Siemienowicz
Editor