Australian Film Institute Award for Best Direction
Encyclopedia
The Australian Film Institute Award for Best Direction is an award in the annual Australian Film Institute Awards
.
Australian Film Institute Awards
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award, known as the AACTA Award , is an accolade presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts . The awards recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry and television industry, including directors,...
.
Previous winners
- 1971 – HomesdaleHomesdaleHomesdale is a 1971 Australian film directed by Peter Weir. Homesdale is a black comedy about visitors at a guest-house acting out their violent private fantasies and games under the control of the house staff....
(Peter WeirPeter WeirPeter Lindsay Weir, AM is an Australian film director. After playing a leading role in the Australian New Wave cinema with his films such as Picnic at Hanging Rock, The Last Wave and Gallipoli, Weir directed a diverse group of American and international films—many of them major box office...
) - 1972 – StorkStork (film)Stork is a 1971 Australian comedy film directed by Tim Burstall. Stork is based on the play 'The Coming of Stork' by David Williamson. Bruce Spence and Jacki Weaver make their feature film debuts in Stork, being honoured at the 1972 Australian Film Awards, where they shared the acting prize...
(Tim BurstallTim BurstallTim Burstall was an Australian film director, writer and producer, best known for the motion picture Alvin Purple....
) - 1973 – Marco Polo Junior Versus the Red DragonMarco Polo Junior Versus the Red DragonMarco Polo Junior Versus the Red Dragon was Australia's first animated feature film, released in 1972 and directed by Eric Porter.The plot follows Young Marco, a descendant of Marco Polo, and his companion Sandy the Seagull, on a journey to the mythical kingdom of Xanadu, to help Princess Shining...
(Eric PorterEric PorterEric Richard Porter was an English actor of stage, film and television.-Early life:Porter was born in Shepherd's Bush, London, to Richard John Porter and Phoebe Elizabeth Spall...
) - 1974/5 – Billy and Percy (John Power)
- 1976 – The Devil's Playground (Fred Schepisi)
- 1977 – Don's PartyDon's PartyDon's Party is a 1971 play by David Williamson set during the 1969 Australian federal election. The film based on the play was entered into the 27th Berlin International Film Festival.-Plot:...
(Bruce BeresfordBruce BeresfordBruce Beresford is an Australian film director who has made more than 30 feature films over a 40-year career.-Early life:...
) - 1978 – NewsfrontNewsfrontNewsfront is a 1978 Australian drama film starring Bill Hunter, Wendy Hughes, and Bryan Brown, directed by Phillip Noyce. The screenplay is written by David Elfick, Bob Ellis, Philippe Mora, and Phillip Noyce. The original music score is composed by William Motzing...
(Phillip NoycePhillip NoycePhillip Noyce is an Australian film director.-Life and career:Noyce was born in Griffith, New South Wales, attended Barker College, Sydney, and began making short films at the age of 18, starting with Better to Reign in Hell, using his friends as the cast...
) - 1979 – My Brilliant CareerMy Brilliant Career (film)My Brilliant Career is a 1979 Australian drama film directed by Gillian Armstrong and based on the book of the same name by Miles Franklin....
(Gillian ArmstrongGillian ArmstrongGillian May Armstrong is an award-winning Australian director of feature films and documentaries.- Career :Born in Melbourne, Victoria, Gillian Armstrong grew up in the eastern suburb of Mitcham. She graduated from Swinburne Technical College in 1968 where she studied theatrical costume design and...
) - 1980 – Breaker MorantBreaker Morant (film)Breaker Morant is a 1980 Australian film about the court martial of Breaker Morant, directed by Bruce Beresford and starring British actor Edward Woodward as Harry "Breaker" Morant...
(Bruce BeresfordBruce BeresfordBruce Beresford is an Australian film director who has made more than 30 feature films over a 40-year career.-Early life:...
) - 1981 – GallipoliGallipoli (1981 film)Gallipoli is a 1981 Australian film, directed by Peter Weir and starring Mel Gibson and Mark Lee, about several young men from rural Western Australia who enlist in the Australian Army during the First World War. They are sent to Turkey, where they take part in the Gallipoli Campaign. During the...
(Peter WeirPeter WeirPeter Lindsay Weir, AM is an Australian film director. After playing a leading role in the Australian New Wave cinema with his films such as Picnic at Hanging Rock, The Last Wave and Gallipoli, Weir directed a diverse group of American and international films—many of them major box office...
) - 1982 – Mad Max 2 (George MillerGeorge Miller (producer)George Miller is an Australian film director, screenwriter, producer, and former medical doctor. He is most well known for his work on the Mad Max movies, but has been involved in a wide range of projects, including the Oscar-winning Happy Feet and "Babe" family films.Miller is the older brother...
) - 1983 – Careful, He Might Hear YouCareful, He Might Hear YouCareful, He Might Hear You is a 1983 Australian drama film. It is based on the novel of the same name by Australian-American author Sumner Locke Elliott....
(Carl SchultzCarl SchultzCarl Schultz is a Hungarian film director.-Early life:He left his native Budapest during the uprising of 1956 with his brother Otto Schultz. They fled to England; after arriving in London, they moved to Manchester...
) - 1984 – My First WifeMy First WifeMy First Wife is a 1984 Australian drama film directed by Paul Cox. The film won several AFI Awards in 1984. The film follows the dissolution of John and Helen's marriage and the aftermath.-Awards:...
(Paul CoxPaul CoxPaulus Henriqus Benedictus "Paul" Cox is an award-winning Australian film director.Cox was born in Venlo, Limburg, the Netherlands, the son of Else , a native of Germany, and Wim Cox, a documentary film producer. Cox emigrated to Australia in 1965...
) - 1985 – BlissBliss (1985 film)Bliss is a 1985 Australian film directed by Ray Lawrence, co-adapted by Lawrence and Peter Carey, author of the original novel Bliss from which it is adapted....
(Ray Lawrence) - 1986 – MalcolmMalcolm (film)Malcolm is a 1986 Australian cult film, written by David Parker and directed by Nadia Tass. The film stars Colin Friels as the titular tram enthusiast who becomes involved with petty crime. The film won the 1986 Australian Film Institute Award for Best Film.At the start of the film Malcolm is...
(Nadia TassNadia TassNadia Tass is a film director, producer and actress, originally from Macedonia, northern Greece, who moved to Australia in the 1960s. She began her career as an actress appearing in the television series Prisoner. Ms...
) - 1987 – The Year My Voice BrokeThe Year My Voice BrokeThe Year My Voice Broke is a 1987 coming of age story by director John Duigan, starring Noah Taylor, Loene Carmen, and Ben Mendelsohn. Set in 1962 in the rural Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, it was the first in a projected trilogy of films centred around the experiences of an awkward...
(John DuiganJohn DuiganJohn Duigan, is an Australian film director.Duigan emigrated to Australia in 1961, having been born to an Australian father...
) - 1988 – The NavigatorNavigator (disambiguation)A navigator is the individual responsible for the navigation of a vessel, vehicle or aircraft.Navigator may also refer to:* Flight officer, the navigator on an aircraft* Navvy, a manual labourer, from navigator or navigational engineer- Nicknames :...
(Vincent WardVincent WardVincent Ward, ONZM is a film director and screenwriter.-Biography:Vincent Ward was awarded an Order of New Zealand Merit in 2007 for his contribution to film making. He was born in Greytown, New Zealand. He was educated at St Patrick's College, Silverstream and trained as an artist at the...
) - 1989 – Evil AngelsA Cry in the DarkEvil Angels is a 1988 Australian film directed by Fred Schepisi. The screenplay by Schepisi and Robert Caswell is based on John Bryson's 1985 book Evil Angels, the title under which the film was released in Australia...
(Fred Schepisi) - 1990 – Return HomeReturn HomeReturn Home is a 1990 Australian drama film directed by Ray Argall. Argall won the AFI Award for Best Director in 1990 and Frankie J. Holden was nominated for Best Actor in a Lead Role.-Cast:*Dennis Coard as Noel*Frankie J...
(Ray Argall) - 1991 – ProofProof (1991 film)Proof is a 1991 Australian film by Jocelyn Moorhouse starring Hugo Weaving, Geneviève Picot and Russell Crowe. It was chosen as "Best Film" at the 1991 Australian Film Institute Awards, along with 5 other awards, including Moorhouse for "Best Director", Weaving for "Best Leading Actor", and Crowe...
(Jocelyn MoorhouseJocelyn MoorhouseJocelyn Denise Moorhouse is an Australian writer and film director born in Victoria, Australia on 4 September 1960.Moorhouse did her HSC year in 1978 at Vermont High School, which is the same high school that Gillian Armstrong attended a few years earlier. She went on to direct films such as Proof,...
) - 1992 – Strictly BallroomStrictly BallroomStrictly Ballroom is a 1992 Australian romantic comedy film directed and co-written by Baz Luhrmann and produced by M&A Productions. The film is the first installment in The Red Curtain Trilogy, Luhrmann's trilogy of theatre-motif-related films; the follow-ups were Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge!...
(Baz LuhrmannBaz LuhrmannMark Anthony "Baz" Luhrmann is an Australian film director, screenwriter, and producer best known for The Red Curtain Trilogy, which includes his films Strictly Ballroom, William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge!...
) - 1993 – The PianoThe PianoThe Piano is a 1993 New Zealand drama film about a mute pianist and her daughter, set during the mid-19th century in a rainy, muddy frontier backwater on the west coast of New Zealand. The film was written and directed by Jane Campion, and stars Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill, and Anna Paquin...
(Jane CampionJane CampionJane Campion is a filmmaker and screenwriter. She is one of the most internationally successful New Zealand directors, although most of her work has been made in or financed by other countries, principally Australia – where she now lives – and the United States...
) - 1994 – Bad Boy BubbyBad Boy BubbyBad Boy Bubby is an Australian black comedy/drama film written and directed by Rolf de Heer. It stars Nicholas Hope and Carmel Johnson. It was released in 1993....
(Rolf de HeerRolf de HeerRolf de Heer is a Dutch film director, writer and producer living in Australia. De Heer was born in Heemskerk in The Netherlands but migrated to Sydney when he was eight years old. He attended the Australian Film Television and Radio School in Sydney. His company is called Vertigo Productions and...
) - 1995 – Angel BabyAngel Baby (1995 film)Angel Baby is a 1995 Australian film written and directed by Michael Rymer, and starring John Lynch, Jacqueline McKenzie and Colin Friels. This film was taped in 1993-94....
(Michael RymerMichael RymerMichael Rymer is a television and film director, best known for his work on the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica TV series, for which he directed the pilot miniseries and several episodes of the series...
) - 1996 – ShineShine (film)Shine is a 1996 Australian film based on the life of pianist David Helfgott, who suffered a mental breakdown and spent years in institutions. It stars Geoffrey Rush, Lynn Redgrave, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Noah Taylor, John Gielgud, Googie Withers, Justin Braine, Sonia Todd, Nicholas Bell, Chris...
(Scott HicksScott HicksRobert Scott Hicks is a film director from Australia. He is best known as the screenwriter and director of Shine, the Oscar-winning biopic of pianist David Helfgott. Hicks's work has been nominated for an Academy Award as well as winning an Emmy Award.-Personal life:Hicks was born in Uganda, the...
) - 1997 – Kiss or Kill (Bill BennettBill BennettWilliam Richards Bennett, PC, OBC , commonly known as Bill Bennett, was the 27th Premier of the Canadian province of British Columbia 1975–1986. He is a son of the former Premier, W. A. C. Bennett. He was a 3rd cousin, twice removed, of R.B...
) - 1998 – The Boys (Rowan WoodsRowan WoodsRowan Woods is an Australian film and television director, actor and screenwriter. Woods directed The Boys in 1998 and won an AFI award for best direction. His next film, Little Fish was released in September 2005 in Australia, starring Cate Blanchett...
) - 1999 – Two Hands (Gregor JordanGregor JordanGregor Jordan is an Australian film director.Jordan's films include Two Hands , Buffalo Soldiers , and Ned Kelly . He has also directed the concert video These Days: Live in Concert by Australian rock band Powderfinger.His film Two Hands won the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Direction...
) - 2000 – ChopperChopper (film)Chopper is a 2000 Australian film, written and directed by New Zealand film-maker Andrew Dominik and based on the semi-autobiographical books by Mark Brandon "Chopper" Read. The film stars Eric Bana as the title character, and co-stars Vince Colosimo, Simon Lyndon, Bill Young and David Field...
(Andrew DominikAndrew DominikAndrew Dominik is a New Zealand-born Australian film director and screenwriter. He has directed two films so far: Chopper and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.-Early life and career:...
) - 2001 – LantanaLantana (film)Lantana is a 2001 Australian film, directed by Ray Lawrence and featuring Anthony LaPaglia, Kerry Armstrong, Geoffrey Rush and Barbara Hershey. It is based on the play Speaking In Tongues by Andrew Bovell, which premiered at Sydney's Griffin Theatre Company...
(Ray Lawrence) - 2002 – Beneath CloudsBeneath CloudsBeneath Clouds is a 2002 film by Australian director Ivan Sen.Lena has an absent Irish father she longs to see and an Aboriginal mother she finds disgusting...
(Ivan SenIvan SenIvan Sen is an Australian filmmaker. Throughout the late 1990s Sen worked on numerous short films, before making his feature film debut with Beneath Clouds in 2002. He studied filmmaking at the Australian Film Television and Radio School, where he produced his first short films, working with the...
) - 2003 – Japanese StoryJapanese StoryJapanese Story is a 2003 Australian romantic drama film directed by Sue Brooks. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival.-Plot:...
(Sue Brooks) - 2004 – SomersaultSomersault (film)Somersault is an Australian independent film, written and directed by Cate Shortland and released in September 2004. The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival...
(Cate ShortlandCate ShortlandCate Shortland is an Australian writer and director of film and television.She was born 10 August 1968 in Temora, New South Wales. She graduated from the Australian Film Television and Radio School, where she received the Southern Star Award for most promising student.She has created several award...
) - 2005 – Look Both WaysLook Both WaysLook Both Ways is a 2005 Australian independent film, written and directed by Sarah Watt, starring an ensemble cast, which was released on 18 August 2005. The film was supported by the Adelaide Film Festival fund and opened the 2005 festival. It won four AFI Awards, including Best Film and Best...
(Sarah WattSarah WattSarah Ann Watt was an Australian film director.Born in Sydney, Watt completed a Graduate Diploma of Film and Television at the Swinburne School of Film and Television, Melbourne in 1990. Her student film "Catch of the Day" was to reflect the style of future work...
) - 2006 – Ten CanoesTen CanoesTen Canoes is a 2006 film. It was directed by Rolf de Heer and Peter Djigirr and starred Crusoe Kurddal. The title of the film arose from discussions between de Heer and David Gulpilil about a photograph of ten canoeists poling across the Arafura Swamp, taken by anthropologist Donald Thomson in...
– (Rolf de HeerRolf de HeerRolf de Heer is a Dutch film director, writer and producer living in Australia. De Heer was born in Heemskerk in The Netherlands but migrated to Sydney when he was eight years old. He attended the Australian Film Television and Radio School in Sydney. His company is called Vertigo Productions and...
& Peter Djigirr) - 2007 – The Home Song StoriesThe Home Song StoriesThe Home Song Stories is an Australian film released in 2007. Written and directed by acclaimed Tony Ayres of Walking on Water , The Home Song Stories stars Joan Chen, Joel Lok, Qi Yu Wu, Irene Chen, Steven Vidler and Kerry Walker....
– (Tony AyresTony AyresTony Ayres is a Chinese-born Australian screenwriter and director. He is most notable for his award-winning films Walking on Water and The Home Song Stories.-Early life:...
) - 2008 – The Black BalloonThe Black Balloon (film)The Black Balloon is a 2008 Australian|British AFI award-winning dramedy feature film which stars Toni Collette, Rhys Wakefield, Luke Ford, Erik Thomson, Gemma Ward as well as a cast of newcomers. It is directed by first time feature film director, Elissa Down.The film was released in Australian...
– (Elissa DownElissa DownElissa Down is an Australian filmmaker. In 1999 and 2000 Elissa was nominated for Young Film-maker of the year at the WA Screen Awards.Her major works comprise of a number of award winning short films, Summer Angst, The Cherry Orchard, Her Outback, The Bathers, Pink Pyjamas, HMAS Unicorn and...
) - 2009 – Samson & Delilah – (Warwick ThorntonWarwick ThorntonWarwick Thornton is an Australian film director, screenwriter and cinematographer. His debut feature film, Samson and Delilah won the Caméra d'Or at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.-Family:Thornton was born and raised in Alice Springs...
) - 2010 – Animal KingdomAnimal Kingdom (film)Animal Kingdom is a 2010 Australian crime drama written and directed by David Michôd, and starring Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton, Guy Pearce, Luke Ford, Sullivan Stapleton, Jacki Weaver and James Frecheville...
– (David MichôdDavid MichôdDavid Michôd is an Australian filmmaker, director of the highly acclaimed Animal Kingdom in 2010.-Education and early career:Michôd was educated at Sydney Grammar School before moving to Melbourne to study arts at the University of Melbourne. After working for the Victorian Department of Education...
)