First awarded 1969 Category of AACTA Awards | Currently held by Hacksaw Ridge (2016) Instituted 1969 | |
Awarded for Best Australian film of the year Presented by Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts People also search for AACTA Award for Best Direction Winners & Nominees Hacksaw RidgeBill Mechanic - David Permut - Bruce Davey -, Hacksaw Ridge, Winner, TannaBentley Dean - Martin Butler - Carolyn Johnson, Tanna, Nominee, GoldstoneDavid Jowsey - Greer Simpkin, Goldstone, Nominee, The DaughterJan Chapman - Nicole O'Donohue, The Daughter, Nominee, Girl AsleepJo Dyer, Girl Asleep, Nominee, Mad Max: Fury RoadGeorge Miller - Doug Mitchell - PJ Voeten, Mad Max: Fury Road, Winner, The DressmakerSue Maslin, The Dressmaker, Nominee, Holding the ManKylie Du Fresne, Holding the Man, Nominee, Paper PlanesRobert Connolly - Liz Kearney - Maggie Miles, Paper Planes, Nominee, Last Cab to DarwinJeremy Sims - Lisa Duff - Greg Duffy, Last Cab to Darwin, Nominee, The Water DivinerKeith Rodger - Troy Lum - Andrew Mason, The Water Diviner, Winner, The BabadookKristina Ceyton - Kristian Moliere, The Babadook, Winner, The Railway ManBill Curbishley - Andy Paterson - Chris Brown, The Railway Man, Nominee, PredestinationMichael Spierig - Paddy McDonald - Peter Spierig -, Predestination, Nominee, TracksIain Canning - Emile Sherman, Tracks, Nominee, Charlie's CountryRolf de Heer - Peter Djigirr - Nils Erik Nielsen, Charlie's Country, Nominee, The Great GatsbyBaz Luhrmann - Catherine Martin - Lucy Fisher -, The Great Gatsby, Winner, The RocketSylvia Wilczynski, The Rocket, Nominee, Satellite BoyCatriona McKenzie - Julie Ryan - David Jowsey, Satellite Boy, Nominee, Mystery RoadDavid Jowsey, Mystery Road, Nominee, Dead EuropeIain Canning - Emile Sherman - Liz Watts, Dead Europe, Nominee, The TurningRobert Connolly - Jo Dyer - Paul Wiegard -, The Turning, Nominee, The SapphiresRosemary Blight - Kylie Du Fresne, The Sapphires, Winner, Wish You Were HereAngie Fielder, Wish You Were Here, Nominee, Burning ManJonathan Teplitzky - Andy Paterson, Burning Man, Nominee, LoreLiz Watts - Karsten Stöter - Benny Drechsel -, Lore, Nominee | ||
The AACTA Award for Best Film is an award presented by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA), a non-profit organisation whose aim is to "identify, award, promote and celebrate Australia's greatest achievements in film and television." The award is presented at the annual AACTA Awards, which hand out accolades for achievements in feature film, television, documentaries and short films. From 1969–2010, the category was presented by the Australian Film Institute (AFI), the Academy's parent organisation, at the annual Australian Film Institute Awards (known as the AFI Awards). When the AFI launched the Academy in 2011, it changed the annual ceremony to the AACTA Awards, with the current award being a continuum of the AFI Award for Best Film.
From 1969–1975, the award was presented as a gold, silver, bronze or grand prix prize, or in some years, a cash prize. The first winner, Jack and Jill: A Postscript, was nominated in the "general" category of the 1969 awards, and received a silver prize. Because non-feature films dominated the Australian film industry at that time, the film was submitted in the general category. Despite this, it is considered the first winner by the Academy. From the 1976 Australian Film Awards, the award became competitive, and has been given as such since then.
To be eligible, the film must be Australian; consist of a dramatised story of at least 70 minutes duration; and be publicly exhibited in a commercial cinema for a minimum of seven consecutive days, in at least two capital cities (one of which is Sydney or Melbourne). The producer of the film is considered the nominee, and is presented the award upon winning.
Winners and nominees
In the following table, the years listed correspond to the year of film release; the ceremonies are usually held the same year. Films in bold and in dark blue background have received a gold, silver, bronze or grand prix prize, or a cash prize; those in bold and in yellow background have won a regular competitive award. Films that are neither highlighted nor in bold are the nominees. When sorted chronologically, the table always lists the winning film first and then the other nominees.