AACTA Award for Best Cinematography

AACTA Award for Best Cinematography
AACTA Award for Best Cinematography
Country	Australia
Presented by	Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA)
First award	1976
Currently held by	Simon Duggan, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)
Website	http://www.aacta.org

The AACTA Award for Best Cinematography 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."^[1] The award is presented at the annual AACTA Awards, which hand out accolades for achievements in feature film, television, documentaries and short films.^[2] From 1976 to 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).^[3] 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 Cinematography.^[3]

Best Cinematography was first presented in 1976 Australian Film Institute Awards with the winner being chosen by the Australian Cinematographers Society (ACS). The award is presented to the cinematographer of a film that is Australian-made, or with a significant amount of Australian content. Russell Boyd, Simon Duggan, Peter James, Donald McAlpine and Geoffrey Simpson have won the award three times each, more than any other cinematographer. Boyd has received the most nominations with nine.

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.^[A] The films and cinematographers in bold and in yellow background have won are the winners. Those 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.^[4]^[5]

Contents
AFI Awards (1976-2010) AACTA Awards (2011-present) 1970s • 1980s • 1990s • 2000s • 2010s

Winner

Year	Film	Cinematographer(s)
AFI Awards
1970s
1976 (18th)
	The Devil's Playground	Ian Baker
	Illuminations	Brian Gracey, Paul Cox
	Picnic at Hanging Rock	Russell Boyd
	Polly Me Love	David Gribble
1977 (19th)
	Break of Day	Russell Boyd
	Raw Deal	Vincent Monton
	Storm Boy	Geoff Burton
	Summer of Secrets	Russell Boyd
1978 (20th)
	The Last Wave	Russell Boyd
	The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith	Ian Baker
	The Mango Tree	Brian Probyn
	Newsfront	Vincent Monton
1979 (21st)
	My Brilliant Career	Donald McAlpine
	In Search of Anna	Michael Edols
	Mad Max	David Eggby
	Snapshot	Vincent Monton
1980s
1980 (22nd)
	Breaker Morant	Donald McAlpine
	The Chain Reaction	Russell Boyd
	Manganinnie	Gary Hansen
	Stir	Geoff Burton
1981 (23rd)
	Gallipoli	Russell Boyd
	The Club	Donald McAlpine
	Roadgames	Vincent Monton
	The Survivor	John Seale
1982 (24th)
	We of the Never Never	Gary Hansen
	Mad Max 2	Dean Semler
	The Man from Snowy River	Keith Wagstaff
	Monkey Grip	David Gribble
1983 (25th)
	Careful, He Might Hear You	John Seale
	Man of Flowers	Yuri Sokol
	Undercover	Dean Semler
	The Year of Living Dangerously	Russell Boyd
1984 (26th)
	Razorback	Dean Semler
	My First Wife	Yuri Sokol
	Silver City	Andrew de Groot
	Strikebound	John Seale
1985 (27th)
	Rebel	Peter James
	Bliss	Paul Murphy
	The Coca-Cola Kid	Dean Semler
	Wrong World	Ray Argall
1986 (28th)
	The Right-Hand Man	Peter James
	Burke & Wills	Russell Boyd
	The Fringe Dwellers	Donald McAlpine
	Young Einstein	Jeff Darling
1987 (29th)
	Ground Zero	Steve Dobson
	Belinda	Malcolm McCulloch
	The Umbrella Woman	James Bartle
	Warm Nights on a Slow Moving Train	Yuri Sokol
1988 (30th)
	The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey	Geoffrey Simpson
	Boulevard of Broken Dreams	David Connell
	Grievous Bodily Harm	Ellery Ryan
	The Lighthorsemen	Dean Semler
1989 (31st)
	Dead Calm	Dean Semler
	Emerald City	Paul Murphy
	Georgia	Ben Lewin
	Sweetie	Sally Bongers
1990s
1990 (32nd)
	The Crossing	Jeff Darling
	Blood Oath	Russell Boyd
	Flirting	Geoff Burton
	Golden Braid	Nino Gaetano Martinetti
1991 (33rd)
	Spotswood	Ellery Ryan
	Aya	Geoff Burton
	Death in Brunswick	Ellery Ryan
	Dingo	Denis Lenoir
1992 (34th)
	Black Robe	Peter James
	Hammers Over the Anvil	James Bartle
	The Last Days of Chez Nous	Geoffrey Simpson
	Strictly Ballroom	Steve Mason
1993 (35th)
	The Piano	Stuart Dryburgh
	Broken Highway	Steve Mason
	Map of the Human Heart	Eduardo Serra
	No Worries	Stephen F. Windon
	On My Own	Vic Sarin
1994 (36th)
	Exile	Nino Gaetano Martinetti
	The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert	Brian J. Breheny
	Bad Boy Bubby	Ian Jones
	Country Life	Stephen F. Windon
1995 (37th)
	Angel Baby	Ellery Ryan
	Epsilon	Tony Clarke
	Mushrooms	Louis Irving
	That Eye, the Sky	Ellery Ryan
1996 (38th)
	Shine	Geoffrey Simpson
	Children of the Revolution	Martin McGrath
	Mr. Reliable	David Parker
	What I Have Written	Dion Beebe
1997 (39th)
	Doing Time for Patsy Cline	Andrew Lesnie
	Blackrock	Martin McGrath
	Kiss or Kill	Malcolm McCulloch
	The Well	Mandy Walker
1998 (40th)
	Oscar and Lucinda	Geoffrey Simpson
	The Boys	Tristan Milani
	In the Winter Dark	Martin McGrath
	The Interview	Simon Duggan
1999 (41st)
	Passion	Martin McGrath
	In a Savage Land	Danny Ruhlmann
	Praise	Dion Beebe
	Two Hands	Malcolm McCulloch
2000s
2000 (42nd)
	Bootmen	Steve Mason
	15 Amore	John Brock
	Chopper	Geoffrey Hall, Kevin Hayward
	Looking for Alibrandi	Toby Oliver
2001 (43rd)
	Moulin Rouge!	Donald McAlpine
	The Bank	Tristan Milani
	La Spagnola	Steve Arnold
	Yolngu Boy	Brad Shield
2002 (44th)
	Beneath Clouds	Allan Collins
	Dirty Deeds	Geoffrey Hall
	Rabbit-Proof Fence	Christopher Doyle
	The Tracker	Ian Jones
2003 (45th)
	Japanese Story	Ian Baker
	Gettin' Square	Garry Phillips
	Ned Kelly	Oliver Stapleton
	Travelling Light	Tristan Milani
2004 (46th)
	Somersault	Robert Humphreys
	Love's Brother	Andrew Lesnie
	One Perfect Day	Gary Ravenscroft
	Tom White	Toby Oliver
2005 (47th)
	The Proposition	Benoît Delhomme
	Little Fish	Danny Ruhlmann
	Oyster Farmer	Alun Bollinger
	Wolf Creek	Will Gibson
2006 (48th)
	Ten Canoes	Ian Jones
	Jindabyne	David Williamson
	Macbeth	Will Gibson
	Suburban Mayhem	Robert Humphreys
2007 (49th)
	The Home Song Stories	Nigel Bluck
	Clubland	Mark Wareham
	Noise	Laszlo Baranyai
	Romulus, My Father	Geoffrey Simpson
2008 (50th)
	Unfinished Sky	Robert Humphreys
	The Black Balloon	Denson Baker
	Death Defying Acts	Haris Zambarloukos
	The Tender Hook	Geoffrey Simpson
2009 (51st)
	Samson and Delilah	Warwick Thornton
	Balibo	Tristan Milani
	Beautiful Kate	Andrew Commis
	Last Ride	Greig Fraser
2010s
2010 (52nd)
	Bright Star	Greig Fraser
	Animal Kingdom	Adam Arkapaw
	Beneath Hill 60	Toby Oliver
	The Waiting City	Denson Baker
AACTA Awards
2011 (1st)
	The Hunter	Robert Humphreys
	Red Dog	Geoffrey Hall
	Sleeping Beauty	Geoffrey Simpson
	Snowtown	Adam Arkapaw
2012 (2nd)
	The Sapphires	Warwick Thornton
	Burning Man	Garry Phillips
	Lore	Adam Arkapaw
	Wish You Were Here	Jules O'Loughlin
2013 (3rd)
	The Great Gatsby	Simon Duggan
	Drift	Geoffrey Hall, Rick Rifici, Rick Jakovich
	Goddess	Damian E. Wyvill
	The Rocket	Andrew Commis
2014 (4th)
	Predestination	Ben Nott
	Fell	Marden Dean
	The Railway Man	Gary Phillips
	Tracks	Mandy Walker
2015 (5th)
	Mad Max: Fury Road	John Seale
	The Dressmaker	Donald M. McAlpine
	Last Cab to Darwin	Steve Arnold
	Oddball	Damian Wyvill
2016 (6th)
	Hacksaw Ridge	Simon Duggan
	Girl Asleep	Andrew Commis
	Spear	Bonnie Elliott
	Tanna	Bentley Dean
2017 (7th)
	Lion	Greig Fraser
	Hounds of Love	Michael McDermott
	Jungle	Stefan Duscio
	Red Dog: True Blue	Geoffrey Hall
2018 (8th)
	Sweet Country	Warwick Thornton
	Breath	Marden Dean, Rick Rifici
	Ladies in Black	Peter James
	West of Sunshine	Thom Neal
2019 (9th)
	The King	Adam Arkapaw
	Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan	Ben Nott
	Hotel Mumbai	Nick Remy Matthews
	The Nightingale	Radek Ladczuk
2020 (10th)
	The Invisible Man	Stefan Duscio
	Babyteeth	Andrew Commis
	Bloody Hell	Brad Shield
	Escape from Pretoria	Geoffrey Hall
	H is for Happiness	Bonnie Elliott
2021 (11th)
	The Dry	Stefan Duscio
	High Ground	Andrew Commis
	Mortal Kombat	Germain McMicking
	Nitram	Germain McMicking
	Penguin Bloom	Sam Chiplin
2022 (12th)
	Elvis	Mandy Walker
	Blaze	Jeremy Rouse
	The Drover's Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson	Mark Wareham
	The Stranger	Sam Chiplin
	Three Thousand Years of Longing	John Seale
2023 (13th)
	The New Boy	Warwick Thornton
	Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism	Carl Allison
	Shayda	Sherwin Akbarzadeh
	Sweet As	Katie Milwright
	Talk to Me	Aaron McLisky
2024 (14th)
	Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga	Simon Duggan
	Better Man	Erik Wilson, Matt Toll, Ashley Wallen
	Force of Nature: The Dry 2	Andrew Commis
	Late Night with the Devil	Matthew Temple
	Memoir of a Snail	Gerald Thompson

Notes

A^ : From 1958-2010, the awards were held during the year of the films release. However, the first AACTA Awards were held in 2012 for films released in 2011.^[6]^[7]

References

^ "AACTA – The Academy". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Archived from the original on 24 June 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
^ "AACTA – The Academy – The Awards". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 3 June 2012.
^ ^a ^b "AACTA – The Academy – Background". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 3 June 2012.
^ "AFI/AACTA - Winners & Nominees". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 4 June 2012. Note: User must select years listed on page to view winners of that decade/year.
^
Additional winners and nominees references:
- French, Lisa; Poole, Mark (2009). Shining a Light: 50 Years of the Australian Film Institute. Australian Teachers of Media. p. 165. ISBN 978-1-876467-20-3.
- French, Lisa; Poole, Mark (2009). Shining a Light: 50 Years of the Australian Film Institute. Australian Teachers of Media. p. 166. ISBN 978-1-876467-20-3.
- French, Lisa; Poole, Mark (2009). Shining a Light: 50 Years of the Australian Film Institute. Australian Teachers of Media. p. 167. ISBN 978-1-876467-20-3.
- French, Lisa; Poole, Mark (2009). Shining a Light: 50 Years of the Australian Film Institute. Australian Teachers of Media. p. 168. ISBN 978-1-876467-20-3.
^ "AACTA - Past Winners - 1970-1979 - 1974-1975". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 3 June 2012.
^ Bodey, Michael (8 November 2011). "Industry academy announces new awards". The Australian. News Limited (News Corporation). Retrieved 5 June 2012.

External links

Official website of the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts

[1] "AACTA – The Academy". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Archived from the original on 24 June 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2012.

[2] "AACTA – The Academy – The Awards". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 3 June 2012.

[background-3] "AACTA – The Academy – Background". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 3 June 2012.

[Winners-4] "AFI/AACTA - Winners & Nominees". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 4 June 2012. Note: User must select years listed on page to view winners of that decade/year.

[Extra-5] Additional winners and nominees references:
French, Lisa; Poole, Mark (2009). Shining a Light: 50 Years of the Australian Film Institute. Australian Teachers of Media. p. 165. ISBN 978-1-876467-20-3.

French, Lisa; Poole, Mark (2009). Shining a Light: 50 Years of the Australian Film Institute. Australian Teachers of Media. p. 166. ISBN 978-1-876467-20-3.

French, Lisa; Poole, Mark (2009). Shining a Light: 50 Years of the Australian Film Institute. Australian Teachers of Media. p. 167. ISBN 978-1-876467-20-3.

French, Lisa; Poole, Mark (2009). Shining a Light: 50 Years of the Australian Film Institute. Australian Teachers of Media. p. 168. ISBN 978-1-876467-20-3.

[6] French, Lisa; Poole, Mark (2009). Shining a Light: 50 Years of the Australian Film Institute. Australian Teachers of Media. p. 165. ISBN 978-1-876467-20-3.

[7] French, Lisa; Poole, Mark (2009). Shining a Light: 50 Years of the Australian Film Institute. Australian Teachers of Media. p. 166. ISBN 978-1-876467-20-3.

[8] French, Lisa; Poole, Mark (2009). Shining a Light: 50 Years of the Australian Film Institute. Australian Teachers of Media. p. 167. ISBN 978-1-876467-20-3.

[9] French, Lisa; Poole, Mark (2009). Shining a Light: 50 Years of the Australian Film Institute. Australian Teachers of Media. p. 168. ISBN 978-1-876467-20-3.

[6] "AACTA - Past Winners - 1970-1979 - 1974-1975". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 3 June 2012.

[7] Bodey, Michael (8 November 2011). "Industry academy announces new awards". The Australian. News Limited (News Corporation). Retrieved 5 June 2012.

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Winners and nominees

Further reading

Notes

References

External links