Another great night at the Paddington RSL for the Film Critics Circle of Australia (FCCA) annual awards, Tuesday March 11.
MC Rod Quinn presided over a very relaxed ceremony where a meat tray as a prize would not have been out of place.
First recipient of the night for best performance by a young actor went to star of THE ROCKET, Sitthiphon Disamoe. The win by the diminutive dynamo, who was there to collect his gong, augured well for the picture in general.
No surprises when Catherine Martin’s name was read as winner of Best Production Design on THE GREAT GATSBY, and the film then steamrolled ahead picking up Best Editing and Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Joel Edgerton, in a tie with Hugo Weaving for THE TURNING..
Joel pipped Tony Barry for the award but Tony was honoured for his body of work in a career spanning nearly forty years. A splendid sample of his work was screened and the man himself, minus a leg lost to melanoma, was there to accept.
A standing ovation earned the audience a marvelous speech with a sobering anecdote from the shoot of WE OF THE NEVER NEVER.
THE GREAT GATSBY added to its swag with a win to cinematographer Simon Duggan but then there was a swing away from the Baz bandwagon.
Screenplay went to Frank Cottrell Boyce and Andy Paterson for THE RAILWAY MAN, Best Music Score went to Caitlin Yeo for THE ROCKET, and Best Actress to Naomi Watts for ADORATION.
Then MYSTERY ROAD made a run for the finishing post with wins for director Ivan Sen and lead actor Aaron Pedersen and Best Film, an honour shared with THE ROCKET, the second tie of the evening.
The triptych expose of ASIO’s blemished past, PERSONS OF INTEREST, was judged Best Documentary.
Tony Barry was called upon to present a number of the awards and was joined by fellow Mystery Roader, David Field, to give their director Ivan Sen his trophy.
In Sen’s acceptance speech he praised his producer David Jowsey and whetted the audience’s appetite with the prospect of a plethora of proposed joint projects even past the foreseeable future.
Kudos to Adrienne McKibbins, FCCA Administrator and Awards Manager for another highly enjoyable, wonderfully informal celebration of Australian film. A tracky daks to a tuxedo laydown over the Oscars!