AACTA Award for Best Original Screenplay

Best Original Screenplay
AACTA Award
Best Original Screenplay; AACTA Award
Country	Australia
Presented by	Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA)
First awarded	1978
Currently held by	Shaun Grant, Nitram (2021)
Website	www.aacta.org

The AACTA Award for Best Original Screenplay is an award presented by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA), for an Australian screenplay "written directly and originally for the screen".^[1] Prior to the establishment of the Academy in 2011, the award was presented by the Australian Film Institute (AFI) at the annual Australian Film Institute Awards (more commonly known as the AFI Awards).^[2] It was first handed out in 1978 when the award for Best Screenplay (which was first presented at the 1974-75 awards) was split into two categories: Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay. The award has since been presented intermittently from 1978-1979, 1983-1987, 1989, 1993-2006, and then from 2008-present.^[2]

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. The films and screenwriters 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 screenplay first and then the other nominees.^[3]^[4]

Year	Film	Subject
1970s
1978	Newsfront	Bob Ellis, Phillip Noyce
	The Last Wave	Tony Morphett, Petru Popescu, Peter Weir
	Mouth to Mouth	John Duigan
	Patrick	Everett De Roche
1979	In Search of Anna	Esben Storm
	Kostas	Linda Aronson
	Mad Max	James McCausland, George Miller
	Palm Beach	Albie Thoms
1980s
1983	Buddies	John Dingwall
	The Clinic	Greg Millin
	Man of Flowers	Paul Cox, Bob Ellis
	Phar Lap	David Williamson
1984	My First Wife	Paul Cox, Bob Ellis
	Fast Talking	Ken Cameron
	Silver City	Thomas Keneally, Sophia Turkiewicz
	Street Hero	Jan Sardi
1985	Fran	Glenda Hambly
	The Boy Who Had Everything	Stephen Wallace
	A Street to Die	Bill Bennett
	Unfinished Business	Bob Ellis
1986	Malcolm	David Parker
	The More Things Change...	Michael Brindley, Moya Wood
	Short Changed	Bob Merritt
	Young Einstein	David Roach, Yahoo Serious
1987	The Year My Voice Broke	John Duigan
	Belinda	Pamela Gibbons
	Ground Zero	Mac Gudgeon, Jan Sardi
	High Tide	Laura Jones
1989	Sweetie	Jane Campion, Gerard Lee
	Georgia	Mac Gudgeon
	Ghosts… of the Civil Dead	Gene Conkie, Evan English and John Hillcoat
	Island	Paul Cox
1990s
1993	The Piano	Jane Campion
	The Nostradamus Kid	Bob Ellis
	On My Own	Gill Dennis, John Frizzell, Antonio Tibaldi
	This Won't Hurt a Bit	Chris Kennedy
1994	Bad Boy Bubby	Rolf de Heer
	The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert	Stephan Elliott
	Muriel's Wedding	P. J. Hogan
	The Roly Poly Man	Kym Goldsworthy
1995	Angel Baby	Michael Rymer
	All Men Are Liars	Gerard Lee
	Mushrooms	Alan Madden
	Vacant Possession	Margot Nash
1996	Shine	Jan Sardi
	Children of the Revolution	Peter Duncan
	Floating Life	Eddie L. C. Fong and Clara Law
	Love and Other Catastrophes	Helen Bandis, Yael Bergman, Emma-Kate Croghan
1997	The Castle	Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner, Jane Kennedy and Rob Sitch
	Doing Time for Patsy Cline	Chris Kennedy
	Kiss or Kill	Bill Bennett
	Road to Nhill	Alison Tilson
1998	The Interview	Gordon Davie, Craig Monahan
	Amy	David Parker
	Dance Me to My Song	Rolf de Heer, Heather Rose, Frederick Stahl
	Dead Letter Office	Deb Cox
1999	Two Hands	Gregor Jordan
	Siam Sunset	Max Dann and Andrew Knight
	Soft Fruit	Christina Andreef
	Strange Fits of Passion	Elise McCredie
2000s
2000	Russian Doll	Stavros Kazantzidis, Allanah Zitserman
	Better Than Sex	Jonathan Teplitzky
	Me Myself I	Pip Karmel
	My Mother Frank	Mark Lamprell
2001	The Bank	Robert Connolly
	La Spagnola	Anna Maria Monticelli
	Mullet	David Caesar
	Yolngu Boy	Chris Anastassiades
2002	Walking on Water	Roger Monk
	Beneath Clouds	Ivan Sen
	The Man Who Sued God	John Clarke, Don Watson
	The Tracker	Rolf de Heer
2003	Japanese Story	Alison Tilson
	Crackerjack	Mick & Richard Molloy
	Gettin' Square	Chris Nyst
	Travelling Night	Kathryn Millard
2004	Somersault	Cate Shortland
	The Finished People	Khoa Do, Rodney Anderson, Joe Le, Jason McGoldrick
	Love's Brother	Jan Sardi
	Tom White	Daniel Keene
2005	Look Both Ways	Sarah Watt
	Little Fish	Jacquelin Perske
	The Proposition	Nick Cave
	Wolf Creek	Greg McLean
2006	Ten Canoes	Rolf de Heer
	2:37	Murali K. Thalluri
	Kenny	Shane & Clayton Jacobson
	Suburban Mayhem	Alice Bell
2008	The Black Balloon	Elissa Down, Jimmy Jack
	Hey, Hey, It's Esther Blueburger	Cathy Randall
	The Jammed	Dee McLachlan
	The Square	Matthew Dabner, Joel Edgerton
2009	Samson and Delilah	Warwick Thornton
	Cedar Boys	Serhat Caradee
	Mary and Max	Adam Elliot
	My Year Without Sex	Sarah Watt
2010s
2010	Animal Kingdom	David Michôd
	Beneath Hill 60	David Roach
	Bright Star	Jane Campion
	Daybreakers	The Spierig Brothers
AACTA Awards
2011 (1st)	Griff the Invisible	Leon Ford
	The Loved Ones	Sean Byrne
	Mad Bastards	Brendan Fletcher
	Red Hill	Patrick Hughes
2012 (2nd)	Wish You Were Here	Kieran Darcy-Smith, Felicity Price
	Burning Man	Jonathan Teplitzky
	Mental	P. J. Hogan
	Not Suitable for Children	Michael Lucas
2013 (3rd)	The Rocket	Kim Mordaunt
	100 Bloody Acres	Cameron & Colin Cairnes
	Drift	Morgan O'Neill
	Mystery Road	Ivan Sen
2014 (4th)	The Babadook	Jennifer Kent
	52 Tuesdays	Matthew Cormack, Sophie Hyde
	Charlie's Country	David Gulpilil, Rolf de Heer
	The Water Diviner	Andrew Anastasios, Andrew Knight
2015 (5th)	Paper Planes	Robert Connolly, Steve Worland
	Cut Snake	Blake Ayshford
	Kill Me Three Times	James McFarland
	Mad Max: Fury Road	Nico Lathouris, Brendan McCarthy, George Miller
2016 (6th)	Hacksaw Ridge	Andrew Knight, Robert Schenkkan
	Down Under	Abe Forsythe
	Goldstone	Ivan Sen
	Pawno	Damian Hill
2017 (7th)	Ali's Wedding	Andrew Knight, Osamah Sami
	The Butterfly Tree	Priscilla Cameron
	The Death and Life of Otto Bloom	Cris Jones
	Hounds of Love	Ben Young
2018 (8th)
	Sweet Country	Steven McGregor, David Tranter
	1%	Matt Nable
	Brothers' Nest	Jaime Browne
	Upgrade	Leigh Whannell
2020s
2021 (11th)
	Nitram	Shaun Grant
	Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie's Dead Aunt)	Monica Zanetti
	The Furnace	Roderick MacKay
	High Ground	Chris Anastassiades
	June Again	JJ Winlove

References

^ "Rule 5.5 –Special Rules for Screenplays". 2011 AFI Awards Rule Book. Australian Film Institute (AFI). Archived from the original on 8 August 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
^ ^a ^b "AFI Feature Film Award Winners: 1958-2010" (PDF). Australian Film Institute (AFI). 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
^
Winners and nominees by year:
- 1978: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1970-1979 - 1978". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 4 January 2011.
- 1979: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1970-1979 - 1979". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- 1983: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1980-1989 - 1983". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- 1984: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1980-1989 - 1984". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- 1985: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1980-1989 - 1985". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- 1986: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1980-1989 - 1986". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- 1987: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1980-1989 - 1987". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- 1989: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1980-1989 - 1989". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- 1993: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1990-1999 - 1993". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Archived from the original on 27 October 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- 1994: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1990-1999 - 1994". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- 1995: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1990-1999 - 1995". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- 1996: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1990-1999 - 1996". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- 1997: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1990-1999 - 1997". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Archived from the original on 4 January 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- 1998: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1990-1999 - 1998". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- 1999: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1990-1999 - 1999". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- 2000: "AACTA - Past Winners - 2000-2010 - 2000". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- 2001: "AACTA - Past Winners - 2000-2010 - 2001". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- 2002: "AACTA - Past Winners - 2000-2010 - 2002". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- 2003: "AACTA - Past Winners - 2000-2010 - 2003". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- 2004: "AACTA - Past Winners - 2000-2010 - 2004". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- 2005: "AACTA - Past Winners - 2000-2010 - 2005". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- 2006: "AACTA - Past Winners - 2000-2010 - 2006". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- 2007: "AACTA - Past Winners - 2000-2010 - 2007". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- 2008: "AACTA - Past Winners - 2000-2010 - 2008". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- 2009: "AACTA - Past Winners - 2000-2010 - 2009". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- 2010: "AACTA - Past Winners - 2000-2010 - 2010". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- 2011: "AACTA - Winners and Nominees - 2011". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Archived from the original on 11 March 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
^ Additional nominees for 2002 and 2006: French, Lisa; Poole, Mark (2009). Shining a Light: 50 Years of the Australian Film Institute. Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM). p. 175. ISBN 1-876467-20-7.

External links

The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Official website

[1] "Rule 5.5 –Special Rules for Screenplays". 2011 AFI Awards Rule Book. Australian Film Institute (AFI). Archived from the original on 8 August 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2012.

[afipast-2] "AFI Feature Film Award Winners: 1958-2010" (PDF). Australian Film Institute (AFI). 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2012.

[Winners-3] Winners and nominees by year:
1978: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1970-1979 - 1978". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 4 January 2011.

1979: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1970-1979 - 1979". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

1983: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1980-1989 - 1983". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

1984: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1980-1989 - 1984". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

1985: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1980-1989 - 1985". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

1986: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1980-1989 - 1986". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

1987: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1980-1989 - 1987". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

1989: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1980-1989 - 1989". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

1993: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1990-1999 - 1993". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Archived from the original on 27 October 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2011.

1994: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1990-1999 - 1994". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

1995: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1990-1999 - 1995". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

1996: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1990-1999 - 1996". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

1997: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1990-1999 - 1997". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Archived from the original on 4 January 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2011.

1998: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1990-1999 - 1998". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

1999: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1990-1999 - 1999". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

2000: "AACTA - Past Winners - 2000-2010 - 2000". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

2001: "AACTA - Past Winners - 2000-2010 - 2001". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

2002: "AACTA - Past Winners - 2000-2010 - 2002". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

2003: "AACTA - Past Winners - 2000-2010 - 2003". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

2004: "AACTA - Past Winners - 2000-2010 - 2004". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

2005: "AACTA - Past Winners - 2000-2010 - 2005". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

2006: "AACTA - Past Winners - 2000-2010 - 2006". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

2007: "AACTA - Past Winners - 2000-2010 - 2007". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

2008: "AACTA - Past Winners - 2000-2010 - 2008". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

2009: "AACTA - Past Winners - 2000-2010 - 2009". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

2010: "AACTA - Past Winners - 2000-2010 - 2010". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

2011: "AACTA - Winners and Nominees - 2011". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Archived from the original on 11 March 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2011.

[4] 1978: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1970-1979 - 1978". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 4 January 2011.

[5] 1979: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1970-1979 - 1979". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

[6] 1983: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1980-1989 - 1983". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

[7] 1984: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1980-1989 - 1984". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

[8] 1985: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1980-1989 - 1985". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

[9] 1986: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1980-1989 - 1986". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

[10] 1987: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1980-1989 - 1987". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

[11] 1989: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1980-1989 - 1989". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

[12] 1993: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1990-1999 - 1993". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Archived from the original on 27 October 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2011.

[13] 1994: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1990-1999 - 1994". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

[14] 1995: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1990-1999 - 1995". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

[15] 1996: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1990-1999 - 1996". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

[16] 1997: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1990-1999 - 1997". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Archived from the original on 4 January 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2011.

[17] 1998: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1990-1999 - 1998". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

[18] 1999: "AACTA - Past Winners - 1990-1999 - 1999". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

[19] 2000: "AACTA - Past Winners - 2000-2010 - 2000". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

[20] 2001: "AACTA - Past Winners - 2000-2010 - 2001". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

[21] 2002: "AACTA - Past Winners - 2000-2010 - 2002". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

[22] 2003: "AACTA - Past Winners - 2000-2010 - 2003". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

[23] 2004: "AACTA - Past Winners - 2000-2010 - 2004". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

[24] 2005: "AACTA - Past Winners - 2000-2010 - 2005". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

[25] 2006: "AACTA - Past Winners - 2000-2010 - 2006". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

[26] 2007: "AACTA - Past Winners - 2000-2010 - 2007". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

[27] 2008: "AACTA - Past Winners - 2000-2010 - 2008". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

[28] 2009: "AACTA - Past Winners - 2000-2010 - 2009". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

[29] 2010: "AACTA - Past Winners - 2000-2010 - 2010". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Retrieved 7 January 2011.

[30] 2011: "AACTA - Winners and Nominees - 2011". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Archived from the original on 11 March 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2011.

[Extra-4] Additional nominees for 2002 and 2006: French, Lisa; Poole, Mark (2009). Shining a Light: 50 Years of the Australian Film Institute. Australian Teachers of Media (ATOM). p. 175. ISBN 1-876467-20-7.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

AACTA Award for Best Original Screenplay

Winners and nominees

See also

References

External links