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Baz Luhrmann's Elvis and Mystery Road: Origin lead AACTA award nominations

Baz Luhrmann's Elvis biopic leads the charge in the nominations for the Australian Academy of Cinema Television Arts Awards, picking up 15 nominations.

AACTA announced the nominees for this year's awards ceremony, which spans categories across film, television, short film, documentary and digital.

The six film nods also include Leah Purcell's The Drover's Wife, George Miller's Three Thousand Years of Longing, The Stranger, anthology film Here Out West and horror comedy Sissy.

The Drover's Wife, The Legend of Molly Johnson and Three Thousand Years of Longing each have 13 nods.

In the television category, ABC's prequel series Mystery Road: Origin also racked up 15 nominations.

The show is nominated for Best Drama Series and has received five nominations across the four acting Awards, with Mark Coles Smith, Tuuli Narkle, Daniel Henshall, Steve Bisley and Hayley McElhinney vying for a statuette.

Foxtel drama series Love Me and The Twelve have 10 nominations each.

What date is the AACTA?

The awards, held annually in Sydney, will be presented across two ceremonies on Monday, December 5, with the main ceremony, broadcast on Ten, on Wednesday, December 7.

AACTA, formerly the AFI Awards, have honoured screen excellence in Australia since first being held in 1958.

The AACTA list of nominees:  

Film 

AACTA Award for Best Film

  • Elvis
  • Here Out West 
  • Sissy
  • The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson
  • The Stranger
  • Three Thousand Years of Longing

AACTA Award for Best Direction in Film

  • Baz Luhrmann: Elvis
  • Hannah Barlow, Kane Senes: Sissy
  • Leah Purcell: The Drover's Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson
  • Thomas M. Wright: The Stranger
  • George Miller: Three Thousand Years of Longing

AACTA Award for Best Indie Film

  • A Stitch In Time
  • Akoni
  • Darklands
  • Lonesome
  • Pieces
  • Smoke Between Trees

AACTA Award for Best Lead Actress in Film

  • Aisha Dee (Sissy)
  • Leah Purcell (The Drover's Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson)
  • Julia Savage (Blaze)
  • Tilda Swinton (Three Thousand Years of Longing)
  • Jackie van Beek (Nude Tuesday)

AACTA Award for Best Lead Actor in Film

  • Austin Butler (Elvis)
  • Rob Collins (The Drover's Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson)
  • Joel Edgerton (The Stranger)
  • Idris Elba (Three Thousand Years of Longing)
  • Damon Herriman (Nude Tuesday)

AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actress in Film

  • Jada Alberts (The Stranger)
  • Jessica De Gouw (The Drover's Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson)
  • Olivia DeJonge (Elvis)
  • Joanna Lumley (Falling For Figaro)
  • Yael Stone (Blaze)

AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actor in Film

  • Simon Baker (Blaze)
  • Jemaine Clement (Nude Tuesday)
  • Malachi Dower-Roberts (The Drover's Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson)
  • Tom Hanks (Elvis)
  • Sean Harris (The Stranger)

AACTA Award for Best Screenplay in Film

  • Elvis
  • Nude Tuesday
  • The Drover's Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson
  • The Stranger
  • Three Thousand Years of Longing

Television

AACTA Award for Best Drama Series

  • Bump (Stan)
  • Heartbreak High ( Netflix)
  • Love Me (Binge, Foxtel)
  • Mystery Road: Origin (ABC)
  • The Tourist (Stan)
  • Wolf Like Me (Stan)

AACTA Award for Best Miniseries

  • Barons (ABC)
  • Savage River (ABC)
  • The Twelve (Binge, Foxtel)
  • True Colours (SBS)
  • Underbelly: Vanishing Act (Nine Network)

AACTA Award for Best Lead Actress in a Drama

  • Isla Fisher (Wolf Like Me)
  • Claudia Karvan (Bump)
  • Kate Mulvany (The Twelve)
  • Tuuli Narkle (Mystery Road: Origin)
  • Bojana Novakovic (Love Me)

AACTA Award for Best Lead Actor in a Drama 

  • Mark Coles Smith (Mystery Road: Origin)
  • Jamie Dornan (The Tourist)
  • James Majoos (Heartbreak High)
  • Sam Neill (The Twelve)
  • Hugo Weaving (Love Me)

AACTA Award for Best Comedy Program

  • Aftertaste (ABC)
  • Five Bedrooms ( Network 10, Paramount+)
  • Hard Quiz (ABC)
  • Shaun Micallef's Mad as Hell (ABC)
  • Spicks and Specks (ABC)
  • Summer Love (ABC)

AACTA Award for Best Entertainment Program

  • Eurovision — Australia Decides — Gold Coast 2022 (SBS)
  • LEGO® Masters Australia (Nine Network)
  • Mastermind (SBS)
  • RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under (Stan)
  • The Dog House Australia (Network 10)
  • The Voice Australia (Seven Network)

AACTA Award for Best Factual Entertainment Program

  • Back Roads (ABC)
  • Gogglebox Australia (Network 10)
  • Muster Dogs (ABC)
  • Old People's Home for Teenagers (ABC)
  • Who Do You Think You Are? (SBS)
  • You Can't Ask That (ABC)

AACTA Award for Best Lifestyle Program

  • Gardening Australia (ABC)
  • Grand Designs Australia (Foxtel)
  • Selling Houses Australia (Foxtel)
  • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw (SBS)
  • The Great Australian Bake Off (Foxtel)
  • The Living Room (Network 10)

AACTA Award for Best Reality Program

  • Amazing Race Australia (Network 10)
  • Australian Survivor: Blood V Water (Network 10)
  • I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! (Network 10)
  • Luxe Listings Sydney (Amazon Prime Video)
  • MasterChef Australia (Network 10)
  • The Bridge (Paramount+)

AACTA Award for Best Documentary or Factual Program

  • Books That Made Us (ABC)
  • Burning (Amazon Prime Video)
  • Fearless: The Inside Story Of The AFLW ( Disney+)
  • Miriam Margolyes: Australia Unmasked (ABC)
  • People's Republic of Mallacoota (ABC)
  • The Family Court Murders (ABC)

AACTA Award for Best Children's Program

  • Bluey (ABC)
  • First Day (ABC)
  • Little J & Big Cuz (ABC, NITV, SBS)
  • MaveriX (ABC, Netflix)
  • Rock Island Mysteries (Network 10)
  • The PM's Daughter (ABC)

AACTA Award for Best Stand-Up Special

  • Geraldine Hickey: What A Surprise (Paramount+)
  • Ronny Chieng: Speakeasy (Netflix)
  • The Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2022 Gala Supported by Oxfam (ABC)
  • The Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2022 Opening Night Comedy AllStars Show (ABC)
  • Tom Ballard: Enough (Paramount+)
  • Tommy Little: I’ll See Myself Out (Amazon Prime Video)

AACTA Award for Best Comedy Performer

  • Wayne Blair (Aftertaste)
  • Patrick Brammall (Summer Love)
  • Harriet Dyer (Summer Love)
  • Tom Gleeson (Hard Quiz)
  • Charlie Pickering (The Weekly with Charlie Pickering)
  • Doris Younane (Five Bedrooms)

AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama

  • Hayley McElhinney (Mystery Road: Origin)
  • Jacqueline McKenzie (Savage River)
  • Heather Mitchell (Love Me)
  • Brooke Satchwell (The Twelve)
  • Magda Szubanski (After the Verdict)

AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama

  • Steve Bisley (Mystery Road: Origin)
  • Brendan Cowell (The Twelve)
  • Daniel Henshall (Mystery Road: Origin)
  • Damon Herriman (The Tourist)
  • Thomas Weatherall (Heartbreak High)

AACTA Award for Best Direction in Drama or Comedy

  • Bump — Episode 1: Geoff Bennett
  • Heartbreak High — Episode 1: Gracie Otto
  • Love Me — Episode 4: Emma Freeman
  • Mystery Road: Origin — Episode 3: Dylan River
  • The Twelve — Episode 9: Daniel Nettheim

AACTA Award for Best Screenplay in Television

  • Heartbreak High — Episode 1: Hannah Carroll Chapman
  • Love Me — Episode 4: Adele Vuko
  • Mystery Road: Origin — Episode 3: Timothy Lee, Dylan River
  • Mystery Road: Origin — Episode 6: Dylan River, Blake Ayshford
  • The Twelve — Episode 10: Sarah Walker

AACTA Award for Best Direction in Nonfiction Television

  • Books That Made Us — Episode 1: Sally Aitken
  • Fearless: The Inside Story Of The AFLW — Episode 1: Michael Venables
  • Miriam Margolyes: Australia Unmasked — Episode 1: Helen Barrow
  • Who Do You Think You Are? — Episode 4: Tinzar Lwyn
  • You Can't Ask That — Episode 1: Kirk Docker

Best Short Film

  • Finding Jedda (Tanith Glynn-Maloney)
  • Giants (Eddy Bell, Luke Mulquiney, Nonny Klaile)
  • Hatchback (Riley Sugars, Chloe Graham, Anthony Littlechild, John Grosland)
  • The Moths Will Eat Them Up (Luisa Martiri, Tanya Modini)
  • Stonefish (Megan Smart, Nonny Klaile, George Pullar)
  • Voice Activated (Liam Heyen, Yingna Lu, Steve Anthopoulos)

AACTA Award for Best Documentary

  • Ablaze (Alec Morgan (Dir.), Tiriki Onus (Dir.), Tom Zubrycki)
  • Clean (Lachlan McLeod (Dir.), David Elliot-Jones, Charlotte Wheaton)
  • Everybody's Oma (Jason van Genderen (Dir.), Roslyn Walker, Olivia Olley)
  • Franklin (Kasimir Burgess (Dir.), Christopher Kamen)
  • Ithaka (Ben Lawrence (Dir.), Gabriel Shipton, Adrian Devant)
  • River (Jennifer Peedom (Dir.), Joseph Nizeti (Dir.), Jo-anne McGowan, John Smithson)
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