Sweet Country and Boy Erased among big winners at AACTA Awards

Western drama Sweet Country dominated the 2018 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards on Wednesday (05Dec18) as Nicole Kidman and Joel Edgerton were also honoured for Boy Erased.
Australian moviemaker Warwick Thornton landed the coveted Best Film and Best Director prizes for Sweet Country, which is set in the 1920s and follows the story of an Aboriginal man who goes on the run after fatally shooting a white adversary in self-defence.
Its star, Hamilton Morris, was the surprise winner for the Best Actor accolade, beating competitors including Lucas Hedges from Boy Erased, while the film also earned Thornton and his crew awards for Best Cinematography, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing, taking its total tally to six honours.
Kidman triumphed in the Best Supporting Actress category for playing a religious woman who forces her homosexual son, portrayed by Hedges, to undergo gay conversion therapy, securing the title for the second year in a row following her 2017 win for Lion.
Meanwhile, Edgerton, who co-starred and directed Boy Erased, picked up the Best Adapted Screenplay gong.
Best Actress went to 17-year-old Angourie Rice for her role in Bruce Beresford’s comedy/drama Ladies in Black, and Mentalist star Simon Baker was named Best Supporting Actor for his performance in surfing drama Breath.
In the TV categories, Mystery Road was declared Best Drama Series, while Deborah Mailman and Wayne Blair landed supporting actor honours, and small screen movie Riot won Best Telefeature or Miniseries, Best Lead Actor for Damon Herriman, and Best Lead Actress for Kate Box.
The AACTA Awards, which celebrates the best in film and TV Down Under, took place during a ceremony in Sydney on Wednesday night (05Dec18).