2010 Australian Film Institute Awards
The 2010 Australian Film Institute Awards ceremony, presented by the Australian Film Institute, honoured the best Australian films of 2010 and took place on 11 December 2010 at the Regent Theatre, in Melbourne, Victoria.
The Australian Film Institute announced the nominees competing for awards in forty-eight categories, in feature film, television, short film and documentaries, on 27 October 2010. Animal Kingdom received eighteen nominations, the most of any film in the awards' history. On the awards night, Animal Kingdom picked up the most awards, with ten, including Best Film.
Winners and nominees
The nominees were announced on 27 October 2010, at the Sydney Theatre, in Dawes Point, New South Wales, by actors Jacki Weaver, Cate Blanchett, Gyton Grantley and Alex Dimitriades. Animal Kingdom received the most nominations, with eighteen, becoming the most nominated film in the awards history. Animal Kingdom received the most awards, with ten, including Best Film, and Best Direction and Best Original Screenplay for David Michôd. Other feature film winners were Bright Star with three, Tomorrow, When the War Began, with two awards, and Beneath Hill 60 with one. Some of the award categories in film, television, documentary and short film genres, for sound, editing, cinematography, music and television programs, were presented one day prior to the awards ceremony.| Category | Winners |
| Best Film | Animal Kingdom – Liz Watts |
| Best Film | Beneath Hill 60 – Bill Leimbach |
| Best Film | Bran Nue Dae – Robyn Kershaw and Graeme Isaac |
| Best Film | Bright Star – Jan Chapman and Caroline Hewitt |
| Best Film | The Tree – Sue Taylor and Yaël Fogiel |
| Best Film | Tomorrow, When the War Began – Andrew Mason, Michael Boughen |
| Best Direction | David Michôd – Animal Kingdom |
| Best Direction | Jeremy Hartley Sims – Beneath Hill 60 |
| Best Direction | Jane Campion – Bright Star |
| Best Direction | Julie Bertuccelli – The Tree |
| Best Actor | Ben Mendelsohn – Animal Kingdom as Andrew "Pope" Cody |
| Best Actor | Brendan Cowell – Beneath Hill 60 as Captain Oliver Woodward |
| Best Actor | James Frecheville – Animal Kingdom as Joshua "J" Cody |
| Best Actor | Clive Owen – The Boys Are Back as Joe Warr |
| Best Actress | Jacki Weaver – Animal Kingdom as Janine "Smurf" Cody |
| Best Actress | Abbie Cornish – Bright Star as Fanny Brawne |
| Best Actress | Morgana Davies – The Tree as Simone |
| Best Actress | Charlotte Gainsbourg – The Tree as Dawn |
| Best Supporting Actor | Joel Edgerton – Animal Kingdom as Barry "Baz" Brown |
| Best Supporting Actor | Guy Pearce – Animal Kingdom as Nathan Leckie |
| Best Supporting Actor | Kodi Smit-McPhee – Matching Jack as Finn |
| Best Supporting Actor | Sullivan Stapleton – Animal Kingdom as Craig Cody |
| Best Supporting Actress | Deborah Mailman – Bran Nue Dae as Roxanne |
| Best Supporting Actress | Julia Blake – The Boys Are Back as Barbara |
| Best Supporting Actress | Kerry Fox – Bright Star as Mrs. Frances Brawne |
| Best Supporting Actress | Laura Wheelwright – Animal Kingdom as Nicky Henry |
| Best Young Actor | Harrison Gilbertson – Beneath Hill 60 as Frank Tiffin |
| Best Young Actor | Ashleigh Cummings – Tomorrow, When the War Began as Robyn Mathers |
| Best Young Actor | Morgana Davies – The Tree as Simone |
| Best Young Actor | James Frecheville – Animal Kingdom as Joshua "J" Cody |
| Best Original Screenplay | David Michôd – Animal Kingdom |
| Best Original Screenplay | David Roach – Beneath Hill 60 |
| Best Original Screenplay | Jane Campion – Bright Star |
| Best Original Screenplay | Peter and Michael Spierig – Daybreakers |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Stuart Beattie – Tomorrow, When the War Began |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Reg Cribb, Rachel Perkins and Jimmy Chi – Bran Nue Dae |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Allan Cubitt – The Boys Are Back |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Julie Bertuccelli – The Tree |
| Best Cinematography | Bright Star – Greig Fraser |
| Best Cinematography | Animal Kingdom – Adam Arkapaw |
| Best Cinematography | Beneath Hill 60 – Robyn Kershaw and Toby Oliver |
| Best Cinematography | The Waiting City – Denson Baker |
| Best Editing | Animal Kingdom – Luke Doolan |
| Best Editing | Beneath Hill 60 – Dany Cooper |
| Best Editing | Bright Star – Alexandre de Franceschi |
| Best Editing | Tomorrow, When the War Began – Marcus D'Arcy |
| Best Sound | Tomorrow, When the War Began – Andrew Plain, David Lee, Gethin Creagh and Robert Sullivan |
| Best Sound | Animal Kingdom – Sam Petty, Rob Mackenzie, Philippe Decrausaz, Leah Katz, Brooke Trezise and Richard Pain |
| Best Sound | Beneath Hill 60 – Liam Egan, Alicia Slusarski, Mark Cornish, Tony Murtagh, Robert Sullivan and Mario Vaccaro |
| Best Sound | Bran Nue Dae – Andrew Neil, Steve Burgess, Peter Mills, Mario Vaccaro, Blaire Slater, David Bridie and Scott Montgomery |
| Best Original Music Score | Animal Kingdom – Antony Partos and Sam Petty |
| Best Original Music Score | Beneath Hill 60 – Cezary Skubiszewski |
| Best Original Music Score | Bran Nue Dae – Cezary Skubiszewski, Jimmy Chi, Patrick Duttoo Bin Amat, Garry Gower, Michael Manolis Mavromatis and Stephen Pigram |
| Best Original Music Score | Bright Star – Mark Bradshaw |
| Best Production Design | Bright Star – Janet Patterson |
| Best Production Design | Animal Kingdom – Jo Ford |
| Best Production Design | Beneath Hill 60 – Clayton Jauncey |
| Best Production Design | Tomorrow, When the War Began – Robert Webb, Michelle McGahey, Damien Drew and Bev Dunn |
| Best Costume Design | Bright Star – Janet Patterson |
| Best Costume Design | Animal Kingdom – Cappi Ireland |
| Best Costume Design | Beneath Hill 60 – Ian Sparke and Wendy Cork |
| Best Costume Design | Bran Nue Dae – Margot Wilson |
| Best Visual Effects | Daybreakers – Peter and Michael Spierig, Rangi Sutton, James Rogers and Randy Vellacott |
| Best Visual Effects | The Tree – Dave Morley, Felix Crawshaw, Claudia Lecaros and Tim Walker |
| Best Visual Effects | Tinglewood – Wil Manning |
| Best Visual Effects | Tomorrow, When the War Began – Chris Godfrey, Sigi Eimutis, Dave Morely and Tony Cole |
| Members' Choice Award | Animal Kingdom – Liz Watts |
| Members' Choice Award | Beneath Hill 60 – Bill Leimbach |
| Members' Choice Award | Bran Nue Dae – Robyn Kershaw and Graeme Isaac |
| Members' Choice Award | Bright Star – Jan Chapman and Caroline Hewitt |
| Members' Choice Award | The Tree – Sue Taylor and Yaël Fogiel |
| Members' Choice Award | Tomorrow, When the War Began – Andrew Mason, Michael Boughen |
| Readers' Choice Award | Animal Kingdom – Liz Watts |
| Readers' Choice Award | Bran Nue Dae – Robyn Kershaw and Graeme Isaac |
| Readers' Choice Award | ' – Nick Giannopoulos and Emile Sherman |
| Readers' Choice Award | ' – Zareh Nalbandian |
| Readers' Choice Award | Tomorrow, When the War Began – Andrew Mason, Michael Boughen |
| International Award for Best Actor | Sam Worthington – Avatar as Jake Sully |
| International Award for Best Actor | Simon Baker – The Mentalist, Season 2 as Patrick Jane |
| International Award for Best Actor | Ryan Kwanten – True Blood, Season 3 as Jason Stackhouse |
| International Award for Best Actor | Kodi Smit-McPhee – The Road as Boy |
| International Award for Best Actress | Mia Wasikowska – Alice in Wonderland as Alice Kingsleigh |
| International Award for Best Actress | Toni Collette – United States of Tara, Season 2 as Tara Gregson |
| International Award for Best Actress | Bojana Novakovic – Edge of Darkness as Emma Charlotte Craven |
| International Award for Best Actress | Naomi Watts – Mother and Child as Elizabeth |
| Best Feature Length Documentary | Contact – Martin Butler and Bentley Dean |
| Best Feature Length Documentary | Inside the Firestorm – Lucy Maclaren and Alex West |
| Best Feature Length Documentary | The Snowman – Rachel Landers and Dylan Blowen |
| Best Feature Length Documentary | Strange Birds In Paradise - A West Papuan Story – Jamie Nicolai and John Cherry |
| Best Documentary Under One Hour | You Only Live Twice - The Incredibly True Story Of The Hughes Family – Ruth Cullen |
| Best Documentary Under One Hour | ' – Dave Morley, Felix Crawshaw, Claudia Lecaros and Tim Walker |
| Best Documentary Under One Hour | Rudely Interrupted – Susie Jones and Benjamin Jones |
| Best Documentary Under One Hour | Surviving Mumbai – Andrew Ogilvie and Andrea Quesnelle |
| Best Documentary Series | Liberal Rule - The Politics That Changed Australia – Nick Torrens and Frank Haines |
| Best Documentary Series | Addicted To Money – Andrew Ogilvie and Andrea Quesnelle |
| Best Documentary Series | Disable Bodied Sailors – Karina Holden and Nick Robinson |
| Best Documentary Series | Kokoda – Andrew Wiseman |
| Best Direction in a Documentary | Jacob Hickey – Inside the Firestorm |
| Best Direction in a Documentary | Amanda Chang – ' |
| Best Direction in a Documentary | Martin Butler and Bentley Dean – Contact |
| Best Direction in a Documentary | Charlie Hill-Smith – Strange Birds In Paradise - A West Papuan Story |
| Best Cinematography in a Documentary | Miracles – Toby Oliver for Episode 1: "Miracle in the Storm" |
| Best Cinematography in a Documentary | Disable Bodied Sailors – Nick Robinson for "Episode 3" |
| Best Cinematography in a Documentary | Strange Birds In Paradise - A West Papuan Story – Angus Kemp |
| Best Cinematography in a Documentary | Surviving Mumbai – Jim Frater |
| Best Editing in a Documentary | Inside the Firestorm – Steven Robinson |
| Best Editing in a Documentary | ' – Karin Steininger |
| Best Editing in a Documentary | Contact – Tania Nehme |
| Best Editing in a Documentary | Surviving Mumbai – David Fosdick |
| Best Sound in a Documentary | Inside the Firestorm – Jock Healy, Tristan Meredith and AJ Bradford |
| Best Sound in a Documentary | ' – Brett Aplin, Andrew McGrath, Erin McKimm and Terry Chadwick |
| Best Sound in a Documentary | Kokoda – David Bridie, Chris Goodes, Ian Grant and Patrick Slater for Episode 1: "The Invasion" |
| Best Sound in a Documentary | Strange Birds In Paradise - A West Papuan Story – Mik la Vage, Doron Kipen and David Bridie |
| Best Short Animation | The Lost Thing – Sophie Byrne, Andrew Ruhemann and Shaun Tan |
| Best Short Animation | Zero – Christopher Kezelos and Christine Kezelos |
| Best Short Fiction Film | The Kiss – Sonya Humphrey and Ashlee Page |
| Best Short Fiction Film | Deeper Than Yesterday – Ariel Kleiman, Benjamin Gilovitz, Sarah Cyngler and Anna Kojevnikov |
| Best Short Fiction Film | The Love Song Of Iskra Prufrock – Lucy Gaffy and Lyn Norfor |
| Best Short Fiction Film | Suburbia – Antonio Oreña-Barlin and Richard Halsted |
| Best Screenplay in a Short Film | Ariel Kleiman – Deeper Than Yesterday |
| Best Screenplay in a Short Film | Sarah Shaw and Ian Meadows – A Parachute Falling in Siberia |
| Best Screenplay in a Short Film | Trent Dalton – Glenn Owen Dodds |
| Best Screenplay in a Short Film | Ashlee Page – The Kiss |
Special awards
;Raymond Longford Award- Reg Grundy
- Animal Logic
- The Kiss – Nick Matthews for cinematography