AACTA Awards 2024: Big winners include Talk to Me, The Newsreader, Deadloch and The New Boy

The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) has announced the full list of Award winners, including the AACTA International Awards and public-voted Audience Choice Awards. After another high-quality year of Australian screen content, Talk to Me, The Newsreader, Deadloch and The New Boy walked away as the big winners.

Rebel Wilson graced the red carpet prior to hosting the ceremony held at HOTA (Home of the Arts) on the Gold Coast. She joined Margot Robbie, Ron Howard and Cate Blanchett at the star-studded ceremony as the industry gathered to honour the country’s best and brightest screen talent at the 2024 AACTA Awards presented by Foxtel Group.

Talk to Me is the biggest winner of the night, adding a further three Awards to its collection and taking its total wins to eight, following the AACTA Industry Awards earlier in the week. Arguably the biggest highlights for the production is taking home Best Film and Best Direction in Film, the latter bestowed upon sibling-YouTubers-turned-directors Danny and Michael Philippou.
The Newsreader and Deadloch also succeed with five AACTA Awards each. The Newsreader once again took out Best Drama Series, with the second season adding to its collection of six awards from season one. Comedy duo Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan take home Best Screenplay in Television for penning Deadloch.

In terms of individual accolades, rising star Sophie Wilde wins Best Lead Actress in Film for her performance in Talk to Me, while another young talent Aswan Reid wins Best Lead Actor in Film for his turn in The New Boy. Anna Torv went back-to-back with her second win as Best Lead Actress in a Drama for her role as Helen Norville in The Newsreader. Hugo Weaving successfully added two trophies to his collection. Performances in Love Me and The Rooster secure Weaving awards for Best Lead Actor in a Drama and Best Supporting Actor in Film respectively. Previous AACTA winner Kate Box also scooped a prize for her role in Deadloch, walking away with an award in one of the new categories for 2024: Best Acting in a Comedy.

The AACTA Trailblazer Award highlights the achievements, abilities and success of an Australian screen practitioner who inspires others in the industry. This year, the Trailblazer recipient is none
other than Margot Robbie. Robbie’s career has seen success both in front of the camera and via her production company LuckyChap, where she continues to champion female-driven stories. Her most recent film Barbie smashed box office records and is the biggest film of 2023.

Awards season favourites Barbie, The Bear and Oppenheimer are among the winners of the AACTA International Awards, also presented at the ceremony. Individual international winners included Cillian Murphy, Margot Robbie and Christopher Nolan.

Last year, AACTA announced the inaugural Brian Walsh Award in honour of the late industry tycoon. This year’s recipient is Ngali Shaw, who accepted the honour on stage from virtual presenter Nicole Kidman.

Once again, Australians had the chance to vote on their favourite stars across film, television and digital productions through the AACTA Audience Choice Awards. Having received a record 300,000 votes, the big winners of the night included homegrown talent such as digital creator Kat Clark and her family, Margot Robbie, and media personality Sophie Monk. The Matildas continued their golden run, taking home the award for Australia’s Favourite Sporting moment for their performance at the 2023 Women’s Football World Cup.

Other highlights of the ceremony included honoring the late Cal Wilson who posthumously received the AACTA Award for Best Comedy Performer. Cultural phenomenon Bluey also continued to break records, taking home its fifth award in five years for Best Children’s Programme.

“As we reflect on the remarkable achievements showcased at the 2024 AACTA Awards, we are reminded of the boundless creativity and dedication within Australia’s screen industry,” said AACTA chair Jack Christian. “From captivating performances to ground-breaking productions, the winners have exemplified excellence in storytelling. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all recipients and express our gratitude to our partners for their continued support in celebrating our nation’s rich cinematic and television landscape.”

Amanda Laing, Foxtel Group chief commercial and content officer and BINGE managing director, said: “What an incredible showcase of Australian storytelling and talent we have seen at the AACTA Awards. Stories that have delighted and entertained audiences across the year and that are making waves not only here but around the world. The Foxtel Group is proud to be part of a community that is producing such remarkable work. Congratulations to all the winners.”