AACTA Awards: Mel Gibson wins Best Direction for Hacksaw Ridge
Updated
Mel Gibson has won best direction for his World War II drama Hacksaw Ridge, which swept the big prizes at the AACTA Awards.
The night's big winners
- Best director: Mel Gibson
- Best film: Hacksaw Ridge
- Best Actor: Andrew Garfield for Hacksaw Ridge
- Best Actress: Odessa Young for The Daughter
- Best Supporting Actor: Hugo Weaving for Hacksaw Ridge
- Best Supporting Actress: Miranda Otto for The Daughter
In an emotional speech, Gibson said he needed to thank Australia for making Hacksaw Ridge, shot in New South Wales, which also picked up best film, best screenplay and two actor awards.
"All the way up and down it's a homegrown film," Gibson told the audience at the ceremony in Sydney.
Andrew Garfield won the award for best lead actor, while Hacksaw Ridge cast-mate Hugo Weaving won best supporting actor.
Gibson said the cast and crew were of such a high calibre that he was not the only director who wanted to make films here, name checking Alien director Ridley Scott as another.
"I'm really honoured and choked up I can't even talk," he said.
The film, nominated for 13 awards, picked up five on the night, bringing its AACTA tally to nine after its previous industry wins.
But the film's lead actress Teresa Palmer missed out on the gong which went to 18-year-old star of The Daughter, Odessa Young, who admitted it was her first awards ceremony.
-
Photo:
Isla Fisher with husband Sasha Baron Cohen at the AACTA Awards in Sydney, on December 7, 2016. (ABC News: Adam Wyatt)
-
Photo:
Mel Gibson at the AACTA Awards in Sydney, where his directorial return Hacksaw Ridge was recognised, on December 7, 2016. (ABC News: Adam Wyatt)
-
Photo:
Jessica Mauboy at the AACTA Awards on December 7, 2016. (ABC News: Adam Wyatt)
-
Photo:
Paul Hogan has been named as the recipient of the highest Australian screen honour, the Longford Lyell Award, which he will accept at the AACTA Awards ceremony on December 7, 2016. (ABC News: Adam Wyatt)
-
Photo:
Phoenix the cattle dog — known for it's starring role in upcoming film Red Dog: True Blue — on the red carpet of the AACTA awards on December 7, 2016. (ABC News: Adam Wyatt)
-
Photo:
Geoffrey Rush on the AACTA Awards red carpet in Sydney, on December 7, 2016. (ABC News: Adam Wyatt)
-
Photo:
Boy George at the AACTA Awards on December 7, 2016. He will perform with '80s pop band Culture Club. (ABC News: Adam Wyatt)
Paul Hogan was earlier awarded one of the night's highest honours — the Longford Lyell Award — for outstanding contribution to the Australian screen.
The Crocodile Dundee star told the media on Tuesday that he felt it was "mystifying" to receive the honour and was awe-struck to be introduced by Oscar-winner Geoffrey Rush.
"He's (Rush) an actor. I only play one character. I'm a huge one-hit wonder," Hogan told reporters in Sydney on Tuesday.
"Crocodile Dundee started out as a sketch it was going to be Hoges in New York and it just sort of grew from there, a fluke.
"I think it (Crocodile Dundee) went number one in every country, I'm not sure about Nicaragua but it went number one everywhere else and it was the first independent movie to ever go number one right around the world.
"I was Mr Australia there for a while."
Cate Blanchett was last year's recipient of the award, and previous winners include Geoffrey Rush, Jack Thompson and director Peter Weir.
Australian actress Isla Fisher, known for roles in Wedding Crashers and Now You See Me, collected the Trailblazer Award first presented in 2014.
"It's such an honour. I feel like not that long ago I was holding a hamburger phone to my ear in the Summer Bay diner and now I'm here on the red carpet beside such accomplished actors as Geoffrey Rush and Paul Hogan so it's phenomenal," she said.
Jessica Mauboy opened the awards ceremony with a doo-wop version of Soft Cell's Tainted Love and British pop legends Culture Club performed a medley of hits.
But it was Dami Im's piano duet with a scene from the 20-year-old movie Shine that stole the show.
The Eurovision star did not sing and instead played Rimsky-Korsakov's Flight of the Bumblebee behind a sheet of rain, in a duet with scenes of actor Geoffrey Rush playing the same piece in the film.
In TV, Wentworth took home the award for Best Television Drama Series while Best Telefeature or Mini Series went to The Kettering Incident.
AAP/ABC
Topics: film-movies, awards-and-prizes, arts-and-entertainment, sydney-2000, australia, nsw
First posted
