Overview
First, Trent Dalton's Brisbane-set Boy Swallows Universe earned love on the page. Then, it became a stage hit. Next, it wowed audiences as a streaming miniseries — and from 22 nominations, now that show is a 12-time AACTA winner. Across two ceremonies on Wednesday, February 5, 2025 and Friday, February 7, 2025, the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts crowned its picks of the past year. Among its accolades, Boy Swallows Universe picked up Best Miniseries, Best Screenplay in Television, and every TV acting gong it could, with Felix Cameron, Phoebe Tonkin, Lee Tiger Halley and Deborah Mailman all collecting trophies.
The AACTAs award both small- and big-screen excellence, with more multiple winners coming from the cinema side of the ceremony. After making history with 16 nominations, the most of any movie ever, unconventional Robbie Williams biopic Better Man — which portrays the British singer as a chimpanzee — nabbed nine prizes. Among them: Best Film, Best Lead Actor for Jonno Davies and Best Director for Michael Gracey.
From 15 nominations, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga went home with five awards — with George Miller's fifth film in the iconic dystopian franchise rewarded for its cinematography, costume design, hair and makeup, production design and sound. Adam Elliot's gorgeous and heartfelt (and Oscar-nominated) Memoir of a Snail earned two awards, both for its voice acting, for Sarah Snook and Jacki Weaver.
Other titles to emerge victorious include Best Drama and Best Soundtrack recipient Heartbreak High; music-to-screen production How to Make Gravy, which aptly earned the Best Original Song prize; Birdeater, anointed Best Indie Film; TV's Fisk, winning for Best Narrative Comedy Series and Best Acting in a Comedy for Kitty Flanagan; Bluey, taking home Best Children's Program and Best Original Score in Television; and Hard Quiz for Best Comedy Entertainment Program and Best Comedy Performer for Tom Gleeson.
Also, Otto by Otto won Best Documentary, Anne Edmonds: Why Is My Bag All Wet? collected Best Stand-Up Special and Ladies in Black was awarded Best Costume Design in Television — and the list of winners goes on, spanning Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line, Mozart's Sister, The Musical Mind: A Portrait in Process, Spicks and Specks, Muster Dogs, Miriam Margolyes Impossibly Australian, Grand Designs Australia and MasterChef Australia as well.
As always, not everything deserving of love went home with a trophy — but that doesn't mean that Thou Shalt Not Steal, Colin From Accounts and The Artful Dodger, or Audrey, High Country, Christmess, You'll Never Find Me or Territory aren't all great.
Here's everything that won — and was nominated:
2025 AACTA Award Winners and Nominees
Film Awards
Best Film
Better Man — WINNER
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
How to Make Gravy
Late Night with the Devil
Memoir of a Snail
Runt
Best Indie Film
Before Dawn
Birdeater — WINNER
Christmess
Just a Farmer
The Emu War
You'll Never Find Me
Best Direction in Film
Better Man, Michael Gracey — WINNER
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, George Miller
How to Make Gravy, Nick Waterman
Late Night with the Devil, Colin Cairnes, Cameron Cairnes
Memoir of a Snail, Adam Elliot
Best Lead Actress in Film
Laura Gordon, Late Night with the Devil
Sarah Snook, Memoir of a Snail — WINNER
Jackie van Beek, Audrey
Anya Taylor-Joy, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Anna Torv, Force of Nature: The Dry 2
Phoebe Tonkin, Kid Snow
Best Lead Actor in Film
Eric Bana, Force of Nature: The Dry 2
David Dastmalchian, Late Night with the Devil
Jonno Davies, Better Man — WINNER
Daniel Henshall, How to Make Gravy
Guy Pearce, The Convert
Kodi Smit-McPhee, Memoir of a Snail
Best Supporting Actress in Film
Alyla Browne, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Hannah Diviney, Audrey
Kate Mulvany, Better Man
Kate Mulvany, How to Make Gravy
Ingrid Torelli, Late Night with the Devil
Jacki Weaver, Memoir of a Snail — WINNER
Best Supporting Actor in Film
Fayssal Bazzi, Late Night with the Devil
Chris Hemsworth, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Damon Herriman, Better Man — WINNER
Damon Herriman, How to Make Gravy
Richard Roxburgh, Force of Nature: The Dry 2
Hugo Weaving, How to Make Gravy
Best Screenplay in Film
Better Man, Simon Gleeson, Oliver Cole, Michael Gracey — WINNER
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, George Miller, Nico Lathouris
How to Make Gravy, Meg Washington, Nick Waterman
Late Night with the Devil, Colin Cairnes, Cameron Cairnes
Memoir of a Snail, Adam Elliot
Best Cinematography in Film
Better Man, Erik A. Wilson, Matt Toll, Ashley Wallen
Force of Nature: The Dry 2, Andrew Commis
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Simon Duggan — WINNER
Late Night with the Devil, Matthew Temple
Memoir of a Snail, Gerald Thompson
Best Editing in Film
Better Man, Martin Connor, Lee Smith, Spencer Susser, Jeff Groth, Patrick Correll — WINNER
Force of Nature: The Dry 2, Alexandre de Franceschi, Maria Papoutsis
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Eliot Knapman, Margaret Sixel
Late Night with the Devil, Cameron Cairnes, Colin Cairnes
Memoir of a Snail, Bill Murphy
Best Casting in Film
Better Man, Alison Telford, Kate Leonard, Kate Dowd — WINNER
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Nikki Barrett
How to Make Gravy, Nikki Barrett
Late Night with the Devil, Leigh Pickford
Runt, Kirsty McGregor, Annie Murtagh-Monks
Best Costume Design in Film
Better Man, Cappi Ireland
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Jenny Beavan — WINNER
How to Make Gravy, Christina Validakis
Late Night with the Devil, Steph Hooke
Runt, Terri Lamera
Best Original Score in Film
Better Man, Batu Sener — WINNER
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Tom Holkenborg
How to Make Gravy, Sam Dixon
Late Night with the Devil, Roscoe James Irwin, Glenn Richards
Memoir of a Snail, Elena Kats-Chernin
Best Production Design in Film
Better Man, Joel Chang, Lisa Brennan
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Colin Gibson, Katie Sharrock — WINNER
How to Make Gravy, Benjamin Fountain, Peter Kodicek
Late Night with the Devil, Otello Stolfo
Memoir of a Snail, Adam Elliot
Best Sound in Film
Better Man, Paul Pirola, Guntis Sics, Greg P. Russell, Tom Marks, Andy Nelson, Tim Ryan
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Robert Mackenzie, Ben Osmo, James Ashton, Yulia Akerholt, Jessica Meier, Tom Holkenborg — WINNER
How to Make Gravy, Craig Walmsley, Stuart Morton, Diego Ruiz, Sam Hayward, Evan McHugh
Late Night with the Devil, Emma Bortignon, Manel Lopez, Pete Smith, Cameron Grant
Memoir of a Snail, David Williams, Andy Wright, Lee Yee, Dylan Burgess
Documentary Awards
Best Documentary
A Horse Named Winx
Every Little Thing
Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line
Otto by Otto — WINNER
Porcelain War
The Musical Mind: A Portrait in Process
Best Cinematography in a Documentary
Megafauna: What Killed Australia's Giants?, Jeff Siberry
Skategoat, Dan Freene, Jordan Ritz
The Mission, Dean Brosche
The Musical Mind: A Portrait in Process, Geoffrey Hall, Emerson Hoskin — WINNER
The Speedway Murders, Maxx Corkindale
Best Editing in a Documentary
Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line, Gretchen Peterson — WINNER
ONEFOUR: Against All Odds, Johanna Scott
Revealed: Ben Roberts Smith Truth on Trial, Orly Danon
The Speedway Murders, Sean Lahiff
Welcome to Babel, Karen Johnson
Best Original Score in a Documentary
Aquarius, Damien Lane
Brand Bollywood Downunder, Dmitri Golovko, Burkhard Dallwitz, Brett Aplin
Mozart's Sister, Jessica Wells — WINNER
Otto by Otto, Stefan Gregory
The Speedway Murders, Antony Partos, Jackson Milas, Josh Pearson, Josie Mann
Best Sound in a Documentary
A Horse Named Winx, Abigail Sie
Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line, Wayne Pashley, Travis Handley, Stephen Hopes, Jason King
Mozart's Sister, Damian Jory — WINNER
The Musical Mind: A Portrait in Process, Pete Smith, Tom Heuzenroeder
The Speedway Murders, Michael Darren, Pete Smith, Des Kenneally, Hamish Keen
Short Film Awards
Best Short Film
And the Ocean Agreed
Before We Sleep
Die Bully Die
Favourites
Gorgo — WINNER
Why We Fight
Television Awards
Best Drama Series
Fake
Heartbreak High — WINNER
The Artful Dodger
The Twelve
Thou Shalt Not Steal
Total Control
Best Narrative Comedy Series
Austin
Bump
Colin From Accounts
Fisk — WINNER
Strife
The Office
Best Miniseries
Boy Swallows Universe — WINNER
Exposure
Four Years Later
House of Gods
Human Error
Last Days of the Space Age
Best Lead Actor in a Drama
Zac Burgess, Boy Swallows Universe
Felix Cameron, Boy Swallows Universe — WINNER
Rob Collins, Total Control
Brendan Cowell, Plum
Sam Neill, The Twelve
Noah Taylor, Thou Shalt Not Steal
Best Lead Actress in a Drama
Asher Keddie, Fake
Deborah Mailman, Total Control
Leah Purcell, High Country
Anna Torv, Territory
Phoebe Tonkin, Boy Swallows Universe — WINNER
Sherry-Lee Watson, Thou Shalt Not Steal
Best Acting in a Comedy
Patrick Brammall, Colin From Accounts
Aaron Chen, Fisk
Harriet Dyer, Colin From Accounts
Kitty Flanagan, Fisk — WINNER
Genevieve Hegney, Colin From Accounts
Asher Keddie, Strife
Michael Theo, Austin
Felicity Ward, The Office
Best Comedy Performer
Wil Anderson, Taskmaster Australia
Aaron Chen, Guy Montgomery's Guy-Mont Spelling Bee
Anne Edmonds, Taskmaster Australia
Tom Gleeson, Hard Quiz — WINNER
Guy Montgomery, Guy Montgomery's Guy-Mont Spelling Bee
Charlie Pickering, The Weekly with Charlie Pickering
Best Supporting Actress in a Drama
Essie Davis, Exposure
Rachel Griffiths, Total Control
Heather Mitchell, Fake
Deborah Mailman, Boy Swallows Universe — WINNER
Sophie Wilde, Boy Swallows Universe
Asher Yasbincek, Heartbreak High
Best Supporting Actor in a Drama
Simon Baker, Boy Swallows Universe
Wayne Blair, Total Control
Bryan Brown, Boy Swallows Universe
Travis Fimmel, Boy Swallows Universe
Lee Tiger Halley, Boy Swallows Universe — WINNER
Ewen Leslie, Prosper
Best Direction in Drama or Comedy
Boy Swallows Universe, Bharat Nalluri — WINNER
Colin From Accounts, Trent O'Donnell
Colin From Accounts, Madeline Dyer
Fake, Emma Freeman
Thou Shalt Not Steal, Dylan River
Best Direction in Nonfiction Television
Anne Edmonds: Why Is My Bag All Wet?, Simon Francis
Better Date Than Never, Mariel Thomas
Muster Dogs, Sally Browning — WINNER
Stuff the British Stole, Marc Fennell
The Jury: Death on the Staircase, Tosca Looby, Ben Lawrence
Best Screenplay in Television
Boy Swallows Universe, John Collee — WINNER
Colin From Accounts, Patrick Brammall, Harriet Dyer
Fake, Anya Beyersdorf
Fisk, Penny Flanagan, Kitty Flanagan
Thou Shalt Not Steal, Tanith Glynn-Maloney, Sophie Miller, Dylan River
Best Cinematography in Television
Boy Swallows Universe, Shelley Farthing-Dawe — WINNER
Boy Swallows Universe, Mark Wareham
Exposure, Aaron McLisky
Territory, Simon Duggan
Thou Shalt Not Steal, Tyson Perkins
Best Editing in Television
Boy Swallows Universe, Mark Perry — WINNER
Colin From Accounts, Danielle Boesenberg
Exposure, Leila Gaabi
Fisk, Katie Flaxman
The Artful Dodger, Rodrigo Balart
Best Entertainment Program
Dancing with the Stars
LEGO® Masters Australia vs The World
Mastermind
Spicks and Specks — WINNER
The 1% Club
Tipping Point Australia
Best Comedy Entertainment Program
Guy Montgomery's Guy-Mont Spelling Bee
Hard Quiz — WINNER
Have You Been Paying Attention?
Thank God You're Here
The Cheap Seats
The Weekly with Charlie Pickering
Best Factual Entertainment Program
Alone Australia
Gogglebox Australia
Muster Dogs — WINNER
Stuff the British Stole
Take 5 with Zan Rowe
The Assembly
Best Documentary or Factual Program
Australia's Sleep Revolution with Dr Michael Mosley
I Was Actually There
Maggie Beer's Big Mission
Miriam Margolyes Impossibly Australian — WINNER
Ray Martin: The Last Goodbye
Who Do You Think You Are?
Best Children's Program
Bluey — WINNER
Eddie's Lil Homies
Hard Quiz Kids
Little J & Big Cuz
Play School: Big Ted's Time Machine
Spooky Files
Best Stand-Up Special
Anne Edmonds: Why Is My Bag All Wet? — WINNER
Lloyd Langford: Current Mood
Mel Buttle: Let Me Know Either Way?
Melbourne International Comedy Festival — The Allstars Supershow
Melbourne International Comedy Festival — The Gala
Rove McManus: Loosey Goosey
Best Lifestyle Program
Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly Australia
Gardening Australia
Grand Designs Australia — WINNER
Grand Designs Transformations
Restoration Australia
Selling Houses Australia
Best Reality Program
Australian Idol
Australian Survivor: Titans V Rebels
MasterChef Australia — WINNER
Shark Tank Australia
The Amazing Race
The Great Australian Bake Off
Best Casting in Television
Boy Swallows Universe, Nikki Barrett — WINNER
Colin From Accounts, Kirsty McGregor, Stevie Ray
Fake, Nathan Lloyd
The Artful Dodger, Leigh Pickford
The Twelve, Kirsty McGregor
Best Costume Design in Television
Boy Swallows Universe, Kerry Thompson
Heartbreak High, Rita Carmody
Ladies in Black, Marion Boyce — WINNER
Swift Street, Ntombi Moyo
The Artful Dodger, Xanthe Heubel
Best Original Score in Television
Bluey, Joff Bush, Daniel O'Brien, Jazz Darcy, Joseph Twist — WINNER
Boy Swallows Universe, Johnny Klimek, Gabriel Isaac Mounsey
Exposure, Mikey Young
The Artful Dodger, Antony Partos
Thou Shalt Not Steal, Vincent Goodyer
Best Sound in Television
Bluey, Dan Brumm
Boy Swallows Universe, Sam Hayward, Scott Mulready, Danielle Wiessner, Nigel Christensen — WINNER
Exposure, Paul Finlay, Andrew Miller, Joe Mount, Jared Dwyer
Territory, Josh Williams, Pete Smith, Duncan Campbell, Tom Heuzenroeder
Thou Shalt Not Steal, Dylan Barfield, Gavin Marsh, Luke Mynott, Tania Vlassova
Online Awards
Best Online Drama or Comedy
Bad Ancestors
Buried — WINNER
Descent
Girl Crush
Urvi Went to an All Girls School
Videoland
Other Awards
Best Hair and Makeup
Boy Swallows Universe, Angela Conte, Karen Kelly, Anna Gray, Rachel Murphy
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Lesley Vanderwalt, Larry Van Duynhoven, Matteo Silvi, Luca Vannella — WINNER
Ladies in Black, John Logue
The Artful Dodger, Lynne O'Brien
The Moogai, Nick Nicolaou, Paul Katte, Carol Cameron
Best Original Song
'Dream On' by Meg Washington, Electric Fields and The Prison Choir, How to Make Gravy
'Fine' by Meg Washington, Electric Fields and The Prison Choir, How to Make Gravy — WINNER
'Forbidden Road' by Robbie Williams, Freddy Wexler and Sacha Skarbek, Better Man
'Side By Side' by Paul Kelly, Runt
'Streetlights' by Jacob Harvey, Under Streetlights
Best Soundtrack
Better Man, Jordan Carroll
Boy Swallows Universe, Jemma Burns
Heartbreak High, Jemma Burns — WINNER
How to Make Gravy, Meg Washington
Last Days of the Space Age, Allegra Caldwell
Best Visual Effects or Animation
Alien: Romulus, Nelson Sepulveda-Fauser, Jhon Alvarado, Alé Melendez, Sebastian Ravagnani, Nicolas Caillier – Industrial Light & Magic
Better Man, Luke Millar, Andy Taylor, Craig Young, Tim Walker – Wētā — WINNER
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Andrew Jackson, Jason Bath, Guido Wolter, Rachel Copp, Andy Williams, Lloyd Finnemore – Rising Sun Pictures
The Fall Guy, Matt Sloan, Chris McClintock, Matt Greig, Rachel Copp, Dan Oliver – Rising Sun Pictures
Transformers One, Frazer Churchill, Fiona Chilton, Stephen King, Feargal Stewart, Alex Popescu – Industrial Light & Magic
The 2025 AACTAs took place on Wednesday, February 5, 2025 and Friday, February 7, 2025 at HOTA, Home of the Arts on the Gold Coast — and you can check out the full list of nominees and winners on AACTA's website.