Ten Canoes, Australia’s first feature-length movie filmed in the language of its Aboriginal people, dominated the Australian Film Industry awards in Melbourne Thursday night.
The Rolf de Heer film won six awards, including best film, best original screenplay and best direction, which was shared by de Heer and Peter Djigirr.
Ten Canoes, which is set in the distant past and revolves around a young warrior who covets the wife of his elder brother, had also been honoured in May at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won a special jury prize.
The film is Australia’s official entry for consideration for the best foreign-language film category at the upcoming Academy Awards.
De Heer was separately honoured with the Byron Kennedy Award, an prize presented to celebrate a “filmmaker’s relentless pursuit of excellence.”
The black comedy Suburban Mayhem won three awards: young star Emily Barclay was named best lead actress, Anthony Hayes took the best supporting actor title and the film also won for best original musical score.
The trophy for best lead actor went to Shane Jacobson for his starring role in Kenny, the low-budget mockumentary about a man working for a portable toilet company, and Australia’s highest-grossing local film of 2006.
Actress Susie Porter won best supporting actress for her turn as a mother trying to hide the identity of her daughter’s father, in the drama The Caterpillar Wish. Porter also picked up an award in the AFI’s TV categories, winning best lead actress in a TV drama for RAN.
Other winners included:
* Heath Ledger – people’s choice award; international best actor award for Brokeback Mountain.
* Rachel Griffith – international best actress award for Six Feet Under.
* RAN – best TV feature or miniseries.
* Love My Way – best television drama.
* Enough Rope with Andrew Denton – best light entertainment TV series.
* The Chaser’s War on Everything – best TV comedy series.
A full list of winners is available on the Australian Film Institute website.
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