Deborah Mailman and Rachel Griffiths recognised for ABC TV drama, while Jennifer Kent’s colonial horror film swept the film categories
Jennifer Kent’s The Nightingale has swept most of the film categories at the
Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts awards in
Sydney on Wednesday, winning best film, best direction, best actress and best screenplay in a night that celebrated Indigenous stories.
Following the runaway success of her directorial debut, The Babadook, Kent’s colonial revenge drama drew controversy – and wide acclaim – for its confronting depiction of rape and violence during the frontier war massacres in Tasmania. The Nightingale already nabbed two awards at the Aactas’ first celebration earlier in the week: for best casting and best supporting actress for Magnolia Maymuru.