'Parasite' Named Best Picture at Australia's AACTA Awards

The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts also tapped Quentin Tarantino as best director for 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' during a ceremony in Los Angeles.

Parasite was named best picture of the year at the ninth annual Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Awards, which were handed out Friday night in Los Angeles.

Korean creature-feature maestro Bong Joon Ho's awards-season favorite about a dirt-poor family that insinuates itself into the life of a wealthy young couple and a frontrunner for the best international feature film Oscar, Parasite beat out competition from The Irishman, Joker, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and The King for the top prize.

Best director honors went to Quentin Tarantino for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, while the best screenplay award went to Taika Waititi for his Nazi Germany satire Jojo Rabbit.

On the acting front, Adam Driver won for best actor for his star turn in Marriage Story, while Saoirse Ronan earned the best actress trophy for her leading role in Little Women.

The prize for best supporting actress went to Margot Robbie for her role in the Fox News drama Bombshell, She also nabbed a nomination for her performance in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which did earn Brad Pitt the best supporting actor trophy for his portrayal as the fictional stuntman Cliff Booth.

Netflix’s The Irishman was shut out Friday night after coming into the AACTA awards competition with a field-leading six nominations, followed by Once Upon a Time in Hollywood with five mentions. Joker and Parasite each earned four noms for the AACTA Awards, whereby the Australian film industry honors the best movies of the year regardless of geography.