Gibson’s second world war film picks up best actor, direction, original screenplay and film on an awards night that turned political from the very start

Mel Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge has swept the 2016 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (Aactas) awards, winning five major prizes – for best lead actor, best supporting actor, best original screenplay, best direction and best film.

Andrew Garfield and Hugo Weaving both won for their roles in the film, which is based on the true story of second world war pacifist combat medic Desmond Doss.

Hacksaw Ridge had already won four Aactas at the industry luncheon on Monday – best editing, best production design, best cinematography and best sound – taking the film’s total to nine awards.

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Speaking in the media room after the awards, Gibson said “It’s a pretty decent accolade and we’re thrilled to receive it … every aspect of that film was done professionally and mounted in a very efficient way. It’s an independent film when all is said and done, and we got a lot of bang for our buck.”

The Daughter, which received nine nominations, won for best lead actress (Odessa Young) and best supporting actress (Miranda Otto).

The awards also cover TV, with the Kettering Incident winning two major gongs: best telefeature or miniseries and best lead actress in a TV drama (Elizabeth Debicki). Best lead actor in TV drama went to Samuel Johnson for his role as Molly Meldrum in Molly; he told press afterwards that Molly gave him one of his iconic hats at the end of the shoot. “He wrote a lot of rude things on it. It’s one of my special keepsakes,” he said.

Foxtel’s Wentworth won best television drama series, and ABC Comedy Showroom’s The Letdown won best comedy. Foxtel and the ABC led the field, picking up three awards apiece.

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Eva Orner, director of detention centre exposé Chasing Asylum, which won best documentary feature, delivered a politically-charged speech calling on the Australian federal government to abolish its legislation punishing whistleblowers reporting on detention centres.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest ‘We can all go to jail for the film that we made’: Eva Orner, winner of best feature length documentary for Chasing Asylum. Photograph: Caroline McCredie/Getty Images for AFI

Calling for more time than a standard acceptance speech (“give me 60 seconds, this is important”), Orner described the crew as being in violation of the government’s legislation, and thanked her lawyers: “We can all go to jail for the film that we made, but we haven’t.”

Speaking to media later she said she was grateful to be given another chance to talk about the issues raised by the film. “It’s great to be able to speak publicly about it again. I’m guessing we’ll be the bit cut from the televised version.”

The film played in Australian cinemas for four months, and, she said, grossed higher than most of the scripted features nominated at the Aactas. “The only person who wrote something negative about it was Andrew Bolt. He wrote a piece about it last week and he called me a leftist agitprop agitator. I prefer to be called an ‘Academy award-winning film-maker’.”



The film has been picked up by Qantas to screen on its inflight entertainment system. “Kudos to Qantas,” Orner said. “People coming into Australia get to watch it, which I think is amazing … Politicians fly Qantas. Qantas is obviously Australia’s airline. It was such a bold decision to program it.”

It wasn’t the only political moment at this year’s Aactas. About 15 women were ejected from the red carpet after arriving dressed like sausages, in protest at the “sausage party” of the male-dominated Australian film industry. Only two of the 28 films preselected for Aacta awards were directed by women, and of the 334 producers who worked on feature films submitted to the awards between 2006 and 2015, only 37% were women.

The protest was organised by Sophie Mathisen, cofounder of advocacy group Women in Film and Television. Mathison set a 50% gender quota for her own film, the forthcoming A Film Called Drama. She told Guardian Australia that a gender equity policy for the industry was long overdue.



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“Aacta purports to be a celebration of Australia screen excellence, and at the moment it’s a celebration of a very, very narrow part of the industry,” she said.

On Tuesday, Crocodile Dundee star and Australian comedy legend Paul Hogan was announced as the recipient of the Longford Lyell award for outstanding contribution to the Australian screen. At the ceremony on Wednesday he was honoured in an extended segment, which included clips from films and video testimonies from celebrities such as Ernie Dingo and Adam Hills.

Hogan quipped, “I’ve got 30 seconds, good luck with that” – and reminisced on the unprecedented success of Crocodile Dundee, describing himself as “probably the world’s biggest one-hit wonder. But you know, it was a mighty hit.”

Hogan brought the self-deprecation into the media room after his speech, where he told press he was “embarrassed and a bit overwhelmed” by the honour. “They tricked me into coming,” he laughed. “I thought it was going to be a roast!”

Hoges: The Paul Hogan Story – a TV series of his life starring Josh Lawson as Hogan – will premiere next year. “It’s very funny to see someone else playing you,” he said. “He’s a good looking kid, so that’s alright. Could have been a real dork they put up there instead.”



Facebook Twitter Pinterest Isla Fisher, winner of the Trailblazer award for her work in Hollywood. Photograph: Caroline McCredie/Getty Images for AFI

Isla Fisher was the recipient of the Trailblazer award from Aacta president Geoffrey Rush for her work advocating for strong comedic roles in Hollywood while building her career as an acclaimed dramatic actor and an author.

Fisher cribbed from Michelle Obama’s speech when she accepted it – a reference to Melania Trump’s convention speech, which appeared to do the same.

“There aren’t many roles for gingers, particularly because Amy Adams stole them all,” she said, thanking her husband Sacha Baron Cohen, who was in attendance. The pair met in Australia during Aacta season, and celebrate their 15th anniversary this week. “I’d also like to thank Donald Trump for showing the world that it’s okay for unqualified orange people to win things.”



Fisher is back in Australia from the United States, where she has been promoting Tom Ford’s Nocturnal Animals. Speaking to media afterward, she said winning the award was “the pinnacle of my career so far, and a complete honour.”

“I’m such a fan of the Australian film and television industry,” she said. “It’s so important that we tell Australian stories, and that our children see and connect with Australian stories … we need to foster the talent here.”

Mad Max director George Miller presented the Byron Kennedy award, which honours his former producer and business partner who died in a helicopter accident in 1983.

It went to acclaimed multiplatform artist and film-maker Lynnette Walworth, whose work spans mediums including documentary, virtual reality, augmented reality and full dome planetariums. “I work in a form that often people don’t know that much about, so it’s an immensely humbling moment for me,” she said.

Aactas 2016: full list of winners

Best lead actor in a television drama

Winner: Samuel Johnson – Molly

Matt Nable – Barracuda

Richard Roxburgh – Rake

Ashley Zukerman – The Code

Best lead actor in a film

Winner: Andrew Garfield – Hacksaw Ridge

John Brumpton – Pawno

Damian Hill – Pawno

Ewen Leslie – The Daughter

Best original screenplay in a film

Winner: Hacksaw Ridge – Andrew Knight, Robert Schenkkan

Down Under – Abe Forsythe

Goldstone – Ivan Sen

Pawno – Damian Hill

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Best television drama series

Winner: Wentworth

Jack Irish

Rake

The Code

Best Direction

Winner: Hacksaw Ridge – Mel Gibson

Girl Asleep – Rosemary Myers

Goldstone – Ivan Sen

Tanna – Bentley Dean, Martin Butler



Best feature length documentary

Winner: Chasing Asylum – Eva Orner

In The Shadow of the Hill – Dan Jackson

Remembering The Man – Nikolas Bird, Eleanor Sharpe

Snow Monkey – Lizzette Atkins, George Gittoes

Best lead actress in a film

Winner: Odessa Young – The Daughter

Maeve Dermody – Pawno

Maggie Naouri – Joe Cinque’s Consolation

Teresa Palmer – Hacksaw Ridge

Best lead actress in a television drama

Winner: Elizabeth Debicki – The Kettering Incident

Danielle Cormack – Wentworth

Pamela Rabe – Wentworth



Sarah Snook – The Beautiful Lie

Best supporting actress in a film

Winner: Miranda Otto – The Daughter

Kelly Armstrong – Pawno

Rachel Griffiths – Hacksaw Ridge

Anna Torv – The Daughter

Best supporting actor in a film

Winner: Hugo Weaving – Hacksaw Ridge

Mark Coles Smith – Pawno

Damon Herriman – Down Under

Sam Neill – The Daughter

Best screenplay in television

Winner: ABC Comedy Showroom’s The Letdown

The Beautiful Lie

The Kettering Incident

Upper Middle Bogan

Best television comedy series

Winner: Upper Middle Bogan

Black Comedy

The Family Law

Please Like Me

Best light entertainment television series

Winner: Gruen

Gogglebox

Luke Warm Sex



Rockwiz

Best lifestyle television program

Winner: Destination Flavour Scandinavia

Grand Designs Australia

Poh & Co

River Cottage Australia

Best telefeature or mini series

Winner: The Kettering Incident

Barracuda

The Beautiful Lie

Molly

Best reality television series

Winner: Masterchef Australia

First Dates

My Kitchen Rules

The Recruit

Best film

Winner: Hacksaw Ridge

Girl Asleep

The Daughter

Goldstone