Prison drama INSIDE has dominated key categories in this year’s Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards, earning Best Film, Director, Lead Actor and Screenplay trophies.
Producer Marian McGowan and writer/director Charles Williams were on hand to accept their gongs; actor Guy Pearce appeared in a pre-recorded thank you speech.
Other winners include lead actress Susie Porter for THE TRAVELLERS; supporting actress Marta Dusseldorp for WITH OR WITHOUT YOU; DOP Mark Wareham for his cinematography and Kiah Roache-Turner on behalf of his fellow editors for BEAST OF WAR; Fiona Donovan took out the Best Production Design honour for THE CORRESPONDENT; and, composer François Tétaz was feted for his score for THE SURFER.
In one of the emotional highlights of the night, Madison McMahon accepted her late father Julian’s Supporting Actor award for THE SURFER, acknowledging the actor’s love of filmmaking and how proud her family is of both the evening’s honour and his body of work.
Industry figurehead Deanne Weir accepted the Best Documentary trophy for THE WOLVES ALWAYS COME AT NIGHT, with her director Gabrielle Brady contributing via a pre-record; LESBIAN SPACE PRINCESS added to its recent AACTA wins by scoring Best Animated Feature; and, EMILIA PEREZ earned the inaugural David Stratton International Film prize.
Hosted by FCCA member Rod Quinn, the evening proved a strong pull for industry identities with those present including actors Susan Prior, Matt Day, Lynette Curran INSIDE nominee Vincent Miller; KANGAROO composer Josie Mann; Oscar-nominated sound designer Wayne Pashley; KANGAROO ISLAND director Timothy David; THE CORRESPONDENT director Kriv Stenders and his set designer Karla Urizar; and, Piccolo Films boss and industry stalwart, Ray Argall.
The full list of 2025 Film Critics Circle of Australia Award winners and nominees are:
BEST FILM
*WINNER* INSIDE | Producers Kate Glover and Marian McGowan
KANGAROO ISLAND | THE SURFER | THE CORRESPONDENT | BRING HER BACK
KANGAROO ISLAND | THE SURFER | THE CORRESPONDENT | BRING HER BACK
BEST DIRECTOR
*WINNER* CHARLES WILLIAMS | Inside
BRUCE BERESFORD | The Travellers; LORCAN FINNEGAN | The Surfer; MICHAEL PHILIPPOU, DANNY PHILIPPOU | Bring Her Back; KRIV STENDERS | The Correspondent
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
*WINNER* GUY PEARCE | Inside
LUKE BRACEY | The Travellers; BRYAN BROWN | The Travellers; VINCENT MILLER | Inside; RICHARD ROXBURGH | The Correspondent
*WINNER* GUY PEARCE | Inside
LUKE BRACEY | The Travellers; BRYAN BROWN | The Travellers; VINCENT MILLER | Inside; RICHARD ROXBURGH | The Correspondent
BEST SCREENPLAY
*WINNER* CHARLES WILLIAMS | Inside
PETER DUNCAN | The Correspondent; DANNY PHILIPPOU, BILL HINZMAN | Bring Her Back; KIAH ROACHE-TURNER | Beast of War
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
*WINNER* MARK WAREHAM, A.C.S. | Beast of War
ANDREW COMMIS, A.C.S. | Inside; GEOFFREY HALL, A.C.S. | The Correspondent; RADEK LADCZUK | The Surfer; AARON McLISKY, A.C.S. | Bring Her Back
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
*WINNER* JULIAN MCMAHON | The Surfer
JAI COURTNEY | Dangerous Animals; COSMO JARVIS | Inside; JONAH WREN PHILLIPS | Bring Her Back
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEAD ROLE
*WINNER* SUSIE PORTER | The Travellers
REBECCA BREEDS | Kangaroo Island; SALLY HAWKINS | Bring Her Back; DAISY RIDLEY | We Bury The Dead; LILY WHITELEY | Kangaroo
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
*WINNER* MARTA DUSSELDORP | With or Without You
ADELAIDE CLEMENS | Kangaroo Island; DEBORAH MAILMAN | Kangaroo; BROOKE SATCHWELL | Kangaroo
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
*WINNER* THE WOLVES ALWAYS COME AT NIGHT | Dir: Gabrielle Brady; Prods: Julia Niethammer, Ariunna Tserenpil, Rita Walsh
NOT ONLY FRED DAGG, BUT ALSO JOHN CLARKE | EDGE OF LIFE | JOURNEY HOME, DAVID GULPILIL | YURLU COUNTRY.
BEST MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
*WINNER* FRANÇOIS TÉTAZ | The Surfer
MATTEO ZINGALES & JOSIE MANN | Kangaroo; ARIEL MARX | Kangaroo Island; CORNEL WILCZEK | Bring Her Back; MICHAEL YEZERSKI | Dangerous Animals
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
*WINNER* FIONA DONOVAN, A.P.D.G. | The Correspondent
NICHOLAS DARE | Together; ESTHER ROSENBERG | Beast of War; VANESSA CERNE | Bring Her Back; SHERREE PHILIPS | Went Up The Hill
BEST EDITING
*WINNER* KIAH ROACHE-TURNER, REGG SKWARKO, STEPHEN EVANS | Beast of War
TONY CRANSTOUN | The Surfer; VERONIKA JENET | The Correspondent; GEOFF LAMB | Bring Her Back; KASRA RASSOULZADEGAN | Dangerous Animals
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
*WINNER* LESBIAN SPACE PRINCESS | Dirs: Emma Hough Hobbs, Leela Varghese; Prod: Tom Phillips.
MAGIC BEACH | THE LOST TIGER.
THE DAVID STRATTON AWARD FOR INTERNATIONAL FILM
*WINNER* EMILIA PEREZ | Dir: Jacques Audiard; Prods: Anthony Vaccarello, Valérie Schermann, Pascal Caucheteux, jacques Audiard.
BUGONIA | I’M STILL HERE | ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER.