South Australian screen productions, creatives and talent have shone in the nominations for the 2025 AACTA Awards (external site), receiving 40 nominations across 34 categories.
Following an exciting year for television production in South Australia, five SAFC supported series have scooped 15 nominations in the television categories: Stan. Original Series Thou Shalt Not Steal (external site), ABC period drama Ladies in Black (external site), Netflix ratings hit Territory (external site), factual series Australia’s Sleep Revolution with Dr Michael Mosley (external site) and animated NITV and Netflix series Eddie’s Lil’ Homies (external site).
Thou Shalt Not Steal, which was shot across South Australia and the Northern Territory last year, picked up eight nominations including Best Drama Series, Best Lead Actress for Sherry-Lee Watson, Best Lead Actor for Noah Taylor, Best Direction, Best Screen Play, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score and Best Sound.
Australia’s Sleep Revolution with Dr Michael Mosley received a nomination for Best Documentary or Factual Program and Eddie’s Lil’ Homies for Best Children’s Program.
Ladies in Black, funded under the ABC SAFC Content Pipeline Fund (external site) and filmed at the SAFC’s Adelaide Studios (external site) and at locations around Adelaide, received three nominations for Best Production Design for SA production designer Michael Rumpf, Best Costume Design and Best Hair and Makeup.
Territory, which premiered in October to huge viewing numbers on Netflix, picked up nominations for Best Lead Actress for Anna Torv and Best Sound for SA sound practitioners Josh Williams, Pete Smith, Duncan Campbell and Tom Heuzenroeder.
Horror Late Night with the Devil, which was executive produced by SA’s Julie Ryan of Cyan Films, led the film categories with a massive 14 nominations including Best Film, Best Direction, Best Lead Actor, Best Lead Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Editing, Best Production Design, Best Original Score, Best Casting and Best Sound for a team including another nomination for Adelaide Studios based sound practitioner Pete Smith.
SAFC and Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund (AFFIF) supported documentary The Musical Mind: A Portrait in Process (external site) from SA director Scott Hicks and SA producer Kerry Heysen AM and SA writer/producer Jett Heysen-Hicks earned three nominations for Best Documentary, Best Cinematography for a team including SA cinematographer Emerson Hoskin and another Best Sound nomination for SA sound practitioners Pete Smith and Tom Heuzenroeder.
SAFC and AFFIF supported documentary The Speedway Murders (external site) from first time SA director Luke Rynderman and director Adam Kamien and SA producers Anna Vincent, Bonnie McBride and Lisa Scott received four nominations for Best Cinematography for SA cinematographer Maxx Corkindale, Best Editing for SA editor Sean Lahiff, Best Sound for SA sound practitioners Michael Darren, Pete Smith, Des Kenneally and Hamish Keen and Best Original Score.
SA made and AFFIF supported horror film You’ll Never Find Me from first time SA directors Indianna Bell and Josiah Allen scooped a nomination for Best Indie Film.
SA company Rising Sun Pictures scored two nominations in the Best Visual Effects or Animation category, for their work on feature films Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – with SA visual effects supervisor Guido Wolter named in the nomination – and The Fall Guy. Post production on both films was supported by the SAFC’s SA PDV Rebate.
Additionally, SA actor Sarah Snook was nominated for Best Lead Actress in Film for Memoir of a Snail.
Winners will be announced at the 2025 AACTA Awards, which will be presented across two ceremonies on the Gold Coast on 5 February and 7 February.
View all the nominees at aacta.org/aacta-awards/winners-and-nominees
This article was prepared by the SAFC and was first published at www.safilm.com.au. It is reproduced here with permission.
