Australian Film Critics Association

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The Australian Film Critics Association (AFCA), formerly Melbourne Film Critics' Forum, is an Australian professional association for film critics, reviewers and journalists who work in the media, based in Melbourne. [1] It is a member of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI). [2]

Contents

History

Formed in 1996, AFCA began as the Melbourne Film Critics' Forum, expanding to a national organisation in 2004. In the same year, AFCA became an Australian representative of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI), [3] which comprises the national organisations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world. FIPRESCI has members in more than 50 countries worldwide. AFCA helped to establish the first FIPRESCI jury at the Adelaide Film Festival.

AFCA's members, several of whom contribute to internationally recognised media outlets, are professional film critics, film reviewers and film journalists, from all media forums, who provide informed discussion, analysis and comment on Australian and world cinema. Here are some of them (past and present):

The body supports both mainstream and independent cinema and highlights significant or challenging films. [5]

Film awards

On 22 January 2008, AFCA announced the results of its inaugural Film Awards for 2007. The awards span four categories comprising Best Australian Film, Best Overseas Film, Best Documentary and Best Unreleased Film (in Australia at the time of the awards). The winning and commended films granted AFCA film awards are:

YearBest AustralianBest OverseasBest DocumentaryBest Unreleased
2007 [6] Winner: Noise No Country for Old Men (US) Forbidden Lie$ (Australia) The Band's Visit (Israel)
Commended: The Home Song Stories The Lives of Others (Germany) Deep Water (UK)-
Commended: Romulus, My Father 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (Romania) Sicko (US)-
2008 [7] Winner: The Black Balloon There Will Be Blood (US) Man on Wire (UK) In the City of Sylvia (Spain)
Commended: The Square The Dark Knight (US) Not Quite Hollywood (Australia) Romance of Astree and Celadon (France/Italy/Spain)
2009 [8] Winner: Balibo Let the Right One In (Sweden) Of Time and the City (UK) Un Lac (France)
Commended: Mary & Max , Samson and Delilah Moon (UK), Wrestler (US), Up (US) Encounters at the End of the World (Germany), Capitalism: A Love Story (US) Love Exposure (Japan)
2010 [9] Winner: Animal Kingdom The Social Network (US) Exit Through the Gift Shop (UK) Air Doll (Japan)
Commended: Beneath Hill 60 , The Waiting City , Bran Nue Dae Toy Story 3 (US), The Hurt Locker (US), Inception (US/UK) Food, Inc. (US), La Danse (France/US), Gasland (US) Tetro (US/Argentina/Spain/Italy), Film Socialisme (Switzerland/France), Berlin 36 (Germany)

In 2011 acting awards were introduced and the Best Unreleased Film category was discontinued.

YearBest FilmBest International Film (English Language)Best International Film (Foreign Language)Best Documentary
2011 [10] Snowtown The Tree of Life (US) Incendies (Canada) Senna (UK)
2012 [11] The Sapphires Hugo (France/UK/US) A Separation (Iran) Searching for Sugar Man (Sweden/UK/Finland)
2013 [12] Mystery Road Django Unchained (US) Amour (France/Germany/Austria) Stories We Tell (Canada)
2014 [13] The Babadook The Grand Budapest Hotel (US/Germany) Two Days, One Night (Belgium/France/Italy) Jodorowsky's Dune (US/France)
2015 [14] Mad Max: Fury Road Birdman (US) Phoenix (Germany) Amy (UK)
2016 [15] Girl Asleep Arrival (US) Mustang (France/Germany/Turkey) Sherpa (Australia)
2017 [16] Hounds of Love Moonlight (US) Toni Erdmann (Germany/Austria) I Am Not Your Negro (France/US/Switzerland/Belgium)
2018 [17] Sweet Country You Were Never Really Here (UK/US/France) Roma (Mexico) Gurrumul (Australia)

Best Film (2019-2023):

YearFilm
2019 Sweet Country
2021 Nitram
2022 The Stranger
2023 Of an Age

Writing awards

In conjunction with its 2009 film awards, AFCA announced the results of its inaugural writing awards. The categories and winners are:

Year Ivan Hutchinson Award for Writing on Australian FilmAward for Writing on Non-Australian FilmAward for a Review of an individual Australian FilmAward for a Review of an individual Non-Australian Film
2009Loving Samson and Delilah , Therese DavisFake Politics for the Real America, Martyn Pedler Disgrace , Alice Tynan 2012 , Stephen Rowley
2010Some of the Finest Films, Thomas CaldwellA Feast of Love – Eros, Agape and The Food Film, Bernard Hemingway The Loved Ones , Anders Wotzke I'm Still Here , Luke Buckmaster
2011Who’s Afraid of the Working Class? We Are, Rebecca Harkins-CrossIslands and Ghosts: Roman Polanski's The Ghost Writer , Jake Wilson Griff the Invisible , Alice Tynan Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives , Josh Nelson
2012God in all things: Amiel Courtin-Wilson's Hail , Josh NelsonThe Shape of Rage: David Cronenberg's Dangerous Methods, Rebecca Harkins CrossAll the Way Through Evening, Michael Scott The Perks of Being a Wallflower , Laurence Barber
2013Launching The Rocket: Beyond the Typical Australian Film, Glenn DunksThrough the Mind: Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master , Scott MacLeod The Great Gatsby , Simon Miraudo To the Wonder , Simon Di Berardino
2014Anger and Banality in Ghosts… of the Civil Dead, Thomas CaldwellTime Enough at Last: The Long History of the Long Film, Jake Moody The Babadook , Alexandra Donald Boyhood , Kristen S. He
2015The Shadow of the Rock, Rebecca Harkins-Cross Mad Max: Fury Road , Alexandra Heller-Nicholas Bridge of Spies , Luke Goodsell
2016South of Ealing: recasting a British studio's antipodean escapade, Adrian Danks Joe Cinque's Consolation , Lauren Carroll Harris No Home Movie , Ivan Cercina
2017Dog Day, Every Day: Gillian Leahy’s Baxter and Me and the Essay Film, Adrian MartinEllipsis, Luke Buckmaster Risk , Glenn Dunks
2018 [18] The art of metamorphosis: Julian Rosefeldt's 'Manifesto, Gabrielle O'BrienWest of Sunshine, Andrew Peirce Disobedience , Glen Falkenstein

See also

References

  1. "Contact". Australian Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  2. Thurling, Jan. "Australian Film Critics". National Film and Sound Archive . Archived from the original on 30 May 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  3. "FIPRESCI – Members". FIPRESCI . Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  4. "MEMBERS – Australian Film Critics Association". Australian Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  5. "Who are we?". Australian Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on 25 October 2008. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
  6. "Noise named best Australian film of 2007". The Age . 23 January 2008. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  7. "AFCA Awards 2009: The Black Balloon Soars Again". Urban Cinefile. 29 January 2009. Archived from the original on 2 October 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  8. "2009 AFCA Awards Winners". AFCA. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  9. "AFCA Announces results of annual industry awards". ArtsHub. 21 February 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  10. Delaney, Colin (28 February 2012). "Snowtown takes top spots at the Australian Film Critics Association Film Awards". Mumbrella . Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  11. "AFCA 2013 Writing & Film Award Winners". AFCA. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  12. "AFCA 2014 Writing & Film Award Winners". AFCA. Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  13. "AFCA 2015 Writing & Film Award Winners". AFCA. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  14. "AFCA 2016 Writing & Film Award Winners". AFCA. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  15. "AFCA 2017 Writing & Film Award Winners". AFCA. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  16. "AFCA 2018 Writing & Film Award Winners". AFCA. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  17. "2019 AFCA Awards". AFCA. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  18. "2019 Writing Awards". AFCA. Archived from the original on 22 October 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2019.