1980 Australian Film Institute Awards


The 22nd Australian Film Institute Awards ceremony, presented by the Australian Film Institute, honoured the best Australian feature films of 1980, and took place on 17 September 1980 at Regent Theatre, in Sydney, New South Wales. The ceremony was hosted by Graham Kennedy and televised in Australia on ABC.
Breaker Morant was nominated for thirteen awards and won ten, in all categories it was nominated for, including Best Film and Best Direction for Bruce Beresford. Other winners with two were Hard Knocks, and Manganinnie and ...Maybe This Time with one.
When the Australian Film Institute established the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts in 2011, the awards became known as the AACTA Awards.

Winners and nominees

The nominees were announced on 29 August 1980. Breaker Morant received 13 nominations across ten feature film award categories, winning all ten categories it was nominated for including: Best Film, Best Direction for Bruce Beresford, Best Actor for Jack Thompson, Best Supporting Actor for Bryan Brown and Best Screenplay for Jonathan Hardy, David Stevens, Bruce Beresford. Stir received ten nominations in the same categories but walked away with none. The only other winners in the feature film categories was Tracy Mann for Best Actress, for Hard Knocks; Jury Prize for Hard Knocks; Jill Perryman for Best Supporting Actress, for ...Maybe This Time; and Peter Sculthorpe for Best Original Music Score, for Manganinnie.
Non-feature films were awarded with a prize at the awards, but are considered the best in their categories by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts. Although Bird of the Thunder Woman is considered the winner of the Best Cinematography – Documentary category, it was the recipient of a "silver prize" at the awards, while No Such a Place, also a finalist in the category, was presented with a "bronze prize".
CategoryWinners
Best FilmBreaker MorantMatthew Carroll
Best FilmManganinnie – Gilda Baracchi
Best Film...Maybe This TimeBrian Kavanagh
Best FilmStirRichard Brennan
Best DirectionBruce BeresfordBreaker Morant
Best DirectionSimon WincerHarlequin
Best DirectionJohn HoneyManganinnie
Best DirectionStephen WallaceStir
Best ActorJack ThompsonBreaker Morant
Best ActorEdward WoodwardBreaker Morant
Best ActorBryan BrownStir
Best ActorMax PhippsStir
Best ActressTracy MannHard Knocks
Best ActressCarmen DuncanHarlequin
Best ActressMawuyul YanthalawuyManganinnie
Best ActressJudy Morris...Maybe This Time
Best Supporting ActorBryan BrownBreaker Morant
Best Supporting ActorCharles TingwellBreaker Morant
Best Supporting ActorLewis Fitz-GeraldBreaker Morant
Best Supporting ActorDennis MillerStir
Best Supporting ActressJill Perryman...Maybe This Time
Best Supporting ActressJude Kuring...Maybe This Time
Best Supporting ActressMichelle Fawdon...Maybe This Time
Best Supporting ActressLorna LesleyThe Chain Reaction
Best ScreenplayBreaker MorantJonathan Hardy, David Stevens, Bruce Beresford
Best ScreenplayHard Knocks – Hilton Bonner, Don McLennan
Best Screenplay...Maybe This TimeAnne Brooksbank, Bob Ellis
Best ScreenplayStir – Bob Jewson
Best CinematographyBreaker MorantDonald McAlpine
Best CinematographyManganinnie – Gary Hansen
Best CinematographyStir – Geoff Burton
Best CinematographyThe Chain ReactionRussell Boyd
Best EditingBreaker MorantWilliam M. Anderson
Best EditingHarlequinAdrian Carr
Best EditingStirHenry Dangar
Best EditingThe Chain Reaction – Tim Wellburn
Best SoundBreaker MorantGary Wilkins, William Anderson, Jeanine Chialvo, Phill Judd
Best SoundHarlequin – Gary Wilkins, Adrian Carr, Peter Fenton
Best SoundStir – Gary Wilkins, Andrew Steuart, Phill Judd
Best SoundThe Chain Reaction – Lloyd Carrick, Tim Wellburn, Phill Judd
Best Original Music ScoreManganinniePeter Sculthorpe
Best Original Music Score...Maybe This TimeBruce Smeaton
Best Original Music ScoreStirCameron Allan
Best Original Music ScoreThe Chain ReactionAndrew Thomas Wilson
Best Art DirectionBreaker Morant – David Copping
Best Art DirectionHarlequin – Bernard Hides
Best Art DirectionStir – Lee Whitmore
Best Art DirectionThe Chain ReactionGraham Walker
Best Costume DesignBreaker MorantAnna Senior
Best Costume DesignHarlequinTerry Ryan
Best Costume DesignManganinnie – Graham Purcell
Best Costume DesignThe Chain ReactionNorma Moriceau
Best DocumentaryFront LineDavid Bradbury
Best Short Fiction FilmGary's Story – Richard Mihalchak
Best Short AnimationPussy Pumps Up – Antoinette Starkiewicz
Best Experimental FilmSelf Portrait Blood Red – Ivam Durrant
Best Cinematography – DocumentaryBird of the Thunder Woman – David Parer
Best Cinematography – DocumentaryNo Such a PlacePeter Butt, Tom Cowan

Special awards

;Raymond Longford Award
;Jury Prize