Boy Swallows Universe, the Netflix adaptation of Trent Dalton’s bestselling novel, has scored a record-breaking 22 nominations at the 2025 Aacta awards – the most nominations for any production in the history of Australia’s screen industry awards – while the upcoming Robbie Williams biopic Better Man leads the film categories with 16 nominations.
Better Man charts Williams’ stratospheric rise from a working-class upbringing to global superstardom, and sees the pop singer portrayed by a CGI monkey. It was filmed mostly in Melbourne and features a predominantly Australian creative team, including director Michael Gracey, who directed The Greatest Showman. It will hit cinemas in Australia and the UK on Boxing Day.
George Miller’s Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and Binge’s feature film debut How to Make Gravy, inspired by the Paul Kelly song, followed closely behind, scoring 15 nominations each, while indie horror hit Late Night with the Devil, by Australian brothers Colin and Cameron Cairnes, secured 14 nominations. It marks the second strong year for low-budget Australian horror at the Aactas, after the Philippou brothers’ Talk To Me swept last year’s film categories.
Rounding out the best film category are Adam Elliot’s tragicomic claymation Memoir of a Snail, which landed 11 nominations, and feelgood family film Runt, adapted from Australian author Craig Silvey’s children’s book of the same name, which received four.
In the television categories, Boy Swallows Universe landed a whopping eight acting nominations. Breakout stars Felix Cameron and Zac Burgess are both up for best lead actor in a drama, competing against veterans Sam Neill (The Twelve) and Noah Taylor (Thou Shalt Not Steal), as well as Rob Collins (Total Control) and Brendan Cowell (Plum).
Boy Swallows Universe actors also dominated the best supporting actor category, with Travis Fimmel, Simon Baker, Bryan Brown and Lee Tiger Halley taking four of the six spots, alongside Wayne Blair for Total Control and Ewen Leslie for Prosper. Boy Swallows Universe’s female actors Phoebe Tonkin and Deborah Mailman are up for best lead actress and best supporting actress, respectively. Mailman is also nominated for best lead actress for Total Control.
Stan’s 80s-set outback road trip caper Thou Shalt Not Steal, co-created by director Dylan River and executive producer Tanith Glynn-Maloney, landed nine nominations, including best drama series, while Binge’s hit romantic comedy Colin from Accounts and Disney’s rollicking Dickensian period drama The Artful Dodger received eight nominations each, including best narrative comedy series and best drama series, respectively.
Stan miniseries Exposure, about a young photographer who returns to her home town following the death of her best friend to uncover what really happened, scored seven nominations, and Paramount+ series Fake, a conman relationship drama based on a real-life story, starring Asher Keddie and David Wenham, received six.
For the first time, voice and motion-capture performance are recognised in the acting categories, with Succession star Sarah Snook and Disclaimer star Kodi Smit-McPhee nominated for their work in Memoir Of A Snail, while British actor Jonno Davies earned a nomination for playing Robbie Williams as a CGI monkey in Better Man.
In film, Snook will compete for the best lead actress against Anya Taylor-Joy (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga), Anna Torv (Force Of Nature: The Dry 2), Phoebe Tonkin (Kid Snow), Jackie van Beek (Audrey) and Laura Gordon (Late Night with the Devil). In the best lead actor category, Davies and Smit-McPhee are up against Guy Pearce (The Convert), Eric Bana (Force Of Nature: The Dry 2), Daniel Henshall (How to Make Gravy) and David Dastmalchian (Late Night with the Devil).
This year two actors are competing against themselves: Damon Herriman and Kate Mulvany, who are both nominated twice in the best supporting actor and actress in a film categories respectively, for their performances in Better Man and How to Make Gravy.
In TV, the award for best acting in a comedy returns for its second year, with Colin from Accounts dominating the nominations with nods for Harriet Dyer, Patrick Brammall and Genevieve Hegney. Also nominated are Aaron Chen and Kitty Flanagan for ABC’s Fisk, Asher Keddie for Stan series Strife, Felicity Ward for Prime Video’s Australian version of The Office, and Love on the Spectrum star Michael Theo for ABC’s Austin.
The Aactas, formerly known as the AFI awards, span film and television, entertainment, lifestyle and factual programming. The industry awards ceremony will be held on 5 February, while the major ceremony will take place on 7 February on the Gold Coast, during the five-day Aacta festival.
2025 Aacta awards nominees
For the full list, head here
Film
Best film
Better Man
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
How to Make Gravy
Late Night with the Devil
Memoir of a Snail
Runt
Best lead actress in film
Laura Gordon – Late Night with the Devil
Sarah Snook – Memoir of s Snail
Jackie van Beek – Audrey
Anya Taylor-Joy – Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Anna Torv – Force Of Nature: The Dry 2
Phoebe Tonkin – Kid Snow
Best lead actor in film
Eric Bana – Force Of Nature: The Dry 2
David Dastmalchian – Late Night with the Devil
Jonno Davies – Better Man
Daniel Henshall – How To Make Gravy
Guy Pearce – The Convert
Kodi Smit-McPhee – Memoir of a Snail
Best supporting actress in film
Alyla Browne – Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Hannah Diviney – Audrey
Kate Mulvany – Better Man
Kate Mulvany – How To Make Gravy
Ingrid Torelli – Late Night with the Devil
Jacki Weaver – Memoir of a Snail
Best supporting actor in film
Fayssal Bazzi – Late Night with the Devil
Chris Hemsworth – Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Damon Herriman – Better Man
Damon Herriman – How To Make Gravy
Richard Roxburgh – Force Of Nature: The Dry 2
Hugo Weaving – How To Make Gravy
Best documentary
A Horse Named Winx
Every Little Thing
Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line
Otto by Otto
Porcelain War
The Musical Mind: A Portrait In Process
Best indie film
Before Dawn
Birdeater
Christmess
Just a Farmer
The Emu War
You’ll Never Find Me
Best direction in film
Better Man – Michael Gracey
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – George Miller
How To Make Gravy – Nick Waterman
Late Night with the Devil – Colin Cairnes, Cameron Cairnes
Memoir of a Snail – Adam Elliot
Television
Best drama series
Fake
Heartbreak High
The Artful Dodger
The Twelve
Thou Shalt Not Steal
Total Control
Best narrative comedy series
Austin
Bump
Colin from Accounts
Fisk
Strife
The Office
Best miniseries
Boy Swallows Universe
Exposure
Four Years Later
House of Gods
Human Error
Last Days of the Space Age
Best lead actress in a drama
Asher Keddie – Fake
Deborah Mailman – Total Control
Leah Purcell – High Country
Anna Torv – Territory
Phoebe Tonkin – Boy Swallows Universe
Sherry-Lee Watson – Thou Shalt Not Steal
Best lead actor in a drama
Zac Burgess – Boy Swallows Universe
Felix Cameron – Boy Swallows Universe
Rob Collins – Total Control
Brendan Cowell – Plum
Sam Neill – The Twelve
Noah Taylor – Thou Shalt Not Steal
Best acting in a comedy
Patrick Brammall – Colin from Accounts
Aaron Chen – Fisk
Harriet Dyer – Colin from Accounts
Kitty Flanagan – Fisk
Genevieve Hegney – Colin from Accounts
Asher Keddie – Strife
Michael Theo – Austin
Felicity Ward – The Office
Best supporting actress in a drama
Essie Davis – Exposure
Rachel Griffiths – Total Control
Heather Mitchell – Fake
Deborah Mailman – Boy Swallows Universe
Sophie Wilde – Boy Swallows Universe
Asher Yasbincek – Heartbreak High
Best supporting actor in a drama
Simon Baker – Boy Swallows Universe
Wayne Blair – Total Control
Bryan Brown – Boy Swallows Universe
Travis Fimmel – Boy Swallows Universe
Lee Tiger Halley – Boy Swallows Universe
Ewen Leslie – Prosper
Best comedy performer
Wil Anderson – Taskmaster Australia
Aaron Chen – Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mont-Spelling Bee
Anne Edmonds – Taskmaster Australia
Tom Gleeson – Hard Quiz
Guy Montgomery – Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mont-Spelling Bee
Charlie Pickering – The Weekly with Charlie Pickering
Best children’s program
Bluey
Eddie’s Lil‘ Homies
Hard Quiz Kids
Little J & Big Cuz
Play School: Big Ted’s Time Machine
Spooky Files
Best comedy entertainment program
Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mont-Spelling Bee
Hard Quiz
Have You Been Paying Attention?
Thank God You’re Here
The Cheap Seats
The Weekly with Charlie Pickering
Best factual entertainment program
Alone Australia
Gogglebox Australia
Muster Dogs
Stuff the British Stole
Take 5 with Zan Rowe
The Assembly
