AACTA nominations for Aussie films; Cate Blanchett, ‘The Dressmaker’ and others make the cut; 'Carol' and 'The Big Short' in the lead

The 5th Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) nominations are out and it is no surprise that “The Big Short” and “Carol” are leading the charts.

The organisers of the AACTA announced the list of nominees for the fifth award ceremony, on Wednesday. Australian movies like “The Dressmaker” and US-Australian venture “Mad Max: Fury Road” have made the cut this year.

Australian actress Cate Blanchett, is also nominated. Cate who was also nominated for the Golden Globes and is also likely to be a Oscar nominee, has been nominated for best actress, for her performance in Todd Haynes' “Carol”

Another Australian actor who is nominated as the best supporting actor for the crime drama “Black Mass” is Joel Edgerton

Of the 17 films which have received nominations for excellence in various categories like Best Film, Best Direction, Best Screenplay, Best Lead Actor, Best Lead Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress, “Carol” leads the list with maximum number of nominations.

The 1950s lesbian love story “Carol”, directed by Todd Haynes, has been nominated in five categories, including best film, direction, screenplay and supporting actress, apart from Cate’s nomination for best Actress.

“The Big Short” has received four nominations, while “Mad Max: Fury Road”, “The Revenant”, “The Martian” and “Steve Jobs” have received three nominations each.

The AACTA CEO, Damian Trewhella said, “The AACTA International Awards add a unique Australian voice to the international discussion of screen excellence. They add a uniquely Australian perspective to the conversation, clearly evident this year, with a number of nominations for outstanding Australians who have excelled on the international stage, who we are very proud to count among our nominees.”

The AACTA International Awards are determined by AACTA’s International Chapter, which is invitation only and comprises Australian screen professionals with distinguished international credentials. The Chapter currently has 150 members

The AACTA International Awards will be telecast in Australia exclusively on Foxtel. The full show will be telecast on Sunday 31 January at 7:30pm on Foxtel Arts, and at 9:30pm on Arena.