Held at Sydney’s iconic Opera House last night was the inaugural Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts ceremony.

The re-vamped version of what was previously known as the Australian Film Institute Awards celebrated the best of this year’s home grown film and television. The Slap, Snowtown and Red Dog dominated the evening.  

The Academy considered The Slap’s highly evocative and confronting commentary on the sexual and political undertones of suburbia to be worthy of five statuses. The ABC1 drama won Best Television Mini-Series or Short-Run Series, Best Direction and Best Screenplay, with actors Alex Dimitriades and Diana Glenn both picking up their first AACTAs. 

The bleak and brutal psycho thriller, Snowtown, proved that a bit of macabre madness goes a long way, as Justin Kurzel picked up the award for Best Director, and Daniel Henshall earned the title of Best Actor in the film feature category. Based on the notorious bodies-in-barrels murders in South Australia during the 1990s, the cinematic text assumed the same shocking power to disturb and disquiet audience members, parallel to the way in which the callous murders severely shook the citizens of Snowtown at the time. The petrifying realism also bested the adapted screenplay category, while Louise Harries assumed the title of Best Supporting Actress. 

However, the winner of the esteemed Best Film award went to Kriv Stenders' Red Dog. The true story of a canine that wins over and unites a remote Australian mining town has become one of Australia’s highest grossing films of all time, which also earned the Members Choice award.

Other noteworthy winners from last night’s formalities include Asher Keddie, who won the Audience Choice Award for Best Performance for her portrayal of Ida Buttrose in Paper Giants, and Packed To The Rafters, who took home the Audience Choice Award for Best Television Program. East West 101 was named Best Television Drama Series and The Gruen Transfer conquered the Best Light Entertainment Series category. Some critics were surprised that the poignant Tasmanian drama, The Hunter, went home empty handed after previously winning two technical prizes. 

The night was also not only a celebration of film, but fashion too. For more details on frocks that rocked and fashion faux-pas click here.