The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) has unveiled the nominees for the 2025 AACTA Awards, which celebrate the best in Australian screen achievements across film, television, and online content.
Returning to the Gold Coast this February, the awards will highlight standout productions like “Better Man,” “Boy Swallows Universe,” and “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.” This year also sees the introduction of two new music-centric categories: Best Original Song and Best Soundtrack.
New Music Categories Shine Spotlight on Songwriters and Supervisors
AACTA is making strides to recognise the evolving role of music in screen storytelling with the launch of the Best Original Song and Best Soundtrack awards. The Best Original Song category will honour the songwriters and performers behind impactful songs that enhance a production’s emotional resonance. Meanwhile, the Best Soundtrack category will celebrate music supervisors for their critical role in crafting memorable on-screen moments.
Nominees for these categories will be chosen by an expert jury, with final winners determined by AACTA members during Round 2 voting.
AACTA CEO Damian Trewhella highlighted the importance of these additions: “Music is the heartbeat of storytelling. These awards reflect the growing recognition of how songwriters, composers, and music supervisors enrich our cinematic and television experiences.”
The AACTA Festival, running concurrently with the awards, will amplify its music programming this year. Highlights include live performances of the soundtrack for “How to Make Gravy” by Meg Washington, an exploration of “Heartbreak High”’s iconic music with supervisor Jemma Burns, and a conversation with Oscar-nominated filmmaker Scott Hicks (“Shine”).
Aspiring creatives will also benefit from workshops and networking opportunities with some of the industry’s top music professionals.
Topping the film nominations is the Robbie Williams-inspired “Better Man,” earning a record-breaking 16 nods, including Best Film and Best Direction. “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” and “How to Make Gravy” follow with 15 nominations each.
On the television front, Netflix’s “Boy Swallows Universe” leads with an unprecedented 22 nominations, including Best Miniseries and a historic eight acting nods. Other notable contenders include “Thou Shalt Not Steal” and “Colin From Accounts” each securing multiple nominations.
This year’s Best Original Song nominees include standout tracks like “Dream On” (“How to Make Gravy”) by Meg Washington and Electric Fields, and Robbie Williams’ “Forbidden Road” (“Better Man”). For Best Soundtrack, Jemma Burns earns nominations for “Boy Swallows Universe” and “Heartbreak High.”
In a historic move, AACTA has also included motion capture performances and voice acting in the acting categories for the first time. Jonno Davies received a nod for his motion-capture role in “Better Man,” while Sarah Snook (“Memoir of a Snail”) and Kodi Smit-McPhee (“Memoir of a Snail”) lead the voice acting recognitions.
The 2025 AACTA Awards will be held across two ceremonies at HOTA, Home of the Arts, on the Gold Coast:
- Industry Gala: February 5th
- Main Ceremony: February 7th
The AACTA Festival will run from February 5–9th, offering masterclasses, meet-the-nominee events, and interactive workshops.
The full list of nominees across all categories is available on the official AACTA website. For more details on the festival program and ticket sales, visit aactafestival.com.