It’s Australia’s answer to awards season. The AACTA Awards, presented by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts, have now announced their film and television nominations for 2026.
Voting is excusive to AACTA members, and winners will be announced at a ceremony on 6 February 2026.
Here are our predictions for the key film awards.
2026 AACTA Awards – quick links
Best film
This year the nominees for AACTA’s Best Film award are:
- Bring Her Back
- Kangaroo
- Lesbian Space Princess
- The Correspondent
- The Surfer
- The Travellers
Awards ceremonies can be snooty when it comes to genre, so it’s brilliant to see nominations for Bring Her Back, the brilliant new spooker from the Philippou twins, Danny and Michael, as well as Lorcan Finnegan’s deliriously sunburnt The Surfer.
Sadly Zak Hilditch’s We Bury the Dead isn’t a player, but horror done good this year.
It’s also fab to see Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese’s Teddy Award-winning, saucy and gloriously silly queer comedy Lesbian Space Princess, South Australia’s first animated feature, get a nod.
Inside, Charles Williams’ prison drama about wounded masculinity, is one of the best Australian films in recent years. It’s extremely disappointing that it’s not recognised here.
Industry stalwart Bruce Beresford’s The Travellers is unlikely, with cute family film Kangaroo completing an impressive cross-section of where Australian cinema is at.
Kriv Stenders’ Peter Greste biopic, The Correspondent, is most likely, detailing a serious story about press freedom that’s likely to appeal to voters, but don’t rule out an upset from Lesbian Space Princess or Bring Her Back.
Best direction
Nominated for Best Direction in Film are:
- Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou, Bring Her Back
- Kate Woods, Kangaroo
- Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese, Lesbian Space Princess
- Kriv Stenders, The Correspondent
- Bruce Beresford, The Travellers
Again, Williams is a shocking omission here. Beresford is unlikely to claim glory, but you can’t rule Stenders out. However, a win for the Philippou brothers or Hobbs and Varghese would recognise the fresh energy they bring to Australian cinema.
Best lead actress
AACTA’s nominees for the Best Lead Actress in Film award are:
- Alison Brie, Together
- Emily Browning, One More Shot
- Sally Hawkins, Bring Her Back
- Susie Porter, The Travellers
- Daisy Ridley, We Bury The Dead
- Lily Whiteley, Kangaroo
While Emily Browning was brilliant in Stan’s Groundhog Day-mining One More Shot, Susie Porter is always welcome, and it’s fab to see breakthrough talent in First Nations actor Lily Whiteley.
Still, we reckon this is going to an interloper. Hawkins delivered one of the greatest (and most distressing) performances of the year in Bring Her Back, with Ridley also devastatingly good. But can they beat the trend for snubbing horror?
Best supporting actress
For supporting roles, the nominees are:
- Marta Dusseldorp, With or Without You
- Deborah Mailman, Kangaroo
- Brooke Satchwell, Kangaroo
- Yael Stone, The Correspondent
- Sally-Anne Upton, Bring Her Back
- Sora Wong, Bring Her Back
Received wisdom holds that more than one star nominated for the same film splits the vote, making them both less likely to win. That may free up the race for Yael Stone, but don’t rule out an upset for Sora Wong’s remarkable breakthrough in Bring Her Back, which would be awesome representation for Australia’s vision-impaired community.
Best lead actor
Nominated for AACTA’s Best Lead Actor in Film award are:
- Bryan Brown, The Travellers
- Ryan Corr, Kangaroo
- Jai Courtney, Dangerous Animals
- Guy Pearce, Inside
- Richard Roxburgh, The Correspondent
- David Wenham, Spit
The big guns are out, with Breaker Morant legend Bryan Brown competing against Inside’s Guy Pearce, Richard Roxburgh as journalist Peter Greste and David Wenham representing Jonathan Teplitzky’s long delayed Gettin’ Square sequel, Spit.
I know we’re harping on (geddit?) about horror, but Jai Courtney was super-fun as a bogan villain in Sean Byrne’s shark-chomping treat, Dangerous Animals. But this one is Pearce’s to lose, deservedly so, countering the cold shoulder for Inside.
Best supporting actor
For the Best Supporting Actor in Film award, the nominees are:
- Damon Herriman, Together
- Cosmo Jarvis, Inside
- Julian Maroun, The Correspondent
- Julian McMahon, The Surfer
- Rahel Romahn, The Correspondent
- Jonah Wren Phillips, Bring Her Back
The Correspondent runs the double-up risk here. Import Cosmo Jarvis was electric in Inside, with emerging actor Jonah Wren Philips deeply creepy in Bring Her Back. But AACTA voters may want to honour the legacy of Julian McMahon, taken far too soon.
Best documentary
The field for the Best Documentary award is:
- Ellis Park, Justin Kurzel
- Journey Home, David Gulpilil, Maggie Miles and Trisha Morton-Thomas
- Not Only Fred Dagg But Also John Clarke, Lorin Clarke
- Songs Inside, Shalom Almond
- Unbreakable – The Jelena Dokic Story, Jessica Halloran and Ivan O’Mahoney
- Yurlu | Country, Yaara Bou Melhem
It’s an impressive field dominated by women filmmakers. Shalom Almond’s Songs Inside offers remarkable insights into how music can change the lives of women serving time. Lorin Clarke’s luminous tribute to her much-loved satirical father is also a strong contender.
We suspect luminous Journey Home, David Gulpilil, recognising a true Australian icon and allowing unprecedented access into sacred ceremonies, may sway AACTA voters.
Best screenplay
- Bring Her Back, Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman
- Inside, Charles Williams
- Lesbian Space Princess, Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese
- The Correspondent, Peter Duncan
- Together, Michael Shanks
This is where AACTA voters can and should make up for their half-hearted support of Inside.
