Melbourne thriller ‘Animal Kingdom’ sweeps AFI awards

Melbourne: Melbourne crime thriller ‘Animal Kingdom’ dominated the 2010 AFI awards by claiming 10 major gongs.

The film won the main awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for David Michod, reports a website. The dark Melbourne crime thriller had been nominated in a record 18 categories. Jacki Weaver’s gripping performance as the crime matriarch in the film won her the Best Actress AFI. The veteran actor is a big chance to receive an Academy Award nomination when they are announced next month. She has said she is not even thinking about an Oscar nod because she does not want to jinx her chances. But most Hollywood experts agree that Weaver is an outside chance. ‘Animal Kingdom’ has been a cult hit, receiving favourable reviews in the US. Ben Mendelsohn, who has been nominated for an AFI eight times, took out the Best Actor award. It was a big night for ‘Animal Kingdom’ director Michod, who also won the AFI for Best Original Screenplay. ‘Avatar’ star Sam Worthington won the AFI International Award for Best Actor. Mia Wasikowska won the AFI International Award for Best Actress for her role in ‘Alice in Wonderland’. In the television categories, the big winner was telemovie ‘Hawke’, based on the life of former prime minister Bob Hawke. It won three awards - for Best Telefeature, Mini-Series or Short Run Series, Best Direction in Television for Emma Freeman and Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama for Richard Roxburgh. Deborah Mailman was also a big winner, picking up Best Supporting Actress for her role in ‘Bran Nue Day’ and Best Guest or Supporting Actress in Television drama for her role in ‘Offpsring’. The awards were held at the Regent Theatre and were hosted by Kenny star Shane Jacobson. ANI