Past Winners

1970-1979

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AACTA Winners & Nominees

AFI Past winners

17 feature films were entered in the 1977 awards. A revised voting system allowed actors and actresses to vote for the acting awards; directors for the directing award; editors for editing and sound editing. As before, voters in all categories combined with members and associate members of the AFI to decide Best Film. Nominations in 13 categories went to Picture Show Man, Storm Boy, Break Of Day, Oz, Let The Balloon Go, Raw Deal, Don’s Party, Deathcheaters, The Fourth Wish, Mad Dog Morgan, Summer Of Secrets and Eliza Fraser.

An award for Best Original Music, which had been given in 1974/5, but not since then, was reinstated. The other new categories were Best Sound, Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction.

Storm Boy secured 9 nominations against 8 for Don’s Party and Picture Show Man. Oz was a finalist in 6 categories, but finished empty-handed. Break Of Day and The Fourth Wish were nominated in 5, while Mad Dog Morgan and Raw Deal each secured 3 unsuccessful nominations. The remaining four films received one each.

Picture Show Man scored early with Judith Dorsman winning the initial Best Costume award and David Copping the one for Best Art Direction. Copping had also been nominated in this category for Storm Boy. Peter Best received the film’s third award - this one for Best Original Music. John Ewart took the film’s final award in the Best Supporting Actor category. Like Copping, he had been nominated for two films - the other being Let The Balloon Go. Later that year, Picture Show Man was a popular success at the London Film Festival.

Don’s Party began to build momentum. William Anderson received the awards for Best Editing and Best Sound. Veronica Lang was named Best Supporting Actress, Pat Bishop was named Best Lead Actress and David Williamson received his second screenplay award. When Bruce Beresford won Best Direction, the film had taken six awards from six nominations.

Russell Boyd was nominated for two films in the Best Cinematography section. On the night, his work on Break Of Day was preferred to his equally brilliant work on Summer Of Secrets.

The award for Best Lead Actor went to John Meillon. He also had been nominated for two films - Picture Show Man and The Fourth Wish. His victory was for the latter. It was a very popular decision.

Despite the dominance thus far of Don’s Party, the award for Best Film went to Storm Boy. It also received the Jury Prize and the Jedda Award. Storm Boy achieved great commercial success in Australia and internationally.

The Special Fiction category was contested between three very strong 53-minute films. On the night, the Gold Award went to Stephen Wallace’s Love Letters From Teralba Road. The Silver Award went to Gillian Armstrong’s The Singer And The Dancer. The Bronze Award went to Donald Crombie’s Do I Have To Kill My Child? Love Letters From Teralba Road also received the Silver Award for Cinematography and one of the Two Special Awards for Creativity. In the next three years, each of these three directors would be nominated for the Best Direction award, along with Bruce Beresford, Peter Weir, Esben Storm, Fred Schepisi and some exciting new faces.

The 1977 Raymond Longford award was given posthumously to Charles Chauvel.

 

Note: Up until 1970, with a few exceptions, AFI Awards were presented in recognition of films and productions, rather than the achievements of individual filmmakers and craftspeople. From 1971, an increasing number of AFI Awards were introduced recognising individual achievements and, from 1976, AFI Awards were presented on this basis across all feature films. From 1980 onwards, all AFI Awards were awarded to individual filmmakers and crafts people.

Where an Award was presented in recognition of a film rather than a filmmaker, we have also listed the producer and director of the film, where this information is available. For craft-specific awards, we have also listed the respective craftsperson where possible. These filmmakers and craftspeople are listed in brackets after the Award that their film received.

1977 Winners & Nominees

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  • Barry-Eaton,--Keir-Dullea,-Karen-Black-1977
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  • John-Waters-1977
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FEATURE FILM

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JURY AWARDS

  • Jury Prize

  • Winner:

    Storm Boy (Producer: Matt Carroll, Director: Henri Safran)

  • Documentary

  • Winner:

    We Are All Alone My Dear Silver Award (Producer / Director: Paul Cox)
    Greg Bronze Award (Producer: Tom Manefield, Director: Phillip Noyce)
    Here's To You Mr Robinson Honourable Mention (Producer: Gary Patterson, Peter Tammer, Director: Peter Tammer)
    Garden Jungle Special Award for Macrophotography

  • Special Fiction

  • Winner:

    Love Letters From Teralba Road Gold Award (Producer: Richard Brennan, Director: Stephen Wallace)
    The Singer And The Dancer Silver Award (Producer / Director: Gillian Armstrong)
    Do I Have To Kill My Child? Bronze Award (Producer: Timothy Read, Janet Isaac, Director: Donald Crombie)
    The Idyll Honourable Mention (Producer: Paul Jansen, Aphrodite Kondos)
    In The Beginning Honourable Mention (Producer / Director: Mark D'Arcy-Irvine)

  • Advertising

  • Winner:

    Italy Gold Award
    Rover Special Award
    O.T.C. "Phone Home To..." series Special Award

  • Award for Cinematography sponsored by Kodak (Australasia)

  • Winner:

    Love Letters From Teralba Road Tom Cowan (Silver Award)
    The Last Harvest David Foreman (Bronze Award)

  • Two Special Awards for Creativity sponsored by the Australian Film Commission

  • Winner:

    Journey Among Women Tom Cowan
    Love Letters From Teralba Road Stephen Wallace

  • Raymond Longford Award

  • Winner:

    Charles Chauvel (Director / Producer / Writer)

  • Jedda Award sponsored by the Australian National Travel Association

  • Winner:

    Storm Boy (Producer: Matt Carroll, Director: Henri Safran)

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