Overview

Everyone said Cassie was a Promising Young Woman... until a mysterious event abruptly derailed her future. But nothing in Cassie’s life is what it appears to be: she’s wickedly smart, tantalizingly cunning, and she’s living a secret double life by night. Now, an unexpected encounter is about to give Cassie a chance to right the wrongs of the past.

Promising Young Woman is produced by Margot Robbie, Emerald Fennell, Josey McNamara, Tom Ackerley and Ben Browning.

Carey Mulligan has become one of her generation’s most respected actresses since her breakthrough performance in 2009’s An Education brought her international acclaim. Known for riveting work in an array of dramatic films from Never Let Me Go, Drive and Shame. In Promising Young Woman she portrays Cassie, a heroine who is tough yet vulnerable, and who projects apathy yet inside is consumed by emotion and paralysed by grief.

The Father, adapted from director Florian Zeller’s award-winning play, stars Olivia Colman as Anne in an intensely moving examination of dementia as seen through the fractured mind of Anthony Hopkins who plays her father in the film. In this heartbreaking story of a deteriorating relationship between father and daughter, Colman brings conflict and empathy to her award-winning performance.  

Chloé Zhao was born in Beijing, China. She was raised there and also in Brighton, England. After moving to the US, she studied Film Production at New York University. As a writer, director and producer, her first feature Songs My Brothers Taught Me premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2015 and her second feature The Rider premiered at Cannes Film Festival’s Director’s Fortnight in 2017. As well as directing Nomadland, she produced, edited and adapted it from the book by Jessica Bruder.

Based on true events, The Trial of the Chicago 7 centres around a group of political activists who were put on trial for their antiwar activities during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Aaron Sorkin plowed through over a dozen books on the subject and read 21,000 pages of court documents to create a screenplay that is a marvel of the craft.

“In every role throughout this career, Chadwick sought to amplify Black storytellers and shed light on the Black experience. Becoming Levee Green was both challenging and rewarding- he was incredibly proud to portray him in August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. What an honor it is for Chadwick to be named Best Actor in this year’s AACTA Awards. Thank you for the opportunity to celebrate Chadwick and his inimitable work.”

Simone Ledward Boseman

The Trial of Chicago 7 follows the real-life story of seven defendants charged with federal crimes arising from the protests that took place at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Sacha Baron Cohen, best known for his politically incorrect satire Borat, plays activist Abbie Hoffman and delivers a compelling performance for his first AACTA International Award win.

When video-store magnate Johnny Rose and his family suddenly find themselves broke, they are forced to leave their pampered lives to regroup in Schitt’s Creek. Created by father-son duo, Eugene and Dan Levy, Schitt’s Creek is a comedic phenomenon that has taken the world by storm.

Based on Walter Tevis's 1983 novel, The Queen’s Gambit follows the life of Beth Harmon, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, an orphaned chess prodigy on a journey to become the first female chess champion. A worldwide phenomenon, The Queen’s Gambit is one of Netflix’s most-watched mini-series.

In The Queens Gambit Anya Taylor-Joy delivered one of the year’s most captivating performances as a chess prodigy struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. Anya’s magnetic performance received widespread critical acclaim and is credited with drawing over 60 million viewers to the series in its first 28 days of release.

“To all the AACTA members who voted for me to be awarded Best Actor in a Series I am very grateful and humbled.

What can I say about my contemporaries nominated for this award except they are some of the greatest actors on the planet, in some of the best shows ever made. For me to be in such exalted company is truly a great honour. Thank you.

I also want to acknowledge the Mystery Road series and what it says about Australia, our true identify and our history. I am so proud it is a First Nations series that is the top rating drama on Australian Television.

Finally, I want to thank my brother Ivan Sen for conceiving of my Mystery Road character, Detective Jay Swan. It is the role of a lifetime. Again thank you. Thank you all.”

Aaron Pedersen

The AACTA International Award nominees were announced on the 13 February 2021 and with many nominees honoured in the 10th AACTA International Awards Nominations Montage, paying tribute to their impressive work. 

Attracting some of the biggest names in screen worldwide, the AACTA International Awards receive attention from a vast swathe of international media, including leading outlets such as Extra, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Variety, Inside Film, Gold Derby and Daily Mail.

Media highlights from the 9^th and 8^th AACTA International Awards included Extra, The Hollywood Reporter, Daily Mail, Deadline, Gold Derby, Forbes, The Wrap & Variety.