The Australian Film Critics Association (AFCA), formerly Melbourne Film Critics' Forum, is an Australian professional association for film critics, reviewers and journalists who work in the media, based in Melbourne. It is a member of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI).
History
Formed in 1996, AFCA began as the Melbourne Film Critics' Forum, expanding to a national organisation in 2004. In the same year, AFCA became an Australian representative of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI), which comprises the national organisations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world. FIPRESCI has members in more than 50 countries worldwide. AFCA helped to establish the first FIPRESCI jury at the Adelaide Film Festival.
AFCA's members, several of whom contribute to internationally recognised media outlets, are professional film critics, film reviewers and film journalists, from all media forums, who provide informed discussion, analysis and comment on Australian and world cinema. Here are some of them (past and present):
- Adam Ross, Lachlan Marks, Alan James, Laura Bennett, Alex Thomas, Lawrence Barber, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Lee Zachariah, Lisa Thatcher, Ashley Beks, Luke Buckmaster, Marcella Papandrea, Bede Jermyn, Madeleine Swain, Mark Lavercombe, Cameron Williams, Matthew Toomey, Carol Van Opstal, Nicholas Brodie, Peter Krausz, Richard Alaba, David O'Connell, Andrew F Peirce, Nadine Whitney, Cerise Howard, Jamie Tran, Stephen A Russell, Travis Johnson, David Heslin, Jake Wilson, Karl Quinn, Glenn Dunks, Greg King, Lindsay Wilkins, Zak Hepburn, Emma Westwood, Thomas Caldwell, Josh Nelson, Lesley Chow, Sarah Ward, Jonathan Spiroff, Dave Griffiths
The body supports both mainstream and independent cinema and highlights significant or challenging films.
Film awards
On 22 January 2008, AFCA announced the results of its inaugural Film Awards for 2007. The awards span four categories comprising Best Australian Film, Best Overseas Film, Best Documentary and Best Unreleased Film (in Australia at the time of the awards). The winning and commended films granted AFCA film awards are:
In 2011 acting awards were introduced and the Best Unreleased Film category was discontinued.
| Year | Best Film | Best International Film (English Language) | Best International Film (Foreign Language) | Best Documentary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Snowtown | The Tree of Life (US) | Incendies (Canada) | Senna (UK) |
| 2012 | The Sapphires | Hugo (France/UK/US) | A Separation (Iran) | Searching for Sugar Man (Sweden/UK/Finland) |
| 2013 | Mystery Road | Django Unchained (US) | Amour (France/Germany/Austria) | Stories We Tell (Canada) |
| 2014 | The Babadook | The Grand Budapest Hotel (US/Germany) | Two Days, One Night (Belgium/France/Italy) | Jodorowsky's Dune (US/France) |
| 2015 | Mad Max: Fury Road | Birdman (US) | Phoenix (Germany) | Amy (UK) |
| 2016 | Girl Asleep | Arrival (US) | Mustang (France/Germany/Turkey) | Sherpa (Australia) |
| 2017 | Hounds of Love | Moonlight (US) | Toni Erdmann (Germany/Austria) | I Am Not Your Negro (France/US/Switzerland/Belgium) |
| 2018 | Sweet Country | You Were Never Really Here (UK/US/France) | Roma (Mexico) | Gurrumul (Australia) |
Writing awards
In conjunction with its 2009 film awards, AFCA announced the results of its inaugural writing awards. The categories and winners are:
| Year | Ivan Hutchinson Award for Writing on Australian Film | Award for Writing on Non-Australian Film | Award for a Review of an individual Australian Film | Award for a Review of an individual Non-Australian Film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Loving Samson and Delilah, Therese Davis | Fake Politics for the Real America, Martyn Pedler | Disgrace, Alice Tynan | 2012, Stephen Rowley |
| 2010 | Some of the Finest Films, Thomas Caldwell | A Feast of Love – Eros, Agape and The Food Film, Bernard Hemingway | The Loved Ones, Anders Wotzke | I'm Still Here, Luke Buckmaster |
| 2011 | Who’s Afraid of the Working Class? We Are, Rebecca Harkins-Cross | Islands and Ghosts: Roman Polanski's The Ghost Writer, Jake Wilson | Griff the Invisible, Alice Tynan | Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, Josh Nelson |
| 2012 | God in all things: Amiel Courtin-Wilson's Hail, Josh Nelson | The Shape of Rage: David Cronenberg's Dangerous Methods, Rebecca Harkins Cross | All the Way Through Evening, Michael Scott | The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Laurence Barber |
| 2013 | Launching The Rocket: Beyond the Typical Australian Film, Glenn Dunks | Through the Mind: Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master, Scott MacLeod | The Great Gatsby, Simon Miraudo | To the Wonder, Simon Di Berardino |
| 2014 | Anger and Banality in Ghosts… of the Civil Dead, Thomas Caldwell | Time Enough at Last: The Long History of the Long Film, Jake Moody | The Babadook, Alexandra Donald | Boyhood, Kristen S. He |
| 2015 | The Shadow of the Rock, Rebecca Harkins-Cross | – | Mad Max: Fury Road, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas | Bridge of Spies, Luke Goodsell |
| 2016 | South of Ealing: recasting a British studio's antipodean escapade, Adrian Danks | – | Joe Cinque's Consolation, Lauren Carroll Harris | No Home Movie, Ivan Cercina |
| 2017 | Dog Day, Every Day: Gillian Leahy’s Baxter and Me and the Essay Film, Adrian Martin | – | Ellipsis, Luke Buckmaster | Risk, Glenn Dunks |
| 2018 | The art of metamorphosis: Julian Rosefeldt's 'Manifesto, Gabrielle O'Brien | – | West of Sunshine, Andrew Peirce | Disobedience, Glen Falkenstein |
See also
References
- "Contact". Australian Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- Thurling, Jan. "Australian Film Critics". National Film and Sound Archive. Archived from the original on 30 May 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
- "FIPRESCI – Members". FIPRESCI. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
- "MEMBERS – Australian Film Critics Association". Australian Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
- "Who are we?". Australian Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on 25 October 2008. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
- "Noise named best Australian film of 2007". The Age. 23 January 2008. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
- "AFCA Awards 2009: The Black Balloon Soars Again". Urban Cinefile. 29 January 2009. Archived from the original on 2 October 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
- "2009 AFCA Awards Winners". AFCA. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
- "AFCA Announces results of annual industry awards". ArtsHub. 21 February 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
- Delaney, Colin (28 February 2012). "Snowtown takes top spots at the Australian Film Critics Association Film Awards". Mumbrella. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
- "AFCA 2013 Writing & Film Award Winners". AFCA. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
- "AFCA 2014 Writing & Film Award Winners". AFCA. Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
- "AFCA 2015 Writing & Film Award Winners". AFCA. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
- "AFCA 2016 Writing & Film Award Winners". AFCA. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
- "AFCA 2017 Writing & Film Award Winners". AFCA. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
- "AFCA 2018 Writing & Film Award Winners". AFCA. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
- "2019 AFCA Awards". AFCA. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
- "2019 Writing Awards". AFCA. Archived from the original on 22 October 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2019.