MELBOURNE, Wednesday, 7 December 2011: The nominees for the inaugural Australian Academy Cinema Television Arts Awards (Samsung AACTA Awards – formerly the AFI Awards) have been announced, revealing a haul of nods for SBS programs available now on DVD – EAST WEST 101, ROCKWIZ and IMMIGRATION NATION – as well as THE TALL MAN, coming to DVD, 8 February, 2012 ($29.95srp).
In the feature length documentary category, THE TALL MAN has taken out 4 nominations, including Best Feature Length Documentary. Based on Chloe Hooper’s award winning book, and from the makers of FIRST AUSTRALIANS, THE TALL MAN is the story of Cameron Doomadgee, a resident of the tropical paradise of Palm Island who swore at a police officer one morning and lay dead in a prison cell forty minutes later. It is also the story of that policeman – the tall, enigmatic Christopher Hurley and the struggle to bring him to trial.
THE TALL MAN was also recently awarded the prestigious Walkley Award for Excellence in Documentary. The Walkley Foundation introduced this new award category for Australia’s most highly regarded media accolades in 2011, as a part of the celebrations in the centenary of Australian journalism.
SBS’ in-depth exploration of our untold immigration story and the dramatic saga of how modern Australia came to be, IMMIGRATION NATION: THE SECRET HISTORY OF US, has also picked up a nomination in the Best Documentary series category.
In the television category, the third series of the riveting Sydney-based crime drama, EAST WEST 101, has received 4 nominations in total, including Best Television Drama Series and Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama. EAST WEST 101 has taken out numerous AFI Awards in the past. Meanwhile, Australia’s longest-running music trivia series, and also previous AFI Award winner, ROCKWIZ, takes out a nomination in the Best Light Entertainment Television Series.
The winners will be announced at the newly established Samsung AACTA Awards red carpet ceremony, to be held in Sydney and broadcast on the Nine Network on Tuesday, 31st January, 2012.