The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) just announced the winners of its 2020 awards ceremony, and Shannon Murphy’s “Babyteeth” has got plenty to celebrate.
Penned by Rita Kalnejais and based on her play of the same name, the coming-of-age pic tells the story of Milla (Eliza Scanlen), a terminally ill highschooler who falls head over heels for a drug dealer (Toby Wallace). Her parents (Essie Davis and Ben Mendelsohn) struggle to navigate their daughter’s budding relationship with the 23-year-old.
“Babyteeth,” which marks Murphy’s feature debut, took home honors for Best Film, Best Direction, Screenplay, Actress (Scanlen), Actor (Wallace), Supporting Actress (Davis), and Supporting Actor (Mendelsohn).
The critically acclaimed drama made its world premiere at last year’s Venice Film Festival, where it was one of just two titles directed by women screening in the main competition.
“Stateless,” a refugee drama co-created by and co-starring Cate Blanchett, also scored a slew of awards including Best Screenplay (Elise McCredi), Direction (Emma Freeman), Mini Series, Lead Actress (Yvonne Strahovski), Lead Actor (Fayssal Bazzi), Supporting Actress (Blanchett), and Supporting Actor (Darren Gilshenan) The six-part series tells the story of four strangers whose lives intersect at an immigration detention center.
