The most awarded Aussie in Oscar history is set to receive the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts’ (AACTA) most prestigious award. Deadline reports that costume, production, and set designer and producer Catherine Martin will be be presented with the Longford Lyell Award, which is the “highest honour that the Australian Academy can bestow upon an individual and recognizes a person who has made a truly outstanding contribution to the enrichment of Australia’s screen environment and culture while raising global awareness about Australia’s thriving film industry.”
Martin has taken home four Oscars, two apiece for “Moulin Rouge!” and “The Great Gatsby.” She also received noms for “Romeo + Juliet” and “Australia.”
“First presented in 1968, the Longford Lyell Award honors Australian film pioneer Raymond Longford and his partner in filmmaking and life, Lottie Lyell,” per the source.
“I am humbled and honored to be this year’s recipient of the Longford Lyle Award,” Martin emphasized. “To be recognized by one’s peers in one’s home country is profoundly meaningful. Australia, with its myriad filmmaking opportunities and wonderful talents, has been extraordinarily fertile soil for my body of work, and for this, I am truly grateful. The award also resonates with me personally as its namesakes were, as Baz and I am, both partners in life and art,” said Martin, referring to her long-time collaborator and husband, director Baz Luhrmann. “I often joke that we are just getting started, so I hope this ‘lifetime achievement award’ is not a full stop, but a comma; heralding the beginning of new and exciting creative adventures to be shared with both long-time collaborators and new artists alike, in front of and behind the camera.”
Damian Trewhella, AACTA’s CEO, added, “For more than three decades, Catherine Martin has been injecting color and life onto our screens through visionary artistry and experimental designs. Receiving the Byron Kennedy Award from the Australian Film Institute in 1999 and now the Longford Lyell Award, 23 years later, exemplifies the dedication she has for her craft. Catherine is held in the highest regard by her peers and audiences globally and the Australian Academy is proud to honor her relentless work and outstanding contribution to the industry.”
The 2022 AACTA Awards will take place December 7.
Martin’s most recent credit is “Elvis.” She produced the biopic of the music superstar and also served as costume designer and production designer on it.
