The 2026 Aacta Awards ceremony took place on Friday in a glittering display of recognition for excellence in Australian film and television. And what a night it was - Bring Her Back reigned supreme, claiming the lion's share of awards with an impressive 10 out of 16 nominations.
Danny and Michael Philippou's chilling horror-thriller, which tells the tale of a sinister foster mother, won best direction, best film, and numerous technical accolades including cinematography, editing, original score, sound, costume design, hair and makeup, and casting. This marks a significant milestone for the Adelaide brothers, who surpass their previous eight awards from 2024's breakout hit Talk to Me.
Meanwhile, Jacob Elordi continued his winning streak after Critics' Choice Movie award win for his portrayal of the Creature in Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein. He took home best lead actor in a drama for his role as army surgeon Dorrigo Evans in the screen adaptation of Richard Flanagan's Booker prize-winning novel The Narrow Road to the Deep North.
Elordi's performance earned him another award, this time for audience choice favourite Australian actor. Currently on a publicity tour for Wuthering Heights, scheduled for global release next week, Elordi accepted his awards via pre-recorded video link.
Margot Robbie won best favourite Australian actress for her role in the upcoming adaptation of Wuthering Heights. Other winners included The Narrow Road to the Deep North, which claimed nine Aacta awards, including best supporting actress, and Netflix miniseries Apple Cider Vinegar, which took home two awards - best miniseries and best casting.
ABC series The Newsreader concluded on four wins, including best drama series, while Bump won best narrative comedy series. Miranda Tapsell was recognised for her performance in Top End Bub, with SBS's three-part docudrama series The People vs Robodebt winning two awards for best documentary or factual program and best direction in nonfiction television.
Other winners included Grand Designs Australia, Play School: All Together, Hard Quiz, and Tom Gleeson's host award. Gleeson dedicated his win to the chair of the ABC, Kim Williams, before joking about the woes of the Liberal party.
The film categories saw The Correspondent earning Richard Roxburgh best lead actor in a film, with The Surfer also taking home an award for Julian McMahon, who sadly passed away last year at 56. Journey Home won best documentary film, and animated comedy Lesbian Space Princess took home the indie film award.
Veteran filmmaker Bruce Beresford was recognised with the Longford Lyell lifetime achievement award by Bryan Brown, with video tributes from Morgan Freeman, Kyle MacLachlan, Susie Porter, and Shane Jacobsen.
Danny and Michael Philippou's chilling horror-thriller, which tells the tale of a sinister foster mother, won best direction, best film, and numerous technical accolades including cinematography, editing, original score, sound, costume design, hair and makeup, and casting. This marks a significant milestone for the Adelaide brothers, who surpass their previous eight awards from 2024's breakout hit Talk to Me.
Meanwhile, Jacob Elordi continued his winning streak after Critics' Choice Movie award win for his portrayal of the Creature in Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein. He took home best lead actor in a drama for his role as army surgeon Dorrigo Evans in the screen adaptation of Richard Flanagan's Booker prize-winning novel The Narrow Road to the Deep North.
Elordi's performance earned him another award, this time for audience choice favourite Australian actor. Currently on a publicity tour for Wuthering Heights, scheduled for global release next week, Elordi accepted his awards via pre-recorded video link.
Margot Robbie won best favourite Australian actress for her role in the upcoming adaptation of Wuthering Heights. Other winners included The Narrow Road to the Deep North, which claimed nine Aacta awards, including best supporting actress, and Netflix miniseries Apple Cider Vinegar, which took home two awards - best miniseries and best casting.
ABC series The Newsreader concluded on four wins, including best drama series, while Bump won best narrative comedy series. Miranda Tapsell was recognised for her performance in Top End Bub, with SBS's three-part docudrama series The People vs Robodebt winning two awards for best documentary or factual program and best direction in nonfiction television.
Other winners included Grand Designs Australia, Play School: All Together, Hard Quiz, and Tom Gleeson's host award. Gleeson dedicated his win to the chair of the ABC, Kim Williams, before joking about the woes of the Liberal party.
The film categories saw The Correspondent earning Richard Roxburgh best lead actor in a film, with The Surfer also taking home an award for Julian McMahon, who sadly passed away last year at 56. Journey Home won best documentary film, and animated comedy Lesbian Space Princess took home the indie film award.
Veteran filmmaker Bruce Beresford was recognised with the Longford Lyell lifetime achievement award by Bryan Brown, with video tributes from Morgan Freeman, Kyle MacLachlan, Susie Porter, and Shane Jacobsen.
it's amazing to see danny & michael philippou take home so many awards!! they totally deserved it for their incredible work on that film 
jacob elordi slaying the game with his two wins, can't wait to see him in wuthering heights next week 
margot robbie is giving me major actress goals too, best favourite australian actress is not going to get any better than her 
meanwhile, i'm so proud of our talented aussie actors & filmmakers - this is what it's all about, celebrating the art and hard work of those who bring us amazing stories 
Bring Her Back is EVERYTHING!!! I'm literally so happy for the Philippou brothers - they're like my ultimate fave duo right now! Danny's direction is SO good and I love how they won so many awards!! 
And can we talk about Jacob Elordi for a sec? He's giving me LIFE as always! 
His performance in Frankenstein was CHILLING and I'm loving him even more now. And Margot Robbie's win for best favourite Australian actress is just icing on the cake!!! 
I'm loving how Bring Her Back slayed the competition - 10 awards out of 16? That's insane 
! And to think Danny and Michael Philippou are still riding high after that Talk to Me win last year 
. The Aacta Awards never cease to amaze me - the mix of established and up-and-coming talent is always so impressive 
, what a legend! 
. I love that Margot Robbie won favourite Aussie actress for Wuthering Heights, can't wait to see the adaptation 
. And props to Bryan Brown for giving Bruce Beresford the Longford Lyell lifetime achievement award 
! Remember when the Aacta Awards used to be a real thing? 
It's crazy to think that Danny Philippou is now on his way to being a total Hollywood star, and Jacob Elordi's name is synonymous with Aussie acting. I'm also loving that Margot Robbie won for Wuthering Heights - it's like she's carrying the torch for our Aussie talent 
. But seriously, have you seen Talk to Me? That movie was a game-changer for Danny Philippou and those guys... what happened to him?! Anyway, congrats to all the winners, I guess 
And can we talk about Margot Robbie's win for her role in Wuthering Heights?? She's literally the queen of Australian acting now 
. Jacob Elordi is on fire too, winning Critics' Choice Movie award and best lead actor in a drama 
. And Jacob Elordi's win for The Narrow Road to the Deep North was well-deserved, he's been killing it lately 
. Netflix is finally starting to produce some quality content, like Apple Cider Vinegar, and it's great to see shows like The Newsreader and Bump getting recognition 
. And RIP Julian McMahon, I'm still trying to wrap my head around his passing 
.
... but at the same time, I think it's bloody brilliant! The way it won so many awards just shows how talented the Philippou brothers are as directors... wait, no, maybe they're not all that talented and this was just a fluke 
, but his performance in Frankenstein was kinda meh, if you ask me 
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, but just because she's amazing and deserves all the awards. And ABC series The Newsreader is still so underrated in my opinion 
... despite winning four awards, of course 
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. And Bruce Beresford is a legend in my book... but I'm also kinda tired of him getting all the recognition, you know? It's not like anyone else has done anything amazing recently 
.
but honestly i'm just happy to see more aussies getting recognition for their work 
. But it's great that his memory lives on with The Surfer win. And Bruce Beresford, what a legend! Longford Lyell lifetime achievement award is the real deal