Overview
The 7th AACTA International Awards were held on Friday 5 January 2018 in Los Angeles at The Avalon Hollywood.
Televised in Australia exclusively on Foxtel Arts, the Ceremony was hosted by Hugh Sheridan and featured a special musical performance from Delta Goodrem of Olivia Newton-John's classic 'I Honestly Love You'.
The intimate invitation-only Ceremony was a star-studded affair, with nominees in attendance including Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Gary Oldman, Sam Rockwell, Abbie Cornish and presenters Jai Courtney, Josh Lawson, Mallory Jansen, Daniel MacPherson, Josh Thomas and Longford Lyell Award recipient Phillip Noyce.
THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI led the evening, taking home three awards including: Best Film, Best Screenplay for writer-director Martin McDonagh and Best Supporting Actor for Sam Rockwell.
First-time AACTA nominee Margot Robbie received the AACTA International Award for Best Lead Actress for I, TONYA. Her portrayal of figure skater Tonya Harding has also seen the Australian actress earn her first Golden Globe, SAG, BAFTA and Oscar® nominations.
Also taking home an AACTA International Award for I, TONYA was Emmy Award winner Allison Janney, who received the Award for Best Supporting Actress.
The remaining performance award went to Gary Oldman, who received the Award for Best Lead Actor for his portrayal of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in DARKEST HOUR.
The AACTA International Award for Best Direction went to Christopher Nolan for DUNKIRK.
A highlight of the Ceremony was the presentation of the AACTA Awards for Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama and Best Supporting Actress to Nicole Kidman, who received the Awards at the 7th AACTA Awards in Sydney but was unable to accept them in person.
The 7th AACTA International Awards again acted as a reliable forecaster of which performers, practitioners and productions would go on to be recognised during the international awards season, with nominees receiving a total 56 BAFTA nominations, 5 SAG Awards, 10 Golden Globe Awards and 63 Oscar® nominations, with 25 of the 35 AACTA International Award nominees receiving nods in the same Oscar® categories.