Penelope Cruz Earns AACTA International Awards Nomination for “Parallel Mothers”

It’s an AACTA of appreciation for Penelope Cruz

The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) has announced the nominees for its 11th AACTA International Awards, with the 47-year-old Spanish Oscar-winning actress earning a nod.

Cruz is nominated in the Best Lead Actress category for her starring turn in Pedro Almodovar’s Parallel Mothers. It’s her first-ever AACTA nomination.

Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast and Jane Campion’s The Power Of The Dog leading the pack, at seven and six mentions, respectively.

The 2021 AACTA International Awards will be presented virtually at 7am January 27 Australia time, which is 12pm PT January 26.

Celebrating the most outstanding film and television productions made this year, the awards are determined by many of Australia’s leading filmmakers and content creators.

This is the second year AACTA has extended the awards to include global TV across four categories.

Here’s the full list of nominees:

FILM

BEST FILM
BEING THE RICARDOS
BELFAST
DUNE
LICORICE PIZZA
NITRAM
THE POWER OF THE DOG

BEST LEAD ACTOR
Benedict Cumberbatch – THE POWER OF THE DOG
Caleb Landry Jones – NITRAM
Andrew Garfield – TICK, TICK … BOOM!
Will Smith – KING RICHARD
Denzel Washington – THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH

BEST LEAD ACTRESS
Penélope Cruz – PARALLEL MOTHERS
Lady Gaga – HOUSE OF GUCCI
Jennifer Hudson – RESPECT
Nicole Kidman – BEING THE RICARDOS
Kristen Stewart – SPENCER

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Caitríona Balfe – BELFAST
Cate Blanchett – DON’T LOOK UP
Judi Dench – BELFAST
Kirsten Dunst – THE POWER OF THE DOG
Sally Hawkins – SPENCER

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Bradley Cooper – LICORICE PIZZA
Jamie Dornan – BELFAST
Ciarán Hinds – BELFAST
Al Pacino – HOUSE OF GUCCI
Kodi Smit-McPhee – THE POWER OF THE DOG

BEST DIRECTION
BELFAST – Kenneth Branagh
DUNE – Denis Villeneuve
LICORICE PIZZA – Paul Thomas Anderson
NITRAM – Justin Kurzel
THE POWER OF THE DOG – Jane Campion

BEST SCREENPLAY
BEING THE RICARDOS – Aaron Sorkin
BELFAST – Kenneth Branagh
LICORICE PIZZA – Paul Thomas Anderson
NITRAM – Shaun Grant
THE POWER OF THE DOG – Jane Campion

TELEVISION

BEST DRAMA
MAID
MARE OF EASTTOWN
NINE PERFECT STRANGERS
SQUID GAME
SUCCESSION
THE HANDMAID’S TALE

BEST COMEDY
HACKS
SEX EDUCATION
TED LASSO
THE GREAT
THE KOMINSKY METHOD
THE WHITE LOTUS

BEST ACTOR IN A SERIES
Murray Bartlett – THE WHITE LOTUS
Lee Jung-jae – SQUID GAME
Ewan McGregor – HALSTON
Jeremy Strong – SUCCESSION
Jason Sudeikis – TED LASSO

BEST ACTRESS IN A SERIES
Jennifer Coolidge – THE WHITE LOTUS
Nicole Kidman – NINE PERFECT STRANGERS
Jean Smart – HACKS
Sarah Snook – SUCCESSION
Kate Winslet – MARE OF EASTTOWN

Cuarón’s “Gravity” Earns Two International Awards from the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts

Alfonso Cuarón’s latest project is officially an award-winning hit Down Under…

The 52-year-old Mexican filmmaker, who earned an NAACP Image Award nomination and several BAFTA Award nods this week, took home Best Direction trophy at the AACTA International Awards.

Gravity

Cuarón picked up the award from the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) for helming the 3D sci-fi thriller Gravity, starring Sandra Bullock.

In addition, Cuarón’s blockbuster hit film received the AACTA International Award for Best Film.

The space odyssey, based on a story written by Cuarón and his son Jonás Cuarón, pushed the known boundaries of cinematography and technologies to illustrate a tense story of skill and survival set in zero gravity. A team of world renowned VFX artists worked with Cuarón to realize his extraordinary vision including visual effects supervisor Tim Webber and Australian VFX House Rising Sun Pictures.

Winners were announced at an intimate awards ceremony in Los Angeles hosted by multi-award winner and AACTA president Geoffrey Rush.