The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) announced the winners of its 2020 film and television awards on 30 November 2020. The ceremony was notable for the strong showing of Shannon Murphy’s drama Babyteeth, which dominated the film categories and collected multiple top honours.
Adapted for the screen by Rita Kalnejais from her own stage play of the same name, Babyteeth stars Eliza Scanlen and balances darkly comic moments with moving drama. The film follows a teenage girl who discovers an impulsive, transformative romance while confronting a life‑threatening illness. Critics praised its delicate mixture of humour and heartbreak; in a review for The Film Magazine, Leoni Horton described the movie as “a fragile, heart‑breaking, oddly comical tale about finding the wrong kind of right.”
At the 2020 AACTA Awards, Babyteeth received a total of seven awards, taking home prizes across its eligible categories. The film’s success at the ceremony highlighted recognition for its writing, direction and performances, cementing its place among the year’s most acclaimed Australian productions. The major film awards and recipients were announced during the event and are summarised below.
The awards were as follows:
AACTA Award Best Film (presented by Foxtel): Babyteeth
AACTA Award Best Indie Film: Standing Up For Sunny
AACTA Award Best Asian Film: Better Days
AACTA Award Best Documentary: Firestarter – The Story of Bangarra Nel Minchin
AACTA Award Best Screenplay in Film: Rita Kalnejais (Babyteeth)
AACTA Award Best Direction in Film: Shannon Murphy (Babyteeth)
AACTA Award Best Lead Actor in Film: Toby Wallace (Babyteeth)
AACTA Award Best Lead Actress in Film: Eliza Scanlen (Babyteeth)
AACTA Award Best Supporting Actor in Film: Ben Mendelsohn (Babyteeth)
AACTA Award Best Supporting Actress in Film: Essie Davis (Babyteeth)
AACTA Award Best Short Film: The Mirror
AACTA Award Best VFX or Animation: The Eight Hundred
The sweep by Babyteeth covered both creative and performance categories, reflecting broad industry appreciation for the film’s screenplay, direction and ensemble cast. Writer Rita Kalnejais received recognition for adapting her own theatrical work to the screen, while director Shannon Murphy was honoured for her sensitive and assured handling of the material. Lead performances by Eliza Scanlen and Toby Wallace were also singled out by the AACTA voting body, alongside standout supporting turns from Ben Mendelsohn and Essie Davis.
Beyond the film awards, the AACTA ceremony also acknowledged excellence in television across drama, comedy and factual programming. Coverage of the television winners was reported by major industry outlets and can be found through published reports summarising the TV category results.
The 2020 AACTA Awards underscored a year in which intimate, character‑driven storytelling received prominent recognition. The success of Babyteeth at the awards highlights the continued strength of Australian talent in both screenwriting and screen acting, and the way small, personal stories can resonate widely with critics and audiences alike.