# 1984 Australian Film Institute Awards

The 26th Australian Film Institute Awards (generally known as the AFI Awards) were held at the Victorian Arts Centre on 5 October 1984. Presented by the Australian Film Institute (AFI), the awards celebrated the best in Australian feature film, documentary and short film productions of 1984.

## Winners and nominees

Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.

### Feature film

| Best Film | Best Achievement in Direction |
| Annie's Coming Out – Don Murray My First Wife – Jane Ballantyne, Paul Cox Silver City – Joan Long Strikebound – Miranda Bain, Timothy White | Paul Cox – My First Wife Gil Brealey – Annie's Coming Out Ken Cameron – Fast Talking Sophia Turkiewicz – Silver City |
| Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role |
| John Hargreaves – My First Wife Drew Forsythe – Annie's Coming Out Ivar Kants – Silver City Chris Haywood – Strikebound | Angela Punch-McGregor – Annie's Coming Out Wendy Hughes – My First Wife Gosia Dobrowolska – Silver City Carol Burns – Strikebound |
| Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role | Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role |
| Steve Bisley – Silver City David Argue – BMX Bandits Steve Bisley – Fast Talking Peter Hehir – Fast Talking | Anna Jemison-Monticelli – Silver City Monica Maughan – Annie's Coming Out Sandy Gore – Street Hero Peta Toppano – Street Hero |
| Best Original Screenplay | Best Screenplay Adapted from Another Source |
| Paul Cox, Bob Ellis – My First Wife Ken Cameron – Fast Talking Sophia Turkiewicz, Thomas Keneally – Silver City Jan Sardi – Street Hero | John Patterson, Chris Borthwick – Annie's Coming Out Patrick Edgeworth – BMX Bandits Everett De Roche – Razorback Richard Lowenstein – Strikebound |
| Best Achievement in Cinematography | Best Achievement in Editing |
| Dean Semler – Razorback Yuri Sokol – My First Wife John Seale – Silver City Andrew de Groot – Strikebound | William Anderson – Razorback Alan Lake – BMX Bandits Tim Lewis – My First Wife Jill Bilcock – Strikebound |
| Best Achievement in Sound | Best Original Music Score |
| Gary Wilkins, Mark Wasiutak, Roger Savage, Bruce Lamshed, Terry Rodman, David Harrison – Street Hero Andrew Steuart, John Patterson, Robyn Judge, Phil Judd, Gethin Creagh – BMX Bandits Tim Lloyd, Ron Purvis, Peter Fenton, Phil Heywood, Greg Bell, Helen Brown, Ashley Grenville – Razorback Dean Gawen, Gethin Creagh, Frank Lipson, Martin Oswin, Rex Watts – Strikebound | Garth Porter, Bruce Smeaton – Street Hero Simon Walker – Annie's Coming Out Iva Davies – Razorback William Motzing – Silver City |
| Best Achievement in Production Design | Best Achievement in Costume Design |
| Tracy Watt, Harry Zettel, McGregor Knox, Neil Angwin – Strikebound Bryce Walmsley – Razorback Igor Nay – Silver City Brian Thomson – Street Hero | Jan Hurley – Silver City Ross Major – One Night Stand Norma Moriceau – Street Hero Jennie Tate – Strikebound |

### Non-feature film

| Best Documentary Film | Best Sponsored Documentary |
| Kemira: Diary of a Strike – Tom Zubrycki (producer / director) Antarctic Man: 'This Is Not A Place For Humans' – ABC Natural History Unit (production company), David Parer (producer / director) Celso and Cora – Gary Kildea (producer / director) For Love or Money – Margot Oliver, Megan McMurchy, Jeni Thornley (producer), Megan McMurchy, Jeni Thornley (director), Margot Nash (editor) | |
| Best Short Fiction Film | Best Animated Film |
| Getting Wet – Australian Film & Television School (production company), P.J. Hogan (director) A Girl's Own Story – Australian Film & Television School (production Company), Jane Campion (director) Every Day, Every Night – Swinburne Film & Television School (production company), Kathy Mueller (director) Skipping Class – Chris Warner (producer / director) | |
| Best Experimental Film | Best Achievement in Direction |
| Passionless Moments – Jane Campion, Gerard Lee, AFTS Brick and Tile – Paul Winkler Holzwege: Wood Roads/Wrong Ways – Georgia Wallace-Crabbe, Swinburne Film and Television School Fear of Life – Sally Bongers, AFTS | |
| Best Screenplay | Best Achievement in Cinematography |
| Best Achievement in Editing | Best Achievement in Sound |

### Additional awards

* Bryon Kennedy Award
* Roger Savage
* Raymond Longford Award
* David Willams (Exhibitor / Distributor)