# 1989 Australian Film Institute Awards

The 31st Australian Film Institute Awards were awards held by the Australian Film Institute to celebrate the best of Australian films and television of 1989. The awards ceremony was held at the Palais Theatre in Melbourne on Wednesday 11 October 1989 and broadcast on ABC-TV.

## Feature film

| Best Film Evil Angels — Verity Lambert Ghosts...Of The Civil Dead — Evan English Island — Paul Cox, Santhana Naidu Dead Calm — Terry Hayes, Doug Mitchell, George Miller | Best Direction Fred Schepisi — Evil Angels Phillip Noyce — Dead Calm Ben Lewin — Georgia Paul Cox — Island |
| Best Lead Actor Sam Neill — Evil Angels John Hargreaves — Emerald City Mike Bishop — Ghosts...Of The Civil Dead Chris Haywood — Island | Best Lead Actress Meryl Streep — Evil Angels Judy Davis — Georgia Irene Papas — Island Genevieve Lemon — Sweetie |
| Best Supporting Actor Chris Haywood — Emerald City Bogdan Koca — Ghosts...Of The Civil Dead Kim Gyngell — Heaven Tonight John Darling — Sweetie | Best Supporting Actress Victoria Longley — Celia Maryanne Fahey — Celia Nicole Kidman — Emerald City Dorothy Barry — Sweetie |
| Best Original Screenplay Gerard Lee, Jane Campion — Sweetie Ben Lewin, Joanna Murray-Smith — Georgia Gene Conkie, Evan English, John Hillcoat — Ghosts...of the Civil Dead Paul Cox — Island | Best Adapted Screenplay Robert Caswell, Fred Schepisi — Evil Angels Abe Pogos — Compo Terry Hayes — Dead Calm David Willamson — Emerald City |
| Best Cinematography Dead Calm — Dean Semler Emerald City — Paul Murphy Georgia — Yuri Sokol Sweetie — Sally Bongers | Best Editing Dead Calm — Richard Francis-Bruce Evil Angels — Jill Bilcock Ghosts...of the Civil Dead — Stewart Young Island — John Scott |
| Best Original Music Score Dead Calm — Graeme Revell Evil Angels — Bruce Smeaton Georgia — Paul Grabowsky Ghosts...of the Civil Dead — Nick Cave, Mick Harvey, Blixa Bargeld | Best Sound Dead Calm — Ben Osmo, Lee Smith, Roger Savage Evil Angels — Craig Carter, Terry Rodman, Peter Fenton, Martin Oswin Georgia — John Phillips, Roger Savage, Frank Lipson, Ross Porter Ghosts...of the Civil Dead — Bronwyn Murphy, Rex Watts, Peter Clancy |
| Best Production Design Ghosts...of the Civil Dead — Chris Kennedy Dead Calm — Graham Walker Georgia — Jon Dowding Island — Neil Angwin | Best Costume Design What The Moon Saw — Rose Chong Georgia — Aphrodite Kondos Ghosts...of the Civil Dead — Karen Everett Sons of Steel — Gary L. Keady, Nicholas Huxley, Nicola Braithwaite |

## Television

| Best Telefeature Police State (ABC) — Rod Allan Prejudice (Nine Network) — Pamela Williams Rescue (ABC) — John Edwards Malpractice — Tristram Miall | Best Mini Series Edens Lost (ABC) — Margaret Fink Act of Betrayal (ABC) — Ray Alchin, Nick Evans Bodysurfer (ABC) — Ross Matthews Barlow & Chambers: A Long Way From Home (Nine Network) — Matt Carroll, Steve Krantz |
| Best Achievement in Direction in a Telefeature Rescue (ABC) — Peter Fisk Malpractice — Bill Bennett Prejudice (Nine Network) — Ian Munro Police State (ABC) — Chris Noonan | Best Achievement in Direction in a Mini Series Edens Lost (ABC) — Neil Armfield Bodysurfer (ABC) — Ian Barry Act of Betrayal (ABC) — Lawrence Gordon Clark This Man, This Woman (ABC) — Paul Moloney |
| Best Performance by an Actor in a Telefeature Bill Hunter — Police State (ABC) Bob Baines — Malpractice Gary Sweet — Rescue (ABC) Max Phipps — Police State (ABC) | Best Performance by an Actress in a Telefeature Pat Thomson — Malpractice Caz Lederman — Malpractice Grace Parr — Prejudice (Nine Network) Sonia Todd — Rescue (ABC) |
| Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini Series Peter Kowitz — Bodysurfer (ABC) Patrick Bergin — Act of Betrayal (ABC) John Jarrett — Fields of Fire III (Nine Network) John Polson — Barlow & Chambers: A Long Way From Home (Nine Network) | Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini Series Julia Blake — Edens Lost (ABC) Victoria Longley — Edens Lost (ABC) Lisa Harrow — Act of Betrayal (ABC) Linda Cropper — Edens Lost (ABC) |
| Best Screenplay in a Telefeature Police State (ABC) — Ian David, Francine Finnane Malpractice — Jenny Ainge Rescue (ABC) — Everett De Roche Prejudice (Nine Network) — Pamela Williams | Best Screenplay in a Mini Series Bodysurfer (ABC) — Suzanne Hawley, Christopher Lee, Denis Whitburn Edens Lost (ABC) — Michael Gow Act of Betrayal (ABC) — Nick Evans, Michael Chaplin Barlow & Chambers: A Long Way From Home (Nine Network) — Bill Kerby |