# AACTA Award for Best Cinematography

The AACTA Award for Best Cinematography is an award presented by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA), a non-profit organisation whose aim is to "identify, award, promote and celebrate Australia's greatest achievements in film and television." The award is presented at the annual AACTA Awards, which hand out accolades for achievements in feature film, television, documentaries and short films. From 1976 to 2010, the category was presented by the Australian Film Institute (AFI), the Academy's parent organisation, at the annual Australian Film Institute Awards (known as the AFI Awards). When the AFI launched the Academy in 2011, it changed the annual ceremony to the AACTA Awards, with the current award being a continuum of the AFI Award for Best Cinematography.
Best Cinematography was first presented in 1976 Australian Film Institute Awards with the winner being chosen by the Australian Cinematographers Society (ACS). The award is presented to the cinematographer of a film that is Australian-made, or with a significant amount of Australian content. Russell Boyd, Peter James, Donald McAlpine and Geoffrey Simpson have won the award three times each, more than any other cinematographer. Boyd has received the most nominations with nine.

## Winners and nominees

In the following table, the years listed correspond to the year of film release; the ceremonies are usually held the same year. The films and cinematographers in bold and in yellow background have won are the winners. Those that are neither highlighted nor in bold are the nominees. When sorted chronologically, the table always lists the winning film first and then the other nominees.
| Year | Film | Cinematographer(s) |
| AFI Awards |||
| 1970s |||
| 1976 (18th) |
| 1976 (18th) | The Devil's Playground | Ian Baker |
| 1976 (18th) | Illuminations | Brian Gracey, Paul Cox |
| 1976 (18th) | Picnic at Hanging Rock | Russell Boyd |
| 1976 (18th) | Polly Me Love | David Gribble |
| 1977 (19th) |
| 1977 (19th) | Break of Day | Russell Boyd |
| 1977 (19th) | Raw Deal | Vincent Monton |
| 1977 (19th) | Storm Boy | Geoff Burton |
| 1977 (19th) | Summer of Secrets | Russell Boyd |
| 1978 (20th) |
| 1978 (20th) | The Last Wave | Russell Boyd |
| 1978 (20th) | The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith | Ian Baker |
| 1978 (20th) | The Mango Tree | Brian Probyn |
| 1978 (20th) | Newsfront | Vincent Monton |
| 1979 (21st) |
| 1979 (21st) | My Brilliant Career | Donald McAlpine |
| 1979 (21st) | In Search of Anna | Michael Edols |
| 1979 (21st) | Mad Max | David Eggby |
| 1979 (21st) | Snapshot | Vincent Monton |
| 1980s |||
| 1980 (22nd) |
| 1980 (22nd) | Breaker Morant | Donald McAlpine |
| 1980 (22nd) | The Chain Reaction | Russell Boyd |
| 1980 (22nd) | Manganinnie | Gary Hansen |
| 1980 (22nd) | Stir | Geoff Burton |
| 1981 (23rd) |
| 1981 (23rd) | Gallipoli | Russell Boyd |
| 1981 (23rd) | The Club | Donald McAlpine |
| 1981 (23rd) | Roadgames | Vincent Monton |
| 1981 (23rd) | The Survivor | John Seale |
| 1982 (24th) |
| 1982 (24th) | We of the Never Never | Gary Hansen |
| 1982 (24th) | Mad Max 2 | Dean Semler |
| 1982 (24th) | The Man from Snowy River | Keith Wagstaff |
| 1982 (24th) | Monkey Grip | David Gribble |
| 1983 (25th) |
| 1983 (25th) | Careful, He Might Hear You | John Seale |
| 1983 (25th) | Man of Flowers | Yuri Sokol |
| 1983 (25th) | Undercover | Dean Semler |
| 1983 (25th) | The Year of Living Dangerously | Russell Boyd |
| 1984 (26th) |
| 1984 (26th) | Razorback | Dean Semler |
| 1984 (26th) | My First Wife | Yuri Sokol |
| 1984 (26th) | Silver City | Andrew de Groot |
| 1984 (26th) | Strikebound | John Seale |
| 1985 (27th) |
| 1985 (27th) | Rebel | Peter James |
| 1985 (27th) | Bliss | Paul Murphy |
| 1985 (27th) | The Coca-Cola Kid | Dean Semler |
| 1985 (27th) | Wrong World | Ray Argall |
| 1986 (28th) |
| 1986 (28th) | The Right-Hand Man | Peter James |
| 1986 (28th) | Burke & Wills | Russell Boyd |
| 1986 (28th) | The Fringe Dwellers | Donald McAlpine |
| 1986 (28th) | Young Einstein | Jeff Darling |
| 1987 (29th) |
| 1987 (29th) | Ground Zero | Steve Dobson |
| 1987 (29th) | Belinda | Malcolm McCulloch |
| 1987 (29th) | The Umbrella Woman | James Bartle |
| 1987 (29th) | Warm Nights on a Slow Moving Train | Yuri Sokol |
| 1988 (30th) |
| 1988 (30th) | The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey | Geoffrey Simpson |
| 1988 (30th) | Boulevard of Broken Dreams | David Connell |
| 1988 (30th) | Grievous Bodily Harm | Ellery Ryan |
| 1988 (30th) | The Lighthorsemen | Dean Semler |
| 1989 (31st) |
| 1989 (31st) | Dead Calm | Dean Semler |
| 1989 (31st) | Emerald City | Paul Murphy |
| 1989 (31st) | Georgia | Ben Lewin |
| 1989 (31st) | Sweetie | Sally Bongers |
| 1990s |||
| 1990 (32nd) |
| 1990 (32nd) | The Crossing | Jeff Darling |
| 1990 (32nd) | Blood Oath | Russell Boyd |
| 1990 (32nd) | Flirting | Geoff Burton |
| 1990 (32nd) | Golden Braid | Nino Gaetano Martinetti |
| 1991 (33rd) |
| 1991 (33rd) | Spotswood | Ellery Ryan |
| 1991 (33rd) | Aya | Geoff Burton |
| 1991 (33rd) | Death in Brunswick | Ellery Ryan |
| 1991 (33rd) | Dingo | Denis Lenoir |
| 1992 (34th) |
| 1992 (34th) | Black Robe | Peter James |
| 1992 (34th) | Hammers Over the Anvil | James Bartle |
| 1992 (34th) | The Last Days of Chez Nous | Geoffrey Simpson |
| 1992 (34th) | Strictly Ballroom | Steve Mason |
| 1993 (35th) |
| 1993 (35th) | The Piano | Stuart Dryburgh |
| 1993 (35th) | Broken Highway | Steve Mason |
| 1993 (35th) | Map of the Human Heart | Eduardo Serra |
| 1993 (35th) | No Worries | Stephen F. Windon |
| 1993 (35th) | On My Own | Vic Sarin |
| 1994 (36th) |
| 1994 (36th) | Exile | Nino Gaetano Martinetti |
| 1994 (36th) | The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert | Brian J. Breheny |
| 1994 (36th) | Bad Boy Bubby | Ian Jones |
| 1994 (36th) | Country Life | Stephen F. Windon |
| 1995 (37th) |
| 1995 (37th) | Angel Baby | Ellery Ryan |
| 1995 (37th) | Epsilon | Tony Clarke |
| 1995 (37th) | Mushrooms | Louis Irving |
| 1995 (37th) | That Eye, the Sky | Ellery Ryan |
| 1996 (38th) |
| 1996 (38th) | Shine | Geoffrey Simpson |
| 1996 (38th) | Children of the Revolution | Martin McGrath |
| 1996 (38th) | Mr. Reliable | David Parker |
| 1996 (38th) | What I Have Written | Dion Beebe |
| 1997 (39th) |
| 1997 (39th) | Doing Time for Patsy Cline | Andrew Lesnie |
| 1997 (39th) | Blackrock | Martin McGrath |
| 1997 (39th) | Kiss or Kill | Malcolm McCulloch |
| 1997 (39th) | The Well | Mandy Walker |
| 1998 (40th) |
| 1998 (40th) | Oscar and Lucinda | Geoffrey Simpson |
| 1998 (40th) | The Boys | Tristan Milani |
| 1998 (40th) | In the Winter Dark | Martin McGrath |
| 1998 (40th) | The Interview | Simon Duggan |
| 1999 (41st) |
| 1999 (41st) | Passion | Martin McGrath |
| 1999 (41st) | In a Savage Land | Danny Ruhlmann |
| 1999 (41st) | Praise | Dion Beebe |
| 1999 (41st) | Two Hands | Malcolm McCulloch |
| 2000s |||
| 2000 (42nd) |
| 2000 (42nd) | Bootmen | Steve Mason |
| 2000 (42nd) | 15 Amore | John Brock |
| 2000 (42nd) | Chopper | Geoffrey Hall, Kevin Hayward |
| 2000 (42nd) | Looking for Alibrandi | Toby Oliver |
| 2001 (43rd) |
| 2001 (43rd) | Moulin Rouge! | Donald McAlpine |
| 2001 (43rd) | The Bank | Tristan Milani |
| 2001 (43rd) | La Spagnola | Steve Arnold |
| 2001 (43rd) | Yolngu Boy | Brad Shield |
| 2002 (44th) |
| 2002 (44th) | Beneath Clouds | Allan Collins |
| 2002 (44th) | Dirty Deeds | Geoffrey Hall |
| 2002 (44th) | Rabbit-Proof Fence | Christopher Doyle |
| 2002 (44th) | The Tracker | Ian Jones |
| 2003 (45th) |
| 2003 (45th) | Japanese Story | Ian Baker |
| 2003 (45th) | Gettin' Square | Garry Phillips |
| 2003 (45th) | Ned Kelly | Oliver Stapleton |
| 2003 (45th) | Travelling Light | Tristan Milani |
| 2004 (46th) |
| 2004 (46th) | Somersault | Robert Humphreys |
| 2004 (46th) | Love's Brother | Andrew Lesnie |
| 2004 (46th) | One Perfect Day | Gary Ravenscroft |
| 2004 (46th) | Tom White | Toby Oliver |
| 2005 (47th) |
| 2005 (47th) | The Proposition | Benoît Delhomme |
| 2005 (47th) | Little Fish | Danny Ruhlmann |
| 2005 (47th) | Oyster Farmer | Alun Bollinger |
| 2005 (47th) | Wolf Creek | Will Gibson |
| 2006 (48th) |
| 2006 (48th) | Ten Canoes | Ian Jones |
| 2006 (48th) | Jindabyne | David Williamson |
| 2006 (48th) | Macbeth | Will Gibson |
| 2006 (48th) | Suburban Mayhem | Robert Humphreys |
| 2007 (49th) |
| 2007 (49th) | The Home Song Stories | Nigel Bluck |
| 2007 (49th) | Noise | Laszlo Baranyai |
| 2007 (49th) | Clubland | Mark Wareham |
| 2007 (49th) | Romulus, My Father | Geoffrey Simpson |
| 2008 (50th) |
| 2008 (50th) | Unfinished Sky | Robert Humphreys |
| 2008 (50th) | The Black Balloon | Denson Baker |
| 2008 (50th) | Death Defying Acts | Haris Zambarloukos |
| 2008 (50th) | The Tender Hook | Geoffrey Simpson |
| 2009 (51st) |
| 2009 (51st) | Samson and Delilah | Warwick Thornton |
| 2009 (51st) | Balibo | Tristan Milani |
| 2009 (51st) | Beautiful Kate | Andrew Commis |
| 2009 (51st) | Last Ride | Greig Fraser |
| 2010s |||
| 2010 (52nd) |
| 2010 (52nd) | Bright Star | Greig Fraser |
| 2010 (52nd) | Animal Kingdom | Adam Arkapaw |
| 2010 (52nd) | Beneath Hill 60 | Toby Oliver |
| 2010 (52nd) | The Waiting City | Denson Baker |
| AACTA Awards |||
| 2011 (1st) |
| 2011 (1st) | The Hunter | Robert Humphreys |
| 2011 (1st) | Red Dog | Geoffrey Hall |
| 2011 (1st) | Sleeping Beauty | Geoffrey Simpson |
| 2011 (1st) | Snowtown | Adam Arkapaw |
| 2012 (2nd) |
| 2012 (2nd) | Warwick Thornton | The Sapphires |
| 2012 (2nd) | Burning Man | Garry Phillips |
| 2012 (2nd) | Lore | Adam Arkapaw |
| 2012 (2nd) | Wish You Were Here | Jules O'Loughlin |
| 2013 (3rd) |
| 2013 (3rd) | The Great Gatsby | Simon Duggan |
| 2013 (3rd) | Drift | Geoffrey Hall, Rick Rifici, Rick Jakovich |
| 2013 (3rd) | Goddess | Damian E. Wyvill |
| 2013 (3rd) | The Rocket | Andrew Commis |
| 2014 (4th) |
| 2014 (4th) | Predestination | Ben Nott |
| 2014 (4th) | Fell | Marden Dean |
| 2014 (4th) | The Railway Man | Gary Phillips |
| 2014 (4th) | Tracks | Mandy Walker |
| 2015 (5th) |
| 2015 (5th) | Mad Max: Fury Road | John Seale |
| 2015 (5th) | The Dressmaker | Donald M. McAlpine |
| 2015 (5th) | Last Cab to Darwin | Steve Arnold |
| 2015 (5th) | Oddball | Damian Wyvill |
| 2016 (6th) |
| 2016 (6th) | Hacksaw Ridge | Simon Duggan |
| 2016 (6th) | Girl Asleep | Andrew Commis |
| 2016 (6th) | Spear | Bonnie Elliott |
| 2016 (6th) | Tanna | Bentley Dean |
| 2017 (7th) |
| 2017 (7th) | Lion | Greig Fraser |
| 2017 (7th) | Hounds of Love | Michael McDermott |
| 2017 (7th) | Jungle | Stefan Duscio |
| 2017 (7th) | Red Dog: True Blue | Geoffrey Hall |
| 2018 (8th) |
| 2018 (8th) | Sweet Country | Warwick Thornton |
| 2018 (8th) | Breath | Marden Dean, Rick Rifici |
| 2018 (8th) | Ladies in Black | Peter James |
| 2018 (8th) | West of Sunshine | Thom Neal |
| 2019 (9th) |
| 2019 (9th) | The King | Adam Arkapaw |
| 2019 (9th) | Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan | Ben Nott |
| 2019 (9th) | Hotel Mumbai | Nick Remy Matthews |
| 2019 (9th) | The Nightingale | Radek Ladczuk |
| 2020 (10th) |
| 2020 (10th) | The Invisible Man | Stefan Duscio |
| 2020 (10th) | Babyteeth | Andrew Commis |
| 2020 (10th) | Bloody Hell | Brad Shield |
| 2020 (10th) | Escape from Pretoria | Geoffrey Hall |
| 2020 (10th) | H is for Happiness | Bonnie Elliott |
| 2021 (11th) |
| 2021 (11th) | The Dry | Stefan Duscio |
| 2021 (11th) | High Ground | Andrew Commis |
| 2021 (11th) | Mortal Kombat | Germain McMicking |
| 2021 (11th) | Nitram | Germain McMicking |
| 2021 (11th) | Penguin Bloom | Sam Chiplin |