The nominees for the 18th Australian Film Critics Association (Auscritic) Awards have been announced with Danny Philippou & Michael Philippou’s Bring Her Back receiving an impressive eight nominations, including Best Australian Film, Best Director, and three nominations across the gender-neutral acting categories.
The 18th Auscritic Awards recognise the best of Australian film for the year 2025, honouring film talent in front and behind the camera, while also celebrating the best of international cinema.
For the first time in Auscritic history, the acting categories will recognise Best Lead Performance and Best Supporting Performance, bringing the organisation in line with other international critics groups which award performances on a gender-neutral basis. Rounding out the nominations for Best Lead Performance is Sally Hawkins (Bring Her Back), Richard Roxburgh (The Correspondent), Jai Courtney (Dangerous Animals), Guy Pearce (Inside), Shabana Azeez (Lesbian Space Princess), and Nicolas Cage (The Surfer).
Joining Bring Her Back as nominated films for the Best Australian Film are The Correspondent, A Grand Mockery, Inside, Lesbian Space Princess, and The Surfer.
Charles Williams’ Inside received a total of seven nominations, closely followed by Lorcan Finnegan’s The Surfer (six), Emma Hough Hobbs & Leela Varghese’s Lesbian Space Princess (five), Kriv Stenders’ The Correspondent (four), Kiah Roache-Turner’s Beast of War (three), Sam C. Dixon & Adam Briggs’ A Grand Mockery (two), while Dangerous Animals, Kangaroo, and Went Up the Hill each received single nominations.
The Auscritic awards has also introduced a new award: Best Editing. The nominees for the inaugural Best Editing award are Kiah Roache-Turner, Regg Skwarko for Beast of War, Geoff Lamb for Bring Her Back, Adam C. Briggs, James Vaughan, Sam Dixon for A Grand Mockery, Dan Lee for Inside, and Tony Cranstoun for The Surfer.
The nominees for the Auscritic Award for Best Australian Documentary are Justin Kurzel’s Ellis Park, Constantine Costi’s The Golden Spurtle, Maggie Miles & Trisha Morton-Thomas’ Journey Home, David Gulpilil, Lorin Clarke’s Not Only Fred Dagg, But Also John Clarke, and Gabrielle Brady’s The Wolves Always Come at Night.
Nominees for the Best International Feature include If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, One Battle After Another, Sinners, Train Dreams, and Weapons, while the Best International Film Not in the English Language nominees include Flow, It Was Just an Accident, Left-Handed Girl, Misericordia, and Sentimental Value. Finally, the Best International Documentary nominees are 2000 Meters to Andriivka, Mr Nobody Against Putin, Orwell: 2+2=5, The Perfect Neighbor, and Zodiac Killer Project.
The Auscritic Awards will be held on 21 March 2026 where the recipients of the Auscritic Writing and Broadcast Awards will be announced.
The Writing and Broadcast Awards see members of Auscritic submit reviews, interviews, and cultural coverage for consideration by a blind group of judges who will be announced at the ceremony. Categories for judging include the Ivan Hutchinson Award for best long-form writing on an Australian film, Award for best review of an Australian film, Award for best review of an individual non-Australian film, the Jim Murphy Broadcast award for best radio show or podcast, and the Lee Gambin Award for Repertory Film Criticism: Cultural Coverage of a Film Made Prior to 1995.
Winners will be announced on 21March 2026.
The full list of nominees can be found below.
Visit Auscritic.com for all awards information.
Best Australian Film
Bring Her Back
The Correspondent
A Grand Mockery
Inside
Lesbian Space Princess
The Surfer
Best Director
Kiah Roache-Turner – Beast of War
Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou – Bring Her Back
Charles Williams – Inside
Emma Hough Hobbs, Leela Varghese – Lesbian Space Princess
Kriv Stenders – The Correspondent
Lorcan Finnegan – The Surfer
Best Documentary
Ellis Park
The Golden Spurtle
Journey Home, David Gulpilil
Not Only Fred Dagg, But Also John Clarke
The Wolves Always Come at Night
Best Lead Actor
Sally Hawkins – Bring Her Back
Richard Roxburgh – The Correspondent
Jai Courtney – Dangerous Animals
Guy Pearce – Inside
Shabana Azeez – Lesbian Space Princess
Nicolas Cage – The Surfer
Best Supporting Actor
Jonah Wren Phillips – Bring Her Back
Sora Wong – Bring Her Back
Cosmo Jarvis – Inside
Deborah Mailman – Kangaroo
Gemma Chua-Tran – Lesbian Space Princess
Julian McMahon – The Surfer
Best Screenplay
Bill Hinzman, Danny Philippou – Bring Her Back
Peter Duncan – The Correspondent
Charles Williams – Inside
Emma Hough Hobbs, Leela Varghese – Lesbian Space Princess
Thomas Martin – The Surfer
Best Editing
Kiah Roache-Turner, Regg Skwarko – Beast of War
Geoff Lamb – Bring Her Back
Adam C. Briggs, James Vaughan, Sam Dixon – A Grand Mockery
Dan Lee – Inside
Tony Cranstoun – The Surfer
Best Cinematography
Mark Wareham – Beast of War
Aaron McLisky – Bring Her Back
Andrew Commis – Inside
Radek Ładczuk – The Surfer
Tyson Perkins – Went Up the Hill
Best International Feature
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Train Dreams
Weapons
Best International Feature Not in the English Language
Flow
It Was Just an Accident
Left-Handed Girl
Misericordia
Sentimental Value
Best Documentary
2000 Meters to Adriivka
Mr Nobody Against Putin
Orwell: 2+2=5
The Perfect Neighbor
Zodiac Killer Project