| 1969 Australian Film Institute Awards | |
| Award: | AACTA Awards |
| Site: | National Library Theatre Canberra, Australian Capital Territory |
| Host: | John Gorton |
| Best Film: | |
| Last: | 1968 |
| Last Link: | 1968 Australian Film Institute Awards |
| Next: | 1970 |
| Next Link: | 1970 Australian Film Institute Awards |
The 1968 Australian Film Awards (known retroactively as the Australian Film Institute Awards) ceremony, presented by the Australian Film Institute (AFI), honoured the best feature and non-feature films of 1969, and took place on 2 December 1969 at National Library Theatre, in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. Australian Prime Minister John Gorton hosted the ceremony. During the ceremony the Australian Film Institute presented two gold, nine silver and bronze prizes, four special awards and certificates for twelve honourable mentions.
Bullocky and The Die-Hard Legend of Lasseter's Lost Golden Reef both received gold prizes and , which won a silver prize became the first feature film to ever win an award from the AFI.
When the Australian Film Institute established the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) in 2011, the awards became known as the AACTA Awards.
The ceremony was held on 2 December 1969, at the National Library Theatre, located in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory.[1] It was hosted by the 19th Prime Minister of Australia, John Gorton. During the Ceremony Gorton made a speech, praising the Australian Film Institute (AFI) for "[...] conveying the more refined aspects of Australian life and for projecting an image of the nation as something other than 'avant-garde kangaroos or Ned Kelly's'".[2] One hundred and fifty-four films were submitted for competition and the winning films were judged by a jury composed of film critics, Colin Bennett and Lindsey Browne, and film director David Bairstow. Of the submitted films, the jury noted that there was a "[...] continuing advance in professional competence across the spectrum of the 154 entries[...]" and that "Grand Prix material remains illusive in the competition - but perhaps not for long. Australian film talent is obviously gathering momentum."
During the ceremony the Australian Film Institute handed out two Golden Reel awards, nine silver and bronze prizes and four special awards. Awards were given to films from eight categories which included documentaries, advertising, teaching, children's, public relations, experimental, travel and general. Recipients of the awards included Gil Brealey and Venture Films for their documentaries Bullocky and The Die-Hard Legend of Lasseter's Lost Golden Reef, which both received the Golden Reel prize. Silver prize winning film was the first feature film to receive an award from the AFI, which went to Phillip Adams and Brian Robinson.[3] It is also considered the first feature film to win in the Best Film category of the AACTA Awards.[4] Special medallions were presented for technical achievements in optical effects, photography, editing and cinematography. Twelve films from the competition received a certificate of honourable mention.
| Category | Winners[5] |
|---|---|
| Golden Reel Award | Bullocky – Gil Brealey (Documentary) |
| The Die-Hard Legend of Lasseter's Lost Golden Reef – Venture Films (Documentary) | |
| Silver Prize | Bar Room Brawl – Fontana Films (Advertising) |
| Christian Television Association Day 1-Day 6 – Film House, Weatherhead and Stitt (Advertising) | |
| The Capricorn Contract – Film Centre (Public Relations) | |
| Dig A Million, Make A Million – Tom Haydon (Documentary) | |
| – Phillip Adams, Brian Robinson (General) | |
| Lagged - The Story of a Convict – John H Clark (Teaching) | |
| The Pictures That Moved – The Commonwealth Film Unit (General) | |
| The Theme of an Abstract – Adrian Heinze (General) | |
| Paradise in the Sun – John Gray (Travel) | |
| Bronze Prize | After Proust (Experimental) |
| And Then There Was Glass (Public Relations) | |
| Backdrop of a Play (Children's) | |
| Bull Ant Warrior (Teaching) | |
| The Hard Word (General) | |
| The Echidna (Teaching) | |
| New Technique (Advertising) | |
| Sculpture Australia 69 (Documentary) | |
| Walbiri Ritual at Gunadjari (Documentary) | |
| Category | Winners |
|---|---|
| Special Award for Optical Effects |
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| Silver Medallion for photography |
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| Bronze Medallion |
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| Category | Winners |
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| Honourable mention |
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