Hiya fellow Cate fans! So the fun just never stops here in the land of Oz, does it? The luminaries of our film industry have had to scrub up twice within a week, the fashion houses and hairdressers must think Christmas has come six weeks early. Last week it was the Fox Studios opening and on Saturday night they thronged along to the very same complex, but this time to celebrate Australian film for a nice change.

Yes, the annual Australian Film Institute Awards. Two hours of equal backslapping and whining to reward a bunch of films that for the most part audiences are not interested in and often barely get a release anyway. I know I am being harsh here, but the stark reality is that revenue from local films accounts for a grand 4% of Australian box office, a number that has been sliding in recent years since the halcyon days of "Muriel's Wedding", "Priscilla" and "Strictly Ballroom" the success of which seems eons ago. The telecast of the AFIs, it must be stated, had only returned to our screens a couple of years back after audience apathy and lack of funding condemned it as poisonous for broadcasters and although Saturday night's was one of the better productions I've seen, it did screen on SBS, our multicultural, government-run station and the press coverage on Sunday was scant at best.

Not that I wish to denigrate the worth of the awards, or for that matter the value of a telecast. No, I feel it is necessary for overseas readers to realise that these awards, whilst held in high esteem by the film makers, do not hold a great deal of weight with the film-going public. And don't believe for a minute that AFI success means instant overseas recognition. Last year's winner, "The Interview", after a disappointing run here has still failed to find American distribution, regardless of its awards and undoubted quality.

In my opinion, from years of watching these ceremonies, the main purpose of the night appears to be for the community to rally around and support each other, to show that yes, it does matter. And no, there is nothing wrong with that. This may very well be the difference between say, the AFIs and the Oscars, one is purely for the industry, the other is pitched with the public more firmly in mind.

So what to make of this year's ceremony? Perhaps because it is the last of the millennium, I don't know, but Saturday night really brought out the stars and, unusually (judging by the track record of previous telecasts) - the entertainment. Opening with an acceptable tune by two of our old musical troupers, Renee Geyer and Jimmy Little, it was clear that some thought had gone into making this an ENJOYABLE evening for everyone watching. Indeed, the rather garishly lit backdrop added to the "professional" flavour the night tried to achieve.

Being Australian, though - and lets face it - we can never do these things all that smoothly, the hiccups arrived early with the first cack of the night being when popular TV thesps Georgie Parker and Peter O'Brien strode out to present the award for Best Episode in a Television Drama. Well, it was silly enough that of the four nominations, three were for the one series (Seachange) but the fun really began when, after the nominations were announced, the presenters realised no-one had bothered to furnish them with the winner's envelope! For about a minute they exchanged glances and giggled at the absurdity of the situation when one of them had the seemingly bright idea of checking the award and seeing if it was engraved with the winner's name. And of course no, it wasn't. Eventually all was rectified and the winner was actually "Wildside" the other nominated show.

Another "highlight" was Bryan Brown's richly deserving gong for Best Supporting Actor for "Two Hands". The old stager strode up onto stage and after a testy little editorial about Australia retaining the Queen (he campaigned strongly against it) and Fox studios use of Aussie talent to celebrate American culture, his gesture of reciting a list of our actors who he thinks epitomise this country and who deserve recognition was eloquent in its simplicity and actually rather touching. But it wouldn't be Bryan Brown though if he didn't inject a bit of larrikin into proceedings. He thanked "Two Hands" writer-director Gregor Jordan for the part in the movie - "I f***in' loved it!" he said. The host even introduced him later, when Brown came out to present an award, as "ladies and gentlemen, Bryan f***in' Brown".

As you can see there is a general "up yours!" tone to these sort of occasions here, leave your airs and graces at the door. To use a favourite local expression of mine - "Don't come the raw prawn".

The night tottered along pleasantly enough, with the odd song, dance or showstopper thrown in being awards to enliven proceedings. Which leads me to a question. Why, without doubting her talent and ability, did they get Caroline Connor to sing a selection of songs from "Cabaret"? And while I'm having my daily whinge, what was the reasoning behind introducing each of the award presenters with a musical cue of the "Peter Gunn" theme? Maybe I'm just getting old..

Anyway, enough of this malarkey, you are all waiting for news on Cate and I've kept you waiting long enough. Well our dear Cate had the honour of presenting the final award of the night, that of Best Picture. Host Johnathan Biggins introduced her as "the woman we'd all like to see as our head of state, Queen Elizabeth herself, Cate Blanchett." To warm and resounding applause Cate strode out and her off the cuff reply was priceless - "Yes, well, now that John Howard has so gracefully stepped aside I am probably a shoo-in to open the Olympics". The nominations were announced (on a prerecorded feed) and the shot came back to Cate, still staring screen-right at the monitor. "Oh! OK" said exclaimed as she then read out the winner - "Two Hands". And that, for Cate, was pretty much it, except for a few early shots of her in the audience. She did look ever so lovely though, in a sort of pale-aqua, sleek, sequined dress. Very simple, very elegant. The look was enhanced by her hair being simply parted down the middle, pulled back and tied. Certainly a contrast to the rather uptight jacket and hair of last week's Fox studios launch.

Speaking of contrasts, Nicole Kidman (lost without a script), who stunned all with that knockout dress last Saturday, affected the schoolmarm look, no doubt trying to show just how seriously she took the occasion, especially as she was presenting the Byron Kennedy award for "unorthodox and visionary approaches to film making". It went to her current "Moulin Rouge" director, Baz Luhrmann and his wife, production designer Catherine Martin. The Raymond Longford lifetime achievement award went to John Politzer for his services to film distribution and exhibition. Presented by Noni Haezelhurst, star of "Fran", a film he championed, in a prerecorded segment from his home, it was a moving moment, as it was obvious that Politzer's struggle against AIDS was wearing him down. A tender moment in a laconic night, it was my highlight of the evening, just edging out Roberto Benigni's crazy, gushing acceptance of the best foreign film award.

So there you have it. A little bit of politics, a few laughs (most not initially intended) some fashion and some serious celebration of the best this country has to offer the world of film. What more could you want from two hours in front of the TV?

Deano B. Aussie Cate Blanchett News. November 16, 1999.

 

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