THE industry-voted AACTA Awards, which celebrate film and television, have moved to a new broadcaster, with Ten set to screen a shortened version of this month's event.
In a strong nod to the television side of the equation, Packed to the Rafters star Hugh Sheridan is set to host the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (formerly the Australian Film Institute, or AFI) awards, at the Star casino and entertainment complex in Sydney on January 30.
Last year's event – the first AACTA awards – was held at the Sydney Opera House and had no host, though AACTA president Geoffrey Rush topped and tailed proceedings.
This year Rush, with whom Sheridan appeared on the Melbourne stage in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, which ended its run on the weekend, will be among the presenters.
Ten takes over the broadcast from Nine, which had screened the awards since 2005. Last year's broadcast attracted an average of just 314,000 viewers in the five mainland capital cities across the broadcast from 9.30pm to midnight.
The Sapphires leads the field in the film section of this year's AACTAs, with 12 nominations, while Puberty Blues and Redfern Now lead the TV drama field.
kquinn@fairfaxmedia.com.au
