Aboriginal Australians’ ancestors in Ten Canoes. Rolf de Heer and Peter Djigirr’s depiction of the lives of a group of egg-hunting and story-telling indigenous Australians prior to contact with Europeans – along with the cautionary story of said ancestors, one of whom coveted one of the wives of one of his brothers – was the top winner at the 2006 AFI Awards, collecting six trophies, including Best Film and Best Director. Reportedly the first production featuring dialogue solely in the languages of Australian Aboriginal populations, Ten Canoes is a potential contender for the 2007 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. Jamie Gulpilil (right) stars.
Australian Film Institute (AFI) Awards 2006: Aboriginal Australians’ ancestors drama tops
The winners of the 2006 Australian Film Institute Awards (AFI Awards), which cover Australian film and television, were announced in two stages: “Industry” awards on Dec. 6, and the top awards on Dec. 7. In the film categories, the top winner was Rolf de Heer and Peter Djigirr’s leisurely paced Ten Canoes, which chronicles the lives of the ancient ancestors of one group of Aboriginal Australians – depicted as neither “politically incorrect exotics” nor “noble savages.”
Ten Canoes won a total of six awards, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay (de Heer). Filmed in the indigenous languages Gunwinggu and Yolnu Matha (the latter is more like a language family), Ten Canoes is Australia’s submission for the 2007 Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award.
See further below the full list of Australian Film Institute Award winners and nominees in the feature categories.
More AFI Award winners
In other categories, the AFI Awards went from the distant past of Aboriginal Australians to more contemporary Australian denizens.
Among these were Best Actor Shane Jacobson, who plays a dim-witted toilet salesman in the popular Kenny, and Best Actress Emily Barclay, singled out for her performance as a teenage girl out to do away with her father in the psychological drama Suburban Mayhem. (Barclay was also a Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama nominee for Cate Shortland’s crime drama The Silence.)
In the International categories, given to Australian nationals working abroad on film or television, Heath Ledger was chosen Best Actor for his deeply closeted gay cowboy/sheepherder in Ang Lee’s sleeper hit Brokeback Mountain, while Rachel Griffiths was Best Actress for her work in the TV series Six Feet Under.
Ten Canoes trailer. Set in the far-away past, Rolf de Heer and Peter Djigirr’s drama revolves around a group of Aboriginal Australians, one of whom covets the wife of his older brother. A cautionary tale is then told about another Aboriginal man from the even more distant past who also coveted one of the wives of one of his brothers.
Australian Film Institute Awards: Winners and nominations
Below is the full list of feature films shortlisted for the 2006 AFI Awards, in addition to a partial list of television, short film, and documentary nominees and winners.
The nominations were announced by Justine Clarke, Richard Roxburgh, and Robert Connolly on Oct. 19. The winners were announced at two ceremonies: Dec. 6 (“industry” categories) and Dec. 7 (top categories).
The AFI International Awards are given to Australians working abroad.
NARRATIVE FEATURE FILMS
Best Film
Candy – Margaret Fink & Emile Sherman
Jindabyne – April Films & Catherine Jarman
Kenny – Clayton Jacobson & Rohan Timlock
* Ten Canoes – Julie Ryan & Rolf de HeerBest Director
Jindabyne – Ray Lawrence
Kenny – Clayton Jacobson
Suburban Mayhem – Paul Goldman
* Ten Canoes – Rolf de Heer & Peter DjigirrBest Actor
Heath Ledger – Candy
Gabriel Byrne – Jindabyne
* Shane Jacobson – Kenny
Steve Le Marquand – Last Train to FreoBest Actress
Teresa Palmer – 2:37
Abbie Cornish – Candy
Laura Linney – Jindabyne
* Emily Barclay – Suburban MayhemBest Supporting Actor
Geoffrey Rush – Candy
Ronald Jacobson – Kenny
Tom Budge – Last Train to Freo
* Anthony Hayes – Suburban MayhemBest Supporting Actress
Noni Hazlehurst – Candy
* Susie Porter – The Caterpillar Wish
Deborra-lee Furness – Jindabyne
Genevieve Lemon – Suburban MayhemBest Original Screenplay
2:37 – Murali K. Thalluri
Kenny – Shane Jacobson & Clayton Jacobson
Suburban Mayhem – Alice Bell
* Ten Canoes – Rolf de HeerBest Adapted Screenplay
The Book of Revelation – Ana Kokkinos & Andrew Bovell.
* Candy – Luke Davies & Neil Armfield.
Jindabyne – Beatrix Christian.
Last Train to Freo – Reg Cribb.Best Cinematography
Jindabyne – David Williamson.
Macbeth – Will Gibson.
Suburban Mayhem – Robert Humphreys ACS.
* Ten Canoes – Ian Jones ACS.Best Film Editing
Candy – Dany Cooper ASE.
Kenny – Clayton Jacobson & Sean Lander.
Suburban Mayhem – Stephen Evans.
* Ten Canoes – Tania Nehme.BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC SCORE
The Book of Revelation – Cezary Skubiszewski.
Jindabyne – Paul Kelly & Dan Luscombe.
Macbeth – John Clifford White.
* Suburban Mayhem – Mick Harvey.BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Candy – Robert Cousins.
* Macbeth – David McKay.
Suburban Mayhem – Nell Hanson.
Ten Canoes – Beverley Freeman.Best Costume Design
The Book of Revelation – Anna Borghesi
Kokoda – Phill Eagles
* Macbeth – Jane Johnston
Suburban Mayhem – Melinda DoringBest Sound
Jindabyne – Andrew Plain, Peter Grace, Nada Mikas, Peter Miller, Linda Murdoch & Robert Sullivan
Macbeth – Frank Lipson & John Wilkinson
Suburban Mayhem – Liam Egan, Phil Judd & Steven Jackson-Vaughan
* Ten Canoes – James Currie, Tom Heuzenroeder, Michael Bakaloff & Rory McGregorBYRON KENNEDY AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN FILMMAKING
Rolf de HeerLONGFORD LIFE TIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Ian JonesNEWS LIMITED READERS’ CHOICE AWARD
Heath LedgerFILM & TELEVISION
Best International Actor
Eric Bana – Munich
Anthony LaPaglia – Winter Solstice
* Heath Ledger – Brokeback Mountain
Hugo Weaving – V for VendettaBest International Actress
Toni Collette – In Her Shoes
* Rachel Griffiths – Six Feet Under
Radha Mitchell – Silent Hill
Naomi Watts – King KongYoung Actor Award
Christian Byers – Opal Dream
* Marny Kennedy – Mortified
Frank Sweet – 2:37
Mia Wasikowska – Suburban MayhemBest Visual Effects
* Hunt Angels – Rose Draper & Mike Seymour
Kokoda – Phil Stuart-Jones
Unfolding Florence – The Many Lives of Florence Broadhurst – Simon Rippingale, Tim Richter & Nina Gibbs
Wicked Science Series 2, Ep. 1 – Barry Lanfranchi, James Maclachlan & Vanessa MagyarAFI INTERNATIONAL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN FILMMAKING
Donald McAlpine (Cinematography) – The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Roger Ford (Production Design) – The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
* Dion Beebe (Cinematography) – Memoirs of a Geisha
Roger Donaldson (Producing, Direction & Screenplay) – The World’s Fastest IndianOTHER CATEGORIES (Partial List)
Best Documentary
* Hunt Angels – Sue Maslin
Raul the Terrible – Carlos Alperin
Vietnam Nurses – Beth Frey & Lizzette Atkins
Welcome 2 My Deaf World – Sally IngletonBEST SHORT ANIMATION
The Astronomer – Kate McCartney
Carnivore Reflux – Eddie White & James Calvert
* Gargoyle – Michael Cusack
The Safe House – Lee WhitmoreBEST SHORT FICTION FILM
The Desert – Glendyn Ivin
The 9:13 – Matthew Phipps
Small Boxes – Rene Hernandez
* Stranded – Stuart McDonaldBEST TELEFEATURE OR MINI SERIES
Answered by Fire – Roger Le Mesurier & Andrew Walker
* RAN – Penny Chapman
The Silence – Jan Chapman
The Surgeon – John Edwards & Judi McCrossin
“Australian Film Institute (AFI) Awards 2006: Ten Canoes” notes
Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts website.
Jamie Gulpilil Ten Canoes image: Palace Films and Cinemas.
*last modified in February 2026.