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Animal Kingdom Dominates AFI Awards

This evening the Australian Film Institute announced the winners of the 2010 Samsung AFI Awards at a lavish ceremony held at Melbourne's beautiful Regent Theatre. Hosted for the first time by consummate entertainer Shane Jacobson, the ceremony commenced in true showbiz style as Shane wowed the audience with a spectacular live performance of the Gershwin classic They Can't Take that Away from Me.

Willem Dafoe, Yvonne Strahovski, Claudia Karvan, Sigrid Thornton Asher Keddie, Vince Colosomo, Nick Giannopoulos, Stephen Curry, Justine Clarke, Julia Zemiro, Josh Lawson, Caitlin Stasey, Alex Dimitriades, Shaun Micallef, Adam Zwar, Lincoln Lewis, Nash Edgerton and Aden Young were just some of the stars that turned out to present awards and celebrate the outstanding achievements of the Australian film and television industry at the glittering ceremony, produced by Dainty Consolidated Entertainment and broadcast nationally on Channel Nine.

Animal Kingdom won the most highly coveted award – the Samsung Mobile AFI Award for Best Film. The gripping crime drama was the night's big winner, coming away with 9 AFI awards in total. The film's director and writer, David Michôd took home the AFI Award from Best Direction and the Macquarie AFI Award for Best Original Screenplay.

This year marked a staggering eight AFI Award nominations for Ben Mendelsohn and he duly claimed the second gong of his career by taking out the AFI Award for Best Lead Actor. Jacki Weaver was honoured with the AFI Award for Best Lead Actress for her role as matriarch Smurf in Animal Kingdom, while her co-star Joel Edgerton picked up the AFI Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Deborah Mailman also had cause to celebrate, with AFI Award wins in both film and television. Mailman won Best Supporting Actress for her role in Bran Nue Dae and Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama for her performance in Offspring.

The director and writer of Tomorrow When The War Began, Stuart Beattie, won the Macquarie AFI Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for his adaptation of John Marsden's aponymous novel. The recipients of both the Macquarie AFI Award for Best Original Screenplay and the Macquarie AFI Award for Best Adapted Screenplay each recieve a grant of $10,000 from Macquarie to assist them in their quest to write great stories for screen.

The AFI Young Actor was presented to one-to-watch Harrison Gibertson for his role in WW1 drama Beneath Hill 60.

Sam Worthington war this years recipient of the AFI International Award for Best Actor for his role in James Cameron's epic futuristic fantasy Avatar, while Mia Wasikowska won the AFI International Award for Best Actress for her title role in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland.

For a full list of winners, visit the AFI website