The brightest stars from the Australian film and television industry were out in force at this year's Australian Film Institute Awards ceremony. Some 30-plus feature films were produced in Australia this year, many of which found a great deal of critical acclaim and box office success overseas.

The ceremony was hosted by theatre sensation Hugh Jackman, live from the Melbourne Town Hall. While the event wasn't glossed up by much of the glitz and glamour that surrounds the Academy Awards, it did, nevertheless, stand as a fitting celebration of the successful films produced by Australian filmmakers during this past year.

Bill Bennett's extraordinary Kiss or Kill received 11 nominations in all, an honour shared by The Well. Doing Time for Patsy Cline just missed the top spot with 10 nominations.

The winners of the major awards are listed below:

Best Film — Kiss or Kill (Bennett)
Best Director — Bill Bennett (Kiss or Kill)
Best Actor — Richard Roxburgh (Doing Time for Patsy Cline)
Best Actress — Pamela Rabe (The Well)
Best Supporting Actor — Andrew Gilbert (Kiss or Kill)
Best Supporting Actress — Best Editing — Henry Dangar (Kiss or Kill)
Best Cinematography — Andrew Lesnie (Doing Time for Patsy Cline)
Best Adapted Screenplay — Laura Jones (The Well)
Best Original Score — Peter Best (Doing Time for Patsy Cline)
Best Sound — Kiss or Kill
Best Costume Design — Louise Wakefield (Doing Time for Patsy Cline)
Best Foreign Film — Secrets & Lies (Mike Leigh)

I have to congratulate Bill Bennett and crew for their great work on Kiss or Kill. This film is a must-see for any Australian film buff, highlighting the extreme visual style and innovative narrative structures that have made Australian films so popular around the world.