Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts

The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) is a professional organisation of film and television practitioners in Australia. The Academy's aim is "to identify, award, promote and celebrate Australia's greatest achievements in film and television."

It was established in August 2011 with the backing of the Australian Film Institute (AFI) to act as its industry engagement arm and to administer the AACTA Awards (formerly the Australian Film Institute Awards, also known as the AFI Awards) which rewards achievements in Australian feature film, television, documentary and short films.

The Academy is composed of 15 Chapters, each of which represents different screen artists including actors, directors, producers and writers, and it is overseen by the Academy's president and the Honorary Council. Australian actor Geoffrey Rush is the inaugural President and hosted the inaugural AACTA Awards in January 2012.

Background

The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA), is a not for profit, membership based, organisation whose aim is "to identify, award, promote and celebrate Australia's greatest achievements in film and television." The Academy is a subsidiary of the Australian Film Institute (AFI), a non-profit organisation which was established in 1958 to develop an active film culture in Australia and to foster engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry. The AFI was also responsible for administering the Australian Film Institute Awards (more commonly known as the AFI Awards), which until 2011 rewarded Australian practitioners in feature film, television, documentary and short film screen crafts. The Academy receives funding by the AFI, and Australian state and federal governments.