The best Australian film of the year didn’t score one AACTA Award nomination.

Amazing local cast, funded by film bodies, uniquely Australian yet ruled ineligible because they tried to use a profitable and forward thinking distribution model. They bypassed a theatrical release and went straight to video on demand. It deserved a Best Picture nod and the resulting free publicity/sales.

Red tape at its finest (AACTA guidelines from wikipedia):

To be eligible, the film must be Australian; consist of a dramatised story of at least 70 minutes duration; and be publicly exhibited in a commercial cinema for a minimum of seven consecutive days, in at least two capital cities (one of which is Sydney or Melbourne).