Lion sweeps all the way at AACTA Awards and Dangal the Best Asian Film

Sunny Pawar as young Saroo Brierly (left) and at Oscars 2017 (right) finally won the Best Actor Award at AACTA ceremony last night

Lion ”“ A Long Way From Home, a movie based on Saroo Brierly’s heart rending story of an orphan boy adopted by an Australian family at age 6 who goes looking for his biological family in India, swept the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards in Sydney, claiming 12 awards from 12 nominations, the surprise winner of best actor was tiny Sunny Pawar who played a lost boy in director Garth Davis’ inspiring drama.

Sunny Pawar with Nicole Kidman  

Sunny was one of more than 2000 children auditioning to play young Saroo Brierley, who embarked on a long emotional search to find his birth mother after growing up in Australia in the film. He became the youngest Best Actor winner beating Simon Burke who was 15 when he won an Australian Film Institute Award for The Devil’s Playground in 1976.

Lion dominated the awards at The Star on Wednesday night ”“ winning best film, best direction and both best supporting actor awards for Nicole Kidman and Dev Patel after seven craft prizes at the Industry Luncheon on Monday.

Sakshi Tanwar who played the mother in Dangal at AACTA Award ceremony with Russell Crowe

Another highlight for India was when Russell Crowe presented a new award for best Asian film to India’s  Dangal, a drama about a father who trains his daughters to be world class wrestlers.

 

 

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