News stars duke it out at AFTA Awards

John Campbell has been nominated for Best News or Current Affairs Presenter at the AFTA Awards. Photo / Richard Robinson

A classic network battle is brewing at the upcoming Aotearoa New Zealand Film & TV Awards, with TV3 news stars Hilary Barry and John Campbell up against One News stalwart Peter Williams for the prized best presenter trophy.

The trio will duke it for the title of Best News or Current Affairs Presenter, one of 61 awards to be given out at the AFTA Awards on November 12 in Auckland.

News reporters from the networks are also up for awards, with 3 News' Hamish Clark, Duncan Garner and Tony Reid up against One News' Guyon Espiner in the Best News Reporting category.

Elsewhere, Friday night's hit show 7 Days is up against Madeleine Sami's Super City and live stand-up show A Night at the Classic in the Best Comedy category.

Sami is also nominated for the Best Performance by an Actress award for Super City. But she faces stiff competition from Miriama McDowell and Tandi Wright for their roles in the critically acclaimed drama This Is Not My Life.

Another strongly contested category is Best Feature Film, with My Wedding And Other Secrets, Love Story and Predicament in line for the award.

A whopping 657 entries were received by AFTA organisers this year, with 90 judges determining the finalists in 61 categories.

This year's Gala Awards is being held at the Viaduct Events Centre in Auckland, with edited highlights screening on TV3.

The full AFTA Award nominations:

Qantas Best News:
3 News
Tonight
One News

Best News or Current Affairs Presenter:
Hilary Barry - 3 News
John Campbell - Campbell Live
Peter Williams - One News

Best News Reporting:
Hamish Clark - 3 News
Guyon Espiner - One News
Duncan Garner & Tony Reid - 3 News

Best Current Affairs Reporting for a weekly programme or one-off current affairs special:
Janet McIntyre - Sunday
Amanda Millar & Joanne Mitchell - Sunday
Sonya Wilson - 20/20

Best Current Affairs Reporting for a daily programme:
John Campbell - Campbell Live
Mark Crysell & Kate McCallum - Close Up
Gill Higgins & Kate McCallum - Close Up

Best Current Affairs Series:
60 Minutes - Terence Taylor
Native Affairs - Colin McRae
Sunday

Investigation of the Year:
Paula Penfold & Eugene Bingham - Secrets and Lies
Rachel Stace - A Rotten Shame
John Campbell, Pip Keane & Claudine MacLean - Campbell Live, The Tsunami Aid Money Investigation

Best News Camera:
Christie Douglas, 3 News - Pyne Gould Corp. Building Collapse/Christchurch
Quake: Pyne Gould Building Flattened
Bob Grieve, 3 News - Hoar/Singer/Students
Cameron Williams, 3 News - Niger Series/Airline Investigation

Best Current Affairs Camera:
Martin Anderson, 20/20 - Rite of Passage
Chris Brown, 20/20 - Breaking Back
Leander Scott-Donelan, Close Up - Pheasant

Best News Editing:
Sarah Rowan, 3 News - Pike River Memorial/Amy Gilbert/Commonwealth
Paul Sparkes, One News - Special Report 1080
Paul Sparkes, One News - Special Report CCTV

Best Current Affairs Editing:
Will Kong, Sunday - Officer Down
Nick Reid, 20/20 - Sitting on a Killer
Elisabeth Topping, Sunday - Big on the Blogosphere

Images & Sound Best Drama Programme:
Outrageous Fortune 6 - South Pacific Pictures
This Is Not My Life - Desert Road
What Really Happened: Waitangi - Eyeworks New Zealand

NZ On Air Best Comedy OR Comedy Series:
7 Days - MediaWorks
A Night at the Classic - Two Heads
Super City - Super Fumes

Maori Language Commission/Te Mangai Paho Best Maori Language Programme:
E Tu Kahikatea Te Noni
Katerina Te Heikoko Mataira - Maori Television
Kowhao Rau, Series 1 - Kura Productions

Best Children's/Youth Programme:
The Amazing Extraordinary Friends, Series 3 - Greenstone TV
Kaitangata Twitch - ProductionShed.tv
What Now 30th Birthday Show - Whitebait TV

Best Information Programme:
North, episode six - JAM TV
The Politically Incorrect Guide to Teenagers - Razor
Whare Maori, Episode one - Kainga Scottie Productions

Auckland Council Best Entertainment/Factual Entertainment Programme:
Making Tracks - Two Heads
MasterChef New Zealand - Imagination Television
The New Zealand Variety Show - Eureka Productions

Kordia Best Multi-cam Broadcast:
ANZAC Day 2011 - Kotahi Te Wairua Maori Television
Polynesian Blue Pacific Music Awards - TVNZ
Rise Up Christchurch: Global Telethon - Commotion TV

Best Observational Reality Series:
Intrepid Journeys - JAM TV
Rescue 1, Series 3 - Great Southern Television
The Secret Lives of Dancers - Eyeworks New Zealand

Best Constructed Reality Series:
Are You My Tribe? - Claudette Hauiti
Bigger, Better, Faster, Stronger - thedownlowconcept
Missing Pieces - Eyeworks New Zealand

Best Performance by an Actress:
Miriama McDowell - This Is Not My Life
Madeleine Sami - Super City
Tandi Wright - This Is Not My Life

Best Performance by a Supporting Actress:
Nathalie Boltt - Bloodlines
Rena Owen - Shortland Street
Fern Sutherland - The Almighty Johnsons

Best Performance by an Actor:
Jarod Rawiri - What Really Happened: Waitangi
Antony Starr - Spies And Lies
Mark Mitchinson - Bloodlines

Best Performance by a Supporting Actor:
Dean O'Gorman - Nights in the Gardens of Spain
Craig Parker - Legend of the Seeker
Craig Hall - Bloodlines

Best Presenter -Entertainment/Factual:
Jeremy Corbett - 7 Days
Nigel Latta - The Politically Incorrect Guide to Teenagers
Marcus Lush - North, episode10

Best Script - Drama/Comedy:
Paula Boock & Donna Malane - Bloodlines
James Griffin - Outrageous Fortune
Madeleine Sami & Thomas Sainsbury - Super City

Images & Sound Best Director - Drama/Comedy:
Peter Burger - What Really Happened: Waitangi
Britta Johnstone - Stolen
Peter Burger - Bloodlines

Best Director - Entertainment/Factual:
James Anderson, Two Heads - The Food Truck
Dean Cornish & Nick Dwyer, Two Heads & Like Rice - Making Tracks
Karen Mackenzie & Michael Bennett - Whare Maori, episode one, Kainga

Kordia Best Multi-camera Direction:
Darryl McEwen - MasterChef New Zealand
Nigel Carpenter & Mitchell Hawkes - Band Together for Canterbury
Rob McLaughlin - One's Countdown to New Year

Best Cinematography Drama/Comedy:
Andy Commis - This Is Not My Life
David Paul - Reservoir Hill: Everyone Lies
Kevin Riley - Legend of the Seeker

Images & Sound Best Editing Drama/Comedy
Paul Maxwell - This Is Not My Life
Allanah Milne - Stolen
Bryan Shaw - The Almighty Johnsons

Best Original Music
Sean Donnelly & Victoria Kelly - The Almighty Johnsons
Gareth Farr - Panic At Rock Island
Don McGlashan - This Is Not My Life
Best Sound Design:
Phil Burton, Don Paulin & Mark Cornish - Panic At Rock Island
Tom Miskin, James Hayday, Mike Bayliss & Steve Finnigan - Stolen
Chris Burt - Legend of the Seeker

Best Production Design:
Tracey Collins - This Is Not My Life
Tracey Collins - What Really Happened: Waitangi
Gary Mackay - Go Girls 3

Best Contribution to Design:
Katrina Hodge - Outrageous Fortune
Jane Holland - Legend of the Seeker
Peter McCully - This Is Not My Life

Best Popular Documentary or Documentary Series:
The Banker, The Escorts, And The $18 Million - KHF Media
Jesus, The Cold Case - Red Sky Film & Television
October 15 - Pietra Brettkelly & Kim Webby

Best Arts/Festival/Feature Documentary:
Gordonia - Colossus Films
I am the River - Razor
Operation 8 - cutcutcut

Best Director Documentary:
John Bates - 50 Years of Television
Annie Goldson - Brother Number One
Merata Mita (posthumous) - Saving Grace

Best Cinematography Documentary/Factual:
Jacob Bryant - North, episode six
Renaud Maire - I am the River
David Paul - The Banker, The Escorts, And The $18 Million

Best Editing Documentary/Factual:
Annie Collins - The Waterfall
Geoff Conway - 5 Days in the Red Zone
Gretchen Peterson - The Banker, The Escorts, And The $18 Million

Best Feature Film:
My Wedding And Other Secrets - South Pacific Pictures
Love Story - Pictures for Anna
Predicament - Novel Productions

Outstanding Feature Film Debut:
Michael Bennett (Filmwork) - Matariki
Simone Horrocks (THE Film) - After the Waterfall
Josh McKenzie (Eyeworks New Zealand) - The Hopes & Dreams of Gazza Snell

Best Director in a Feature Film:
Florian Habicht - Love Story
Roseanne Liang - My Wedding And Other Secrets
Jason Stutter - Predicament

Best Lead Actor in a Feature Film:
Antony Starr - After the Waterfall
Matt Whelan - My Wedding And Other Secrets
Rawiri Paratene - The Insatiable Moon

Best Lead Actress in a Feature Film:
Michelle Ang - My Wedding And Other Secrets
Robyn Malcolm - The Hopes & Dreams of Gazza Snell
Sara Wiseman - The Insatiable Moon

Best Supporting Actor in a Feature Film:
Greg Johnson - The Insatiable Moon
Josh McKenzie - The Hopes & Dreams of Gazza Snell
Edwin Wright - Matariki

Best Supporting Actress in a Feature Film:
Alix Bushnell - Matariki
Sara Wiseman - Matariki
Teresa Woodham - The Insatiable Moon

Best Screenplay for a Feature Film:
Roseanne Liang & Angeline Loo - My Wedding And Other Secrets
Mike Riddell - The Insatiable Moon
Jason Stutter - Predicament

Best Cinematography in a Feature Film:
Alun Bollinger - Love Birds
Maria Ines Manchego - Love Story
Simon Raby - Predicament

Best Editing in a Feature Film:
Cushla Dillon - After the Waterfall
Peter O'Donoghue - Love Story
Jonathan Woodford-Robinson - Predicament

Best Original Music in a Feature Film:
Neville Copland - The Insatiable Moon
Don McGlashan - Matariki
Plan 9 - Predicament

Images & Sound Best Sound in a Feature Film:
Tim Prebble, Chris Todd, Mike Hedges & Gilbert Lake - The Hopes & Dreams of Gazza Snell
Dick Reade & Gethin Creagh - After the Waterfall
Matt Stutter, Martin Kwok, Michael Hedges, Gilbert Lake & Ken Saville - Predicament

Best Production Design in a Feature Film:
John Harding - Predicament
Miro Harre - Matariki
Andrew McAlpine - Love Birds
Maria Ines Manchego - Love Story

Best Costume Design in a Feature Film:
Bob Buck - Tracker
Lesley Burkes-Harding - Predicament
Kirsty Cameron - Love Birds
Maria Ines Manchego - Love Story

Best Make-Up Design in a Feature Film:
Denise Kum - Love Birds
Maria Ines Manchego - Love Story
Angela Mooar - Predicament

Best Visual Effects in a Feature Film:
Digipost - Love Birds
Maria Ines Manchego - Love Story
Sauce VFX - Predicament

Best Short Film:
BIRD - Great Southern Television
Ebony Society - Stan Strong
Go The Dogs - Jackie van Beek

Best Performance in a Short Film:
Peter Hawes - BIRD
Jennifer Ludlam - Hauraki
Brittany-Anne Romijn - Go The Dogs

Best Screenplay for a Short Film:
Tammy Davis - Ebony Society
Sam Holst - Meathead
Gregory King, Jane Shearer & Steve Ayson - BIRD

Outstanding Technical Contribution to a Short Film:
James Cunningham - Das Tub
James Cunningham - First Contact
Maria-Elena Doyle - Meniscus

- Herald online