Hollywood Aussies bask in the Twilight
Baz Luhrmann, Jacki Weaver and Joel Edgerton were no-shows to pick up their awards but at least the guy from Twilight turned up.
"I'm still considering whether to have a total train wreck and make this up or say a generic speech," English actor Robert Pattinson, star of the multi-billion Twilight vampire film franchise, told the audience at Australians In Film's annual benefit dinner and awards night in Los Angeles on Thursday.
Pattinson presented an award to Blue-Tongue Films, a collective of Australian filmmakers including Joel and Nash Edgerton, David Michod and Luke Doolan whose work includes the crime drama Animal Kingdom.
Pattinson wasn't a train wreck but revealed how honoured he was to be part of Blue-Tongue's new thriller The Rover, which was shot in South Australia.
"I thought it was Australians only," Pattinson told the sold-out 300-strong audience of actors and Hollywood executives who paid up to $US1,500 ($A1,562.74) a seat.
Alex O'Loughlin, Sullivan Stapleton, Isla Fisher, Delta Goodrem, Erica Packer and Yvonne Strzechowski were among the honourees or guests in the ballroom at LA's Intercontinental hotel.
Great Gatsby director Luhrmann, double Oscar nominee Weaver and Edgerton all had good excuses for not being in LA, with the trio working on other projects.
O'Loughlin, the lead of TV series Hawaii Five-O, and Stapleton, star of the much anticipated sequel 300: Rise of an Empire received breakthrough awards.
Warner Bros president of world-wide production Steve Papazian, who has overseen 18 films shot in Australia, was also awarded the AusFilm International Award.
The LA-based non-profit Australians in Film was created to help Australian talent in the United States.
