American Australian Association & G'Day USA Announce The 22nd Annual G'Day USA Arts Gala

The American Australian Association and G'Day USA will present their beloved G'Day USA Arts Gala, set to take place on February 21, 2025, in Los Angeles.

This annual event celebrates the remarkable collaborations, innovations, and talent shared between Australia and the United States. For 22 years, the G'Day USA program has strengthened the bond between the two nations, showcasing Australian achievement, creativity, and talent with the support of the Australian government.

G'Day USA will honor globally recognized actress Teresa Palmer with the Excellence in Film & Television Award.  Teresa has had a prolific career,  appearing in several major Australian and international films. Some of Teresa's film credits include December Boys opposite Daniel Radcliffe;  Bedtime Stories, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, I Am Number Four, Take Me Home Tonight,  the Australian thriller Wish You Were Here; the zombie rom-com box office hit Warm Bodies with Nicholas Hoult and John Malkovich, and Ride Like A Girl, for which she received another nomination for best actress by the Australian film critics association and The Fall Guy, where she acted opposite Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt and Hannah Waddingham. Palmer's string of award-winning performances extends to her foray into television, having been nominated at the 2024 AACTA Awards as Best Lead Actress for her performance in Disney's psychological thriller The Clearing, and her role in the cult hit A Discovery of Witches that garnered her a nomination at the 2022 Critics Choice Super Award for Best Actress in a Science  Fiction/Fantasy Series.

Indigenous filmmaker Warwick Thornton has redefined Australian cinema and will be honored with the Excellence in Film & Television  Award. The director, writer, and cinematographer has been recognized with over 42 wins and 44 nominations worldwide. His latest work, The New Boy featuring Cate Blanchett,  premiered at the 2023 Cannes International Film Festival and was nominated for 12 AACTAs in 2023 including Best Film and Best Direction. Additionally, Warwick won Best Cinematography at the 13th AACTA Awards, the Camerimage Golden Frog for The New Boy, which also garnered him the Spotlight Award at the American Society of Cinematographers ceremony in March 2024. On the television side, he co-created, executive produced, and directed AMC's Firebite, the inspired autobiographical docuseries THE BEACH for A24, as well as directing and shooting the hugely successful and much-awarded 2nd season of Mystery Road for ABC and Netflix.

The third honoree is globally celebrated writer, composer, and lyricist Tim Minchin, who will receive the Excellence in the Arts Award. Minchin is an award-winning composer and lyricist of smash-hit stage musicals, Matilda and Groundhog Day as well as a screenwriter (Upright), actor (Californication, Robin Hood, The Artful Dodger), and author (You Don't Have to Have a Dream). Taking his talents to the Broadway stage, his stage roles include his acclaimed Judas in the 2014 UK / Australian Arena Tour of Jesus Christ Superstar, and Rosencrantz in the Sydney Theatre Company's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.  In addition to being seen on and off the big screen, he has received multiple Grammy and Tony nominations, and his 2020 studio album, Apart Together, peaked at #2 on the ARIA charts. Among many accolades, he has garnered two Olivier Awards for Best Musical, a British Composers Award for Best Score, a Logie for Best Supporting Actor, an ACTAA for Best TV Comedy Performance, an Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Newcomer, a Whats On Stage Award for Best Actor in a Musical, The Richard Dawkins Award for Science Communication, and an Order of Australia for Services to the Arts and the Community. 

This year, television star Tony Armstrong is confirmed to host the black-tie event. Armstrong began his career in the AFL and, in 2019, he broke new ground by becoming the first Indigenous person to provide live commentary for Aussie Rules Football on commercial radio. He has used his platform to highlight issues Indigenous Australians face. He won the Graham Kennedy Award for Most Popular New Talent at the 2022 Logie Awards and the 2023 Bert Newton Award for Most Popular Presenter. He continued to shine this past year, as he was nominated for a Gold Logie at the 2024 Logie Awards for his outstanding work across the ABC, further solidifying his status as a beloved figure in Australian television. 

For 22 years, the highly anticipated G'Day USA Arts Gala has honored prominent Australians from film, television, music, and the arts for their contributions to the US-Australia relationship.

All funds raised will support the American Australian Association and its Arts Fund. Presenting sponsors of the event include Fox, News Corp, Qantas, Screen Australia, Stan, and Tourism Australia.

For more information on the G'Day USA Arts Gala, please visit https://americanaustralian.org/events/2025-gday-usa-arts-gala/. 

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