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MELBOURNE, Australia -- In what is regarded as the curtain-raiser for the awards season Down Under, the psychological drama Japanese Story and crime caper comedy Gettin' Square head the nominations list for this year's Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards. The critical and commercial hit Japanese Story is nominated in a total of seven categories, including best picture, best director, and best actress (Toni Collette). Gettin' Square, which also has seven nominations, will go head-to-head with Japanese Story in the best picture and director categories, while David Wenham is the front-runner for the best actor nod for his turn as a recently released convict. The other two best picture nominees are the Rolf de Heer drama Alexandra's Project and the coming-of-age tale Swimming Upstream, helmed by Russell Mulcahy. In the best actress category, Collette is up against Helen Buday (Alexandra's Project), Susie Porter (Teesh and Trude) and Olivia Pigeot (A Cold Summer), while Wenham's fellow nominees include Geoffrey Rush (Swimming Upstream), Heath Ledger (Ned Kelly) and Gary Sweet (Alexandra's Project).