Animal Kingdom is a 2010 Australian crime drama written and directed by David Michôd, and starring Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton, Guy Pearce, Luke Ford, Sullivan Stapleton, Jacki Weaver and James Frecheville. Michôd's script was inspired by the Pettingill family of Melbourne, Australia, who in 1988 saw the acquittal of Trevor Pettingill in the murder of two Victoria police officers. The film received several awards and nominations with Weaver receiving multiple awards for her performance, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.