The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) is the place to be this Australia Day, with a program full of Aussie movie and TV classics on the big screen, an Aussie-themed menu including a sausage sizzle, Triple J Hottest 100 Countdown party in the sunny courtyard, a mini exhibition of costumes and props from the digitally restored film Starstruck, and a Q&A with its director, the acclaimed filmmaker Gillian Armstrong.
The big screen classics include the hit films Crocodile Dundee and The Castle, as well as the 1966 comedy They’re a weird Mob (Tickets $5 each, available online).
The evening continues with a screening of Starstruck ($14/12). Re-discover an Australian musical that was ahead of its time, now digitally restored by the NFSA, and join director Gillian Armstrong, for a special Q&A session. Don’t miss our Australia Day-only mini-exhibition, featuring original costumes and other items from the film, and dress up in your favourite 1980s outfit for your chance to win prizes!
Gillian Armstrong said: ‘Producer David Elfick and I couldn’t be more delighted that the NFSA chose to restore Starstruck. The new digital print and remastered soundtrack are vibrant, colourful and wonderful.’
The Australia Day event will be Canberra’s best option, filled with family films, entertainment and the ultimate guide for any new Australian citizen. The Bench Room café will be selling food and beverages through the afternoon, including a sausage sizzle BBQ. The sunny courtyard will be broadcasting the annual Triple J Hottest 100 Countdown to keep you up to date on the favourite songs of 2015 while enjoying the sunshine.
Throughout the day, the Theatrette will also show episodes of the iconic Australian TV program Skippy (free, no booking necessary).
For media tickets, interviews and enquiries, please contact myself or my colleague Miguel Gonzalez (Manager, National and Social Media),miguel.gonzalez@nfsa.gov.au, (02) 8202 0114 or 0404 281 632.
Australia Day at the NFSA
When: Tuesday 26 January, from 12noon
Where: National Film and Sound Archive (Acton)
Tickets:
Theatrette:
· 12noon – 5pm: Skippy, FREE
Arc cinema:
· 12noon: Crocodile Dundee (1986, 97mins, M), $5, www.trybooking.com/JJEW
· 2pm: The Castle (1997, 85mins, M), $5, www.trybooking.com/JJFC
· 4pm: They’re a Weird Mob (1966, 112mins, G), $5, www.trybooking/JJFF
· 6.30pm: Starstruck (1982, 105min, PG), $14, www.trybooking.com/JJFJ . Followed by a Q&A with Gillian Armstrong
· All day: Day pass for all four films $20, www.trybooking.com/JYHV
Crocodile Dundee (1985, 98mins, M)
Dir: Peter Faiman, Australia, 102mins
A glamorous American reporter, Sue Charlton (Linda Kozlowski), goes to the Northern Territory to interview a man who survived a crocodile attack. Michael J 'Crocodile’ Dundee (Paul Hogan) charms her with his bushman’s humour and toughness. He is both more complex and more mysterious than she expects. She invites him to New York, a city that expands his horizons and tests his survival skills.
The Castle (1997, 85mins, M)
Dir: Rob Sitch, Australia, 85mins
Even though there’s an airport practically running through their backyard, the eccentric Kerrigan clan loves their humble home. But when the airfield needs room to expand and pressures the Kerrigans to leave, the family rallies together to defend their beloved 'castle’… no matter how far the conflict goes.
They're a Weird Mob (1966, 112mins, PG)
Dir: Michael Powell, 107mins
Italian immigrant Nino Culotto arrives in Australia to find his cousin’s new magazine has folded. He soon gets a job as a builder’s labourer, learns to talk and drink like an Australian, and falls in love with an Australian girl. Starring Walter Chiari, Chips Rafferty, Claire Dunne.
Starstruck (1982, 105mins, PG)
Dir: Gillian Armstrong, Australia, 105mins
Teenage cousins Angus (Ross O’Donovan) and Jackie Mullens (Jo Kennedy) live in the Harbour View Hotel, beneath the Harbour Bridge in Sydney’s The Rocks. Jackie is 18 and wants to be a singer; Angus is 14 and writes songs, while avoiding school and dreaming up wacky schemes to get his cousin noticed. The brewery wants to repossess the pub, so the teenagers set out to win a national talent contest, with a cash prize of $25,000.