David Stratton's much-anticipated documentary on Australian film (previously known as David Stratton: Stories of Australian Cinema) has been given a new title to go with its new-look trailer.
Transmission Films will release David Stratton: A Cinematic Life on March 9, and the new trailer promises a film with a biographical bent, as much about Stratton himself as the films that have inspired him.
When I spoke to him at last year's Australian International Movie Convention, Stratton described the project as "very personal".
"Without wanting to sound too pretentious about it, it’s sort of my journey coming to Australia from England, running the Sydney Film Festival for eighteen years, fighting censorship, [and] being at the Sydney Film Festival just as the Australian New Wave was happening with the Peter Weirs and the Gillian Armstrongs and the Fred Schepisis."
Besides Armstrong and Schepisi, the doc features Eric Bana, Bryan Brown, Russell Crowe, Judy Davis, Nicole Kidman, George Miller, Sam Neill, Geoffrey Rush, Warwick Thornton, Jacki Weaver and Hugo Weaving, as well as international players such as THR's chief critic Todd McCarthy, Stratton's former colleague at Variety.
“David Stratton is a true champion of Australian cinema," said Transmission Films Joint Managing Director Andrew Mackie in a statement. "The opportunity to share his unique personal story on the big screen is a privilege."
The feature documentary (also set to air on the ABC later in the year in an extended, three-part cut) is written and directed by Sally Aitken (Getting Frank Gehry, Streets of Your Town), produced by Jo-anne McGowan and executive produced by Jennifer Peedom (Sherpa).