‘The Castle’ topped the Adelaide Film Festival poll (Photo courtesy of Working Dog Productions).
The Adelaide Film Festival will hold special event screenings of The Castle, Muriel’s Wedding and Samson and Delilah after the three films topped its nation-wide vote on the best Australian films of all time.
The poll is said to have received thousands of votes, and over 450 films were voted for.
There will be a special school holiday screening of The Castle, introduced by star Stephen Curry, a sing-a-long special edition of Muriel’s Wedding and writer-director Warwick Thornton will give a special introduction to his 2009 Camera d’Or winning Samson and Delilah.
On topping the poll, The Castle director Rob Sitch said: “That acknowledgement is of course going straight to the pool room…or, if we ever do a sequel…the man cave… It’s worth pointing out that after all these years Darryl has been proved right about 3 Highview Cresent Coolaroo…next year, in real life, it’s getting the NBN!”
Curry said: “I’m so excited that The Castle has topped the poll for ‘Best Australian film of all time’. It’s incredible to think that this little movie that took 11 days to shoot, 22 years ago, in which I wore that gorgeous mullet, still resonates so strongly with audiences today. I’m so proud of my association with this beautiful story and can’t wait to introduce the screening at the Adelaide Film Festival. I may just have to re-grow the mullet just for the occasion. Or maybe not.”
In addition, the festival will screen a National Film and Sound Archive restoration of Sunday Too Far Away, which came in at #37 in addition to Sarah Watt’s Look Both Ways (#38), with guests Justine Clarke and producer Bridget Ikin in conversation with Margaret Pomeranz.
Artistic Director and CEO of Adelaide Film Festival, Amanda Duthie said: “The MY TOP 3 #YOUMUSTSEE initiative has given audiences a chance to reflect on the films that are forever stamped in our national psyche, and has generated vibrant debate about who we are and who we wish to be as a nation. Family has emerged as a major theme in the nation’s favourite films. We love Australian cinema and MY TOP 3 allowed us to re-connect audiences with the films they love, making it all the more special to bring the nation’s top 3 films back to the big screen.”
Films from female directors make up 26 per cent of the top 100 films, and seven are from Indigenous directors.
Other Aussie films to screen at Adelaide Film Festival include Anthony Maras’ Hotel Mumbai, Jennifer Kent’s The Nightingale, the gala work-in-progress of Grant Sputore’s I Am Mother and the feature doc She Who Must Be Obeyed, about Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (CAAMA) and Imparja TV co-founder Freda Glynn, directed by her daughter Erica Glynn.
Aussie VR works to screen also include Molly Reynolds and Rolf de Heer’s The Waiting Room from Molly Reynolds and Rolf de Heer, and short documentary The Art of the Game from director Matt Bate, with Trent Park and Narelle Autio, which expands upon the extension to 2017’s Adelaide Film Fest-opener The Summation of Force.
The full program will be announced September 12.
The top 100:
1 The Castle 1997
2 Muriel’s Wedding 1994
3 Samson and Delilah 2009
4 Rabbit-Proof Fence 2002
5 The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert 1993
6 Gallipoli 1981
7 Wake In Fright 1971
8 Picnic At Hanging Rock 1975
9 Lantana 2000
10 Strictly Ballroom 1991
11 Mad Max 1979
12 Mad Max : Fury Road 2012
13 The Dressmaker 2015
14 Sweet Country 2017
15 Ten Canoes 2006
16 Animal Kingdom 2010
17 The Babadook 2014
18 Red Dog 2011
19 Walkabout 1971
20 Shine 1995
21 Moulin Rouge! 2001
22 Chopper 2000
23 Bad Boy Bubby 1993
24 Two Hands 1998
25 The Year My Voice Broke 1987
26 Snowtown 2011
27 Lion 2016
28 Mad Max II 1981
29 Breaker Morant 1980
30 Crocodile Dundee 1986
31 Storm Boy 1976
32 The Dish 2000
33 The Sapphires 2012
34 The Tracker 2002
35 Looking For Alibrandi 1999
36 My Brilliant Career 1979
37 Sunday Too Far Away 1975
38 Look Both Ways 2005
39 Newsfront 1978
40 The Proposition 2005
41 Beneath Clouds 2002
42 Malcolm 1986
43 The Man from Snowy River 1982
44 Romper Stomper 1991
45 Breath 2017
46 Japanese Story 2002
47 Somersault 2004
48 Kenny 2006
49 Wolf Creek 2005
50 Australia 2008
51 Babe 1995
52 Cargo 2017
53 Love Serenade 1996
54 The Piano 1993
55 Charlie’s Country 2013
56 Last Cab to Darwin 2015
57 52 Tuesdays 2013
58 Mary And Max 2009
59 The Boys 1997
60 Dogs in Space 1986
61 Head On 1998
62 Proof 1990
63 Candy 2006
64 Mystery Road 2013
65 Blessed 2009
66 Bran Nue Dae 2009
67 Holding the Man 2015
68 The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith 1977
69 Gettin’ Square 2003
70 He Died With A Felafel In His Hand 2001
71 Dead Calm 1989
72 Death In Brunswick 1990
73 The Black Balloon 2007
74 Bliss 1984
75 Cosi 1995
76 Don’s Party 1976
77 Girl Asleep 2015
78 The Big Steal 1990
79 The Cars That Ate Paris 1974
80 The Sum of Us 1994
81 Beautiful Kate 2009
82 Crackerjack 2002
83 Happy Feet 2006
84 Sweetie 1989
85 The Year of Living Dangerously 1982
86 They’re A Weird Mob 1966
87 Ali’s Wedding 2017
88 High Tide 1986
89 Wyrmwood 2010
90 Careful He Might Hear You 1983
91 Jasper Jones 2017
92 Little Fish 2005
93 Lucky Miles 2007
94 Man Of Flowers 1983
95 Paper Planes 2014
96 Road to Nhill 1996
97 Sherpa 2015
98 An Angel At My Table 1990
99 Idiot Box 1996
100 Jedda 1954