Tickets are now on sale for the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia’s (NFSA) first original exhibition in two decades called – Australians & Hollywood: a tale of craft, talent, and ambition.
The exhibition is exclusive to Canberra and will open on the 21st of January, 2022. The show will take visitors on a journey through the pivotal moments in recent and contemporary Australian cinema, as well as the people and stories that brought them to life.
The exhibition will be an audiovisual feast of behind-the-scenes, on-screen and red carpet moments, featuring rare items – costumes, memorabilia and props – from the NFSA collection which have never been displayed before, as well as personal treasures from some of Australia’s most celebrated creatives in cinema, including David Michôd, Greig Fraser, George Miller, Mia Wasikowska, Norma Moriceau, Eric Bana and Paul Hogan.
From the striking customised steering wheels of Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller, 2015) and the spectacular costumes from Moulin Rouge! (Baz Luhrmann, 2001) and The Sapphires (Wayne Blair, 2012), to Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin’s art concept books for Romeo + Juliet (Baz Luhrmann, 1996) and the clapperboard from the 2021 sci-fi epic, Dune (Denis Villeneuve 2021), audiences can see up close the creativity and craft that goes into making a classic film.
NFSA Curator Tara Marynowsky says Australians & Hollywood is both a celebration of Australian talent and provocation to rethink cinema at home, in Hollywood and beyond.
“Films can help us make sense of the world, inspire social change and reflect who we are. We hope audiences walk away from this exhibition with a greater understanding of the art form and how Australians have redefined big-screen spectacle and found success on their own terms,” Tara says.
“Australians & Hollywood is a celebration of iconic moments in contemporary Australian film, but also of the shared communal experience we enjoy when we go to the movies or visit an exhibition together,” she adds.
NFSA Chief Executive Officer Patrick McIntyre says for the first time in two decades, a major exhibition has been curated primarily from the NFSA’s collection, marking a moment of transformation for the Archive.
“Australians & Hollywood is the start of a new era of opening up our collection and sharing it with the world. This isn’t only a celebration of Australian cinematic success; these stories and memories provide an insight into our national character and where we might be heading, while highlighting the importance of preserving them for future generations,” Patrick says.
“The exhibition is filled with memorable, shared experiences of our homegrown storytellers. We want Australians to be inspired and invigorated by our contemporary cinematic stories,” he adds.
Woven into Australians & Hollywood is an innovative digital layer, giving visitors a unique interactive experience as they journey through the exhibition, capturing on their phones extra content they can explore as they head home.
Australians & Hollywood: a tale of craft, talent, and ambition will run from 21st January 2022 through to 17th July 2022, exclusively in Canberra, at the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, open daily from 10am – 4pm throughout exhibition. Tickets can be booked here.
For more information about the Australians & Hollywood exhibition, visit here.
For more from The Carousel about cinema, visit here.
