Audiences have had their say in Adelaide Film Festival’s call to the nation to find the top three Australian feature films of all time – and the results are in! Over 450 films were voted for, but it was Australian classics The Castle, Muriel’s Wedding and Samson & Delilah that topped the list. These films will be celebrated with special event screenings in the festival’s October program, which will be released in full on 12 September.
1. The Castle (1997) dir. Rob Sitch
“That acknowledgement is of course going straight to the pool room… or, if we ever do a sequel… the man cave,” says Rob Sitch, Director of The Castle.
“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!”
2. Muriel’s Wedding (1994) dir. P. J. Hogan
3. Samson & Delilah (2009) dir. Warwick Thornton
In celebration of the announcement, at this year’s Adelaide Film Festival you can:
- Bring the kids for a special school holiday screening of The Castle
“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,” says Stephen Curry, star of The Castle.
- Come home to Porpoise Spit with the Sing-a-Long Special Edition of Muriel’s Wedding
- Experience the power and emotion of Samson & Delilah – the only film both Margaret and David gave 5 STARS in 2009 – with a special introduction by director Warwick Thornton
“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,” says Amanda Duthie, ADL FF’s Artistic Director and CEO.
“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.”
Continuing the celebration of Australia’s rich cinematic history, the festival also presents the world premiere of the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia’s (NFSA) digital restoration of South Australian classic starring Jack Thompson NFSA Restores: Sunday Too Far Away, which came in at #37 in the Top 100.
Plus Sarah Watt’s stunning debut Look Both Ways (#38 in the Top 100) shot in Port Adelaide, will screen with guests Justine Clarke and producer Bridget Ikin in conversation with Margaret Pomeranz.
Amongst the top 100, seven films are from Indigenous directors, 10 films star David Gulpilil, 22 are filmed or produced in South Australia, and 10 films are supported by the visionary Adelaide Film Festival FUND. Women directors represent 26% of the Top 100.
These cinematic gems screen alongside the exclusive premieres of new work from the ADL Film Fest FUND including Opening Night’s Hotel Mumbai from Anthony Maras, direct from its world premiere gala presentation at Toronto Film Festival, direct from Venice the Australian premiere world premiere of Jennifer Kent’s The Nightingale, the gala work-in-progress of Grant Sputore’s I Am Mother starring Hilary Swank and Clara Rugaard and the feature documentary, She Who Must Be Obeyed, about the remarkable Freda Glynn, directed by Erica Glynn.
Also to world premiere is Adelaide Film Festival FUND commissioned VR The Waiting Room from Molly Reynolds and Rolf de Heer, and the extension to 2017’s VR commission The Summation of Force, the short documentary The Art of the Game from director Matt Bate, with Trent Park and Narelle Autio.