The NFSA’s Big Screen touring film festival kicks off its 2014 season in Mildura, Victoria on 2 March. Now in its 14th year, Big Screen allows audiences in regional and remote Australia to engage with the NFSA collection and experience the best of Australian cinema. For many communities the festival offers the only opportunity to see Australian films on the big screen, as they were meant to be seen.
Big Screen programs a mix of classic and contemporary features, short films and documentaries in local cinemas and outdoor settings. Opening night in Mildura showcases a new package of restored silent films from the NFSA’s Corrick Collection, accompanied by internationally acclaimed pianist Elaine Loebenstein. Also screening in Mildura are all the major film winners at the recent AACTA Australian Academy Awards (The Great Gatsby, The Turning and The Rocket).
Big Screen invites special guests to introduce their films and meet local audiences. Producer Kath Shelper will present The Darkside at Murwillumbah, NSW. The film features iconic actors telling Australian ghost stories and Kath Shelper will be recording ghost stories from audience members before and after the screening. Read an interview with director Warwick Thornton about the NFSA building’s featured role in the documentary.
Special guests at Big Screen events in 2013 included actors Magda Szubanski (Goddess), Aaron Pedersen (Mystery Road), Paul Mercurio (Strictly Ballroom) and directors Kim Mordaunt (The Rocket) and Robert Connolly (Underground: The Julian Assange Story).