An exclusive interview with the stars of Strictly Ballroom (1992), Tara Morice and Paul Mercurio, talking with the NFSA in 2017, 25 years after the film's release.

An early two-minute trailer for Strictly Ballroom that previewed the film before its release in Australian cinemas on 20 August 1992.

The film tells the story of a championship ballroom dancer (Paul Mercurio) who, with his 'ugly-duckling-turned-beautiful-swan' dancing partner (Tara Morice), breaks all the rules, urging a belief that 'a life lived in fear is a life half-lived'.

In this excerpt from episode 92/13 of SBS's The Movie Show, presenter Margaret Pomeranz interviews director Baz Luhrmann and actor Paul Mercurio about the stunning reception that Strictly Ballroom received at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival. Strictly Ballroom screened in the Un Certain Regard section and won the Festival's Award of the Youth for Foreign Film.

The interviews were conducted the morning after the film's midnight screening at Cannes where it received a lengthy standing ovation. The Cannes Film Festival was the launching pad for the film's phenomenal success. This clip shows, through the reactions of the director and star of the low-budget Australian film, that Strictly Ballroom was shaping up to be a surprise hit across the globe and signalled the beginning of a new era in Australian cinema.

Paul Mercurio and Tara Morice talk about learning to dance flamenco with dancer Antonio Vargas, who played Fran's father in Strictly Ballroom (1992). 

Nigel Giles interviewed Paul Mercurio in 2014 for the NFSA’s Oral History program (NFSA title: 1227198).

Alice Ansara interviewed Tara Morice in 2011 for the NFSA's Oral History program (NFSA title: 1062002).

A Q&A session with Strictly Ballroom stars Paul Mercurio and Tara Morice at the NFSA in September 2022.

In September 2022, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Strictly Ballroom (Baz Luhrmann, Australia, 1992), and the NFSA Restores restoration for the anniversary, the NFSA threw the film a party! 

Following the sold-out screening of the film, our audience was thrilled to welcome lead stars Tara Morice and Paul Mercurio on stage for a Q&A, moderated by Public Engagement Manager, Karina Libbey.

The conversation was fantastic; Tara and Paul were exceptionally friendly and generous in sharing their experience of making the film and entertained us with many enjoyable anecdotes.

You can listen to the full audio here.

Angus Strathie's sketch of the red and black beaded dress worn by Fran (Tara Morice) in the final scenes of Strictly Ballroom. 

Tara Morice and Paul Mercurio talk about dance rehearsals for the film and learning ballroom dancing styles. 

Alice Ansara interviewed Tara Morice in 2011 for the NFSA's Oral History program (NFSA title: 1062002).

Nigel Giles interviewed Paul Mercurio in 2014 for the NFSA’s Oral History program (NFSA title: 1227198).

Strictly Ballroom choreographer, John 'Cha Cha' O'Connell, talks about the techniques he uses when working with actors. 

Strictly Ballroom choreographer, John 'Cha Cha' O'Connell, recalls the first day of the shoot and filming the final dance scene at a real ballroom dancing competition. 

Tara Morice talks about recording Cyndi Lauper's classic song 'Time After Time' for the official Strictly Ballroom movie soundtrack in an exclusive interview with the NFSA.

Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin talk about creating the look of Strictly Ballroom in a behind-the-scenes interview about the making of the film.

Singer John Paul Young talks about re-recording his hit song 'Love is in the Air' for the soundtrack of Strictly Ballroom (1992) and his reaction to seeing footage from the film for the first time.

Nick Weare interviewed John Paul Young for the NFSA's Oral History program in 2009.

This compilation highlights the award winners from Strictly Ballroom at the 1992 AFI (Australian Film Institute) Awards ceremony. The film was nominated for 13 AFIs and danced away with 8 awards. 

Wins included: 

Best Editing, Jill Bilcock
Best Costume Design, Angus Strathie
Best Production Design, Catherine Martin and Bill Marron
Best Supporting Actress, Pat Thompson
Best Supporting Actor, Barry Otto
Best Screenplay, Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce
Best Direction, Baz Luhrmann
Best Film, Tristram Miall

Other nominations included:

Best Lead Actress, Tara Morice
Best Lead Actor, Paul Mercurio
Best Supporting Actress, Gia Carides
Best Sound, Bruce Brown, Roger Savage and Ben Osmo
Best Cinematography, Steve Mason.

John Paul Young performs his hit song 'Love is in the Air (Ballroom Mix)' live at the closing of the 1992 AFI Awards ceremony.

Originally released in 1977, 'Love is in the Air' was a Top 10 hit for John Paul Young in Australia, the UK and US. The 'Ballroom Mix' featured on the soundtrack to Strictly Ballroom (1992) and returned the song to the Australian Top 10 in 1992.

'Love is in the Air' by Vanda/Young, Performed by John Paul Young © Boomerang Investments Pty Ltd admin by BMG AM Pty Ltd, Licensed courtesy of BMG AM Pty Ltd.

At the 1992 AFI (Australian Film Institute) Awards, Strictly Ballroom received 13 nominations and won 8 awards, including Best Film and Best Director.

Scott (Paul Mercurio) dances alone while Fran (Tara Morice) watches from a hidden vantage point. She tells him that she likes his rule-breaking style and wants to partner him at the Pan Pacific championships.

Ballroom dancing officials Les Kendall (Peter Whitford) and Barry Fife (Bill Hunter) sternly recall how Scott Hastings (Paul Mercurio) used 'unorthodox, crowd-pleasing moves’ at the championships. Scott’s mother Shirley (Pat Thomson) and his partner Liz (Gia Carides) express disbelief. Onlooker Fran (Tara Morice) admires Scott’s style.

At the Pan Pacific championships, Doug Hastings (Barry Otto) starts a handclap in support of son Scott (Paul Mercurio) and his partner Fran (Tara Morice). Scott and Fran give a thrilling exhibition of their rule-breaking paso doble. The crowd goes wild.

NFSA Restores: Strictly Ballroom was selected to screen as part of Cannes Classics at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. It also screened at the 2022 Sydney Film Festival. Learn more about the restoration.

An extract from a booklet introducing Paul Mercurio, the star of Strictly Ballroom, to media and promoting the release of the film in Australia in August 1992. This page features quotes from Paul about director Baz Luhrmann and his dancing career.

At 29, Mercurio had extensive experience as dancer and choreographer including as part of the West Australian Ballet Company and the Australian Ballet School.

Official video clip of the Ballroom Mix version of 'Love is in the Air' performed by John Paul Young for the movie Strictly Ballroom. 

'Love is in the Air' by Vanda/Young, Performed by John Paul Young © Boomerang Investments Pty Ltd admin by BMG AM Pty Ltd, Licensed courtesy of BMG AM Pty Ltd.

Tara Morice and Mark Williams perform 'Time After Time' for the official soundtrack to the film Strictly Ballroom. 

Composer David Hirschfelder talks about his work on the film Strictly Ballroom (1992). 

As well as composing numerous scores for Australian films and TV, David has twice been nominated for Best Original Score at the Oscars (for Shine, 1996 and Elizabeth, 1998). Strictly Ballroom was his first film composing credit.

Graham Dodsworth interviewed David Hirschfelder for the NFSA's Oral History program in 2012.

An invitation card with details of the screening details for Strictly Ballroom at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1992.

An alternate Australian poster design prepared for the home viewing release of Strictly Ballroom and based on the successful US marketing campaign for the film. 

This is a very bold and eye-catching poster with three dramatically cropped and striking faces. Framing these faces is the film's title in large, yellow block text at the top and bottom of the poster. The text attracts the viewer like a newspaper hoarding. The expressions on the faces of the three people effectively conveys some of the strongest moods in the film - seduction, determination and humour - even if they do not actually provide any indication of the film's storyline.The additional text at the very top of the poster, 'Wildly Original, Daringly Different, Totally Outrageous', if not matching the faces precisely, enhances the dramatic quality of the poster. The text at the bottom, 'Tradition Bites the Dust', is somewhat flippant but effectively sums up the film's central storyline. The poster is a tightly constructed and well thought-out design.

An infographic showing Strictly Ballroom's nominations and awards received from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (Golden Globes).

Swedish one-sheet film poster for Strictly Ballroom, released in that country on 11 December 1992 with the subtitle 'De förbjudna stegen' ('The forbidden steps').

The tagline on the poster roughly translates to: 'He - rebel, violates unwritten laws. She - in love, ready to sacrifice everything.'

This poster from Sweden seems to defy Strictly Ballroom's overriding camp and kitsch aesthetic. The stark central image of Paul Mercurio is photographed against a black background and mimics Renaissance chiaroscuro painting techniques. Chiaroscuro uses strong tonal contrasts between light and dark to model three-dimensional forms, often to dramatic effect. It's a beautiful image but a bit incongruous if you've seen the film. The film's title continues this idea with its overly florid font. Anyone could be forgiven for thinking the film is set in the late 15th century. It is only the three frames from the film running down the right-hand side of the poster that informs us the film is set in the present day. The subtitle and taglines on the poster almost recast Strictly Ballroom as a modern take on Romeo and Juliet while suggesting that the film will have some steamy sexual scenes. This could potentially confuse or disappoint audiences who decided to see the film solely on the basis of the poster.

Hand-drawn sketch of a men's ballroom dancing costume in a scrapbook alongside inspirational photographs of other ballroom dancing outfits. This costume was worn in Strictly Ballroom by the character Scott Hastings, played by Paul Mercurio. Angus Strathie was the credited costume designer for the film.

French film poster for Strictly Ballroom, where it was released as Ballroom Dancing on 2 September 1992. 

Though rather dark, this poster is very effective in capturing the tone of the film. Strictly Ballroom is noted for its camp and glitzy aesthetic and this poster successfully promotes this through its use of numerous artificial starbursts and glamour portraits. Paul Mercurio as the lead actor dominates the poster striking a dramatic pose which is taken from the climax of the film. His dancing partner, Tara Morice, looks seductively over her shoulder. Supporting cast members (Barry Otto, Sonia Kruger and Gia Carides) appear in kitsch star shapes. The film's French title, Ballroom Dancing, is printed in a jaunty, bouncing font meant to simulate movement - up and down, forwards and backwards. This concept is successful given that the film centres around dance. What is odd, however, is the white text at the top of the poster. The stark, blocky white font of 'Delire total' (total delirium) seems out of place and somewhat unsympathetic to the rest of the poster's design.

In this excerpt from an interview with producer Tristram Miall, he talks about hiring first-time director Baz Luhrmann for the film Strictly Ballroom (1992).

Geoff Gardner interviewed Tristram Miall for the NFSA's Oral History program in 2012.

An annotated diagram of dance steps, part of the promotional materials for the release of Strictly Ballroom in 1992. It includes the positioning of left and right foot for gentleman and lady dance partners.

Angus Strathie's costume sketch for a yellow ballroom gown worn in Strictly Ballroom by the character Liz Holt, played by Gia Carides.

The Australian one-sheet film poster for Strictly Ballroom featuring Paul Mercurio, Tara Morice, Gia Carides and Barry Otto.

Angus Strathie's costume sketch for a pink ballroom gown worn in Strictly Ballroom by Kylie (played by Lauren Hewitt). The sketch is accompanied by photos of dress details to inspire the completed design.

Director Baz Luhrmann introduces us to the themes behind his first feature film, Strictly Ballroom, in this behind-the-scenes video interview from 1992. 

A short film trailer for Strictly Ballroom, ahead of its release in Australian cinemas on 20 August 1992.