Starstruck: Australian Movie Portraits opens

10 November 2017

Starstruck: Australian Movie Portraits opens

Visitors will be left in awe with the National Portrait Gallery and National Film and Sound Archive of Australia’s (NFSA) new star-studded exhibition, Starstruck: Australian Movie Portraits.

Starstruck explores the striking, beautiful portraiture emerging from 100 years of Australian movies.

Curators of the show Ms Penelope Grist, Assistant Curator at the Portrait Gallery, and Ms Jennifer Coombes, Curator at the NFSA had a wealth of items to draw on for the exhibition.

‘Starstruck features 275 items, predominantly drawn from the NFSA’s superb collection. There are portraits of beloved Australian actors such as Hugo Weaving, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Toni Collette and Cate Blanchett and photography from iconic films like Australia, Moulin Rouge!, RED DOG and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,’ said Ms Grist.

‘The faces and fashions may change, but our fascination with movies is still as strong as it was 100 years ago. Starstruck takes you on a journey that all generations can enjoy together - whether they are revisiting the classics or discovering them for the first time, there is something for everyone,’ said Ms Coombes.

Director of the National Portrait Gallery, Mr Angus Trumble, expects Starstruck to encourage visitors to think about the portraiture in the form of stills photography.

‘We are always trying to push the boundaries of thought around portraiture through our exhibitions. By bringing the Portrait Gallery and NFSA together our curators have uncovered the often overlooked stills photographers who operate between the real world of filmmaking and the fictional world being created on film. The portraits they take lie in an extraordinary realm between real and fictional,’ said Mr Trumble.

National Film and Sound Archive CEO, Mr Jan Müller, believes Starstruck is a wonderful way to share a century of movie portraits with film lovers, fashionistas, and history buffs.

‘Collecting, preserving and sharing Australia’s audiovisual history is the NFSA’s reason for being, and this exhibition is the perfect example of how we can bring it out of the vaults and make it relevant and fun to contemporary audiences,’ said Mr Müller.

‘This partnership with the National Portrait Gallery has truly brought out the best talent and expertise from both organisations. We hope audiences in Canberra and around the country will enjoy Starstruck, and look forward to their feedback via #StarstruckAU.’

Starstruck will be on display at the National Portrait Gallery from 10 November 2017 until 4 March 2018. Visitors can visit Starstruck.gov.au to preview the exhibition, buy tickets and explore events associated with the exhibition.

Starstruck: Australian Movie Portraits will tour to venues in South Australia, regional New South Wales and Queensland. This exhibition is supported by the National Collecting Institutions Touring and Outreach Program, an Australian Government program aiming to improve access to the national collections for all Australians.

Starstruck: Australian Movie Portraits

• National Portrait Gallery, King Edward Terrace, Parkes, Canberra
• 10 November 2017 – 4 March 2018

Images and captions for the exhibition are available to download here: bit.ly/StarstruckImagesForMedia

For media enquiries, please contact:

Miguel Gonzalez, NFSA: (02) 8202 0114, 0404 281 632, or miguel.gonzalez@nfsa.gov.au

Diane Morris, National Portrait Gallery: (02) 6102 7080, 0408 491 545, or diane.morris@npg.gov.au