The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) is preparing to launch its first original exhibition in two decades and take visitors on a journey through the pivotal moments in Australian cinema.
Curator at NFSA, Tara Marynowsky said the Australians & Hollywood: A tale of craft, talent, and ambition exhibition, exclusive to Canberra, would explore recent and contemporary Australian cinema as well as the people and stories behind it.
“Australians & Hollywood is both a celebration of Australian talent and provocation to rethink cinema at home, in Hollywood and beyond,” Ms Marynowsky said.
“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 said.
“Films can help us make sense of the world, inspire social change and reflect who we are.”
Ms Marynowsky said she hoped audiences would walk away from the exhibition with a greater understanding of the artform and of how Australians had redefined big-screen spectacle and found success on their own terms.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NFSA, Patrick McIntyre said the major exhibition marked a moment of transformation for the Archive as it had been curated primarily from the NFSA’s collection.
“Australians & Hollywood is the start of a new era of opening up our collection and sharing it with the world,” Mr McIntyre said.
“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,” he said.
The CEO said the exhibition, to open on 21 January, would be an “audiovisual feast” of behind-the-scenes, on-screen and red-carpet moments, and would feature rare items from the NFSA collection that had never been displayed before, along with personal treasures from some of Australia’s most celebrated creatives in cinema.
“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,” Mr McIntyre said.
Further information on the NFSA exhibition can be accessed at this PS News link.
