From a Sunday Too Far Away
South Australian Film Corporation 40th Anniversary Exhibition
Saturday 20 October – Sunday 2 December 2012
Flinders University City Gallery State Library of South Australia, North Terrace, Adelaide
When South Australian Film Corporation staff cleaned out the old Hendon Studios in preparation for its move last year, they unearthed treasures from the infamous ‘film vault’ linked to the studio’s glorious past; tens of thousands of film reels, stills, sound recordings, awards and posters that together tell the story not only of the SAFC, but also the story of the Australian film industry itself. The vault contained artefacts from the creation of some of Australia’s most iconic movies including Sunday Too Far Away, Breaker Morant, and Storm Boy.
Now, as the SAFC celebrates its 40th Anniversary, the SAFC, with significant support from its program partners, has turned that treasure trove into a public exhibition. From a Sunday Too Far Away at the Flinders University City Gallery celebrates both the incredible role South Australian filmmaking has played in the history of the Australian film industry, and highlights how filmmaking itself is changing with new technology.
SAFC CEO Richard Harris said “the SAFC was unique amongst Australia’s screen agencies, playing an active role as a producer of films from 1972 to 1994. Thanks to this support, a significant number of iconic Australia films from this period come from South Australia. From a Sunday Too Far Away gives audiences a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the efforts of the many people many who have been instrumental in creating some of Australia’s most celebrated films.”
The exhibition features beautiful still photos taken on set, each image a time capsule revealing cast and crew camaraderie juxtaposed with iconic images familiar to most Australians. Artefacts such as the original flag from Breaker Morant, the AFI Award won by Sunday Too Far Away, original artwork depicting costume designs for Playing Beattie Bow, detailed set designs for Shadows of the Heart, restored documentary footage of Prince Charles’ visit to Hendon in 1983, as well as a restored copy of a training film made by SAFC for AFTRS on the set of Storm Boy will also be exhibited. Plus, Director Scott Hicks has loaned the SAFC a series of continuity polaroids, story board drawings and beautiful behind the scenes shots from Shine.
Curator Melissa Juhanson said, “Art is made hour by hour, day by day on a film shoot. With its ‘behind-the-scenes’ portrait of these artistic communities, this exhibition exposes the creative filmmaking process, drawing on a collection of materials never previously seen in public.”
From Saturday 27 October to Saturday 3 November for one week only, the exhibition will feature a rare screening of A Motion and A Spirit, the first commercial production made by the SAFC in 1972. This technologically ambitious Sensorama film was shot with nine cameras simultaneously and screened in a custom built nine-screen Super Circle Cinema, which is being re-created specially for the exhibition. The film is a 12-minute 360 degree panorama of Adelaide, shot from various vehicles including an aeroplane, a racing car, and a fire engine. The original set up played at the Royal Adelaide Show to over 35,000 people and then toured Australia before settling on Adelaide’s West Beach.
Coinciding with the exhibition, the State Library of South Australia will screen a season of classic SA films including Sunday Too Far Away, Playing Beattie Bow and The Club.
The SAFC film collection was recently classified by the National Film and Sound Archive as being of national significance. Materials from From a Sunday Too Far Away will be stored by the NFSA after the exhibition and preserved for posterity.
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