
The original 1976 classic, now digitally restored, will have a free virtual screening on Friday 15 May 2020 as part of the NFSA Live program of online events.
‘Wild things should be free’ - Storm Boy, 1976
The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) is proud to present a free online screening of Australia’s favourite family film, Storm Boy, now digitally restored.
This exclusive presentation of Storm Boy is the second event in the new NFSA Live series of online programs.
This one-off viewing session will be introduced by NFSA Curator Elena Guest. Elena will discuss the restoration process involved in preserving classic films for the digital era, and why 1976’s Storm Boy continues to have such in impact on Australian culture. We would love for audiences to participate, so if you have a question you’d like to ask Elena, please send it to enquiries@nfsa.gov.au by COB Thursday May 14.
NFSA Chief Executive Officer Jan Müller said: ‘The NFSA is always open online, so we’re excited to bring Storm Boy and Mister Percival directly into people’s homes as part of our NFSA Live program. This classic has won the hearts of multiple generations since its release in 1976 and we hope audiences will enjoy this beautiful digital restoration.’
The free one-off online screening will start at 6pm AEST on Friday 15 May 2020, at https://www.nfsa.gov.au/nfsalive. Audiences can register now to be reminded before we go live: https://nfsastormboy.eventbrite.com.au/.
In addition to this special event, the NFSA has also produced an online exhibition featuring behind-the-scenes content, as well as a recent interview with 'Storm Boy' himself, Greg Rowe, speaking from his home in Toronto. This content is available to view now.
This NFSA Live screening is presented courtesy of Umbrella Films. To own your own copy of the restored version of Storm Boy, please visit: www.umbrellaent.com.au
Clips and images for media use, as well as interviews with NFSA Curator Elena Guest are available. Please contact Katharine Nicholson, Publicity Officer, 0432 901 866, Katharine.nicholson@nfsa.gov.au.
Storm Boy, the classic Australian film based on Colin Thiele's novel, appeals to audiences of all ages. Now over 40 years old, its themes of friendship, land rights, conservation and family breakdown are still as relevant as ever.
In 2015 the National Film and Sound Archive got to work on Storm Boy as one of the inaugural titles in its NFSA Restores program, which seeks to digitise, restore and preserve Australian films so they can be seen in today’s digital cinemas (and now online). Read more about NFSA Restores on our website.
The NFSA’s experts had their work cut out for them when they discovered the oxide was lifting off two reels of the final sound mix. This required ‘baking’ them in a low humidity rejuvenation chamber for seven days before they could be safely digitised.
The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia acknowledges Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live and gives respect to their Elders both past and present.