Quartet

Presented as part of UPSTAGEING Canberra

2012 | DCP | USA | D: Dustin Hoffman 

Retired opera singers prepare for a fundraising concert in a home for former professional musicians while navigating unresolved tensions from their shared past.

Personal histories resurface and pride, forgiveness and companionship is tested when celebrated diva Jean arrives. Based on the play by Ronald Harwood, who also wrote the screenplay, Quartet stars Maggie Smith as Jean Horton and Tom Courtenay as Reg with many of the supporting cast played by actual professional musicians.

Dustin Hoffman directs the film with humour and restraint. Inspired by the 1984 documentary Tosca’s Kiss, it follows ageing artists as they confront legacy and relevance to find warmth in collaboration rather than nostalgia.

‘A gentle, civilised film that finds drama in dignity rather than decline.’ - Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian



Ahead of the feature film we will screen a short film:  

Reviving the Spark  
2025 | AUS | 5.5 mins | D: Paul Hutchison 
 
Winner of the ‘Creative Renewal Award’ at the UPSTAGEING Short Film & Video Competition. 
 
The UPSTAGEING Short Film & Video Competition is in partnership with Screen Canberra and is a cornerstone of UPSTAGEING - Canberra’s first large-scale celebration of creative ageing. By centring stories told for, by or with older people, the competition aims to dismantle ageism and celebrate the profound contributions older Canberrans make to our culture.