55 years ago, Wake in Fright made its Australian premiere having already received a nomination for the Grand Prix at the 24th Cannes Film Festival. Based on Kenneth Cook’s novel, the film became a pivotal moment in Australian New Wave and Ozploitation cinema, a cult hit that was considered lost until negatives were found in Pittsburgh in the early 2000s.
To celebrate UMAC's upcoming season of Wake in Fright on stage, join Director of the world-first Horror Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh, Professor Adam Lowenstein alongside Associate Professor Wendy Haslem and Wake in Fright theatre makers Zahra Newman and Declan Greene as they explore the nature of horror, Australiana and the art of adaptation with Dr Seth Robinson.
The panel discussion will be followed by a screening of the 1971 film.
ABOUT THE FILM
After wrapping up the school term in a remote outback town, teacher John Grant (Gary Bond) eagerly anticipates spending his holiday in Sydney with his girlfriend. However, his plans take a sharp detour when he is waylaid in a harsh mining town. A gambling spree leaves him completely broke and he soon falls in with the hard-drinking locals. Fueled by alcohol, they pressure him into a gruesome kangaroo hunt, pushing John into a downward spiral.
Director: Ted Kotcheff
Producer: George Willoughby
Cast: Donald Pleasence, Gary Bond, Chips Rafferty
This event is presented by the Melbourne Public Humanities Initiative, in collaboration with University of Melbourne Arts and Culture. Professor Adam Lowenstein has generous support from the Tristarr LLC Fund for Nontraditional Education in Horror Studies.
