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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders both past and present.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that this website contains images of deceased persons.

Starstruck

Starstruck

Australian Movie Portraits

Previous exhibition
from Friday 10 November 2017 until Sunday 4 March 2018

The National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) and the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) are working on a ground-breaking major collaborative travelling exhibition project: Starstruck. Striking, beautiful and poignant portraiture documents the making and marketing of films.

When the creative experience of production is over, the film’s portraiture remains as a personal souvenir, an evocative historical record or an iconic image of Australian life. The Starstruck project unites the NPG’s expertise in portraiture and exhibitions development and the National Film and Sound Archive’s expertise in Australian film heritage/history with an extensive collection of over a century’s worth of portraits depicting Australian actors and production crew. Our Starstruck project will be the first exhibition surveying the role and presence of portraiture across Australian cinema, rather than focussing on a particular era, place or person.

1 Hugo Weaving as Horatio Farrat by Ben King, Film: The Dressmaker, 2015. 2 Judy Davis as Sybilla and Sam Neill as Harry by David Kynoch, Film: My Brilliant Career, 1979.

Starstruck draws on the NFSA’s collection of portraits relating to Australian feature films from the early 20th century to today. There will be a large exhibition, Starstruck: Australian Movie Portraits, including original material and costumes, that will travel to large metropolitan venues in South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland and a small self-install exhibition Starstruck: On Location, to make these collections available to the widest possible audience in regional and remote Australia. Major themes will explore portraiture’s place in film, how cinema has shaped portraiture and the influence of these images on Australian culture. We are also developing a significant print publication and an extensive website. NFSA and the NPG are in full partnership on this project.

1 Daphne Campbell on location, Roper River, NT, Film: The Overlanders, 1946. 2 Anne-Louise Lambert as Miranda by David Kynoch , Film: Picnic at Hanging Rock, 1975.

Related people

Penelope Grist (curator)

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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past and present. We respectfully advise that this site includes works by, images of, names of, voices of and references to deceased people.

This website comprises and contains copyrighted materials and works. Copyright in all materials and/or works comprising or contained within this website remains with the National Portrait Gallery and other copyright owners as specified.

The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. The use of images of works of art reproduced on this website and all other content may be restricted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). Requests for a reproduction of a work of art or other content can be made through a Reproduction request. For further information please contact NPG Copyright.

The National Portrait Gallery is an Australian Government Agency