The 66th Melbourne International Film Festival has revealed that the world premiere of THREE SUMMERS, the first film shot in Australia by the legendary Ben Elton., will be the Centrepiece Gala film for 2017. The event marks the halfway mark of the Festival, and features a massive cast that includes Michael Caton, Magda Szubanski, Deborah Mailman, Jacqueline McKenzie and John Waters.
As the title would imply, the film is set over three summers at The Westival, a fictional West Australian rural folk festival redoubtable local radio personality ‘Queenie’ (Szubankski) describes as “Australia in a tent”. Robert Sheehan and Rebecca Breeds play young musicians falling in love against a wider collection of tales dealing frankly but humorously with a microcosm of contemporary discussion points, including Indigenous, immigration and refugee issues.
At the start of the year, we named THREE SUMMERS one of the Australian films to watch out for in 2017, citing our excitement over the inclusion of a “a theremin player, a dog washer and a genius fiddle player.” What more could one want?
The Centrepiece Gala will be accompanied by all the fanfare of a red carpet premiere. Tickets, now on sale through the festival site, include access to the exclusive after-party at The Atrium, Federation Square for 12 August 2017 at the Comedy Theatre. So wear something that’s stylish and also supports your lower back.
