Oz icons explored in film mini-fest

Monday, 22 March 1999

Drag Queens, diggers, footy, weddings and festivals-they're all part of a new mini-fest of film and lectures at the University of Adelaide, called "Icons of Oz".

Each day from Monday to Friday, March 22-26, a free lunch-time film will screen at the University of Adelaide. The screenings are followed in the evening by a lecture about the film and the Aussie icon it represents, making Icons of Oz both entertaining and thought-provoking.

The event gives people the chance to see - for free! - some great Australian movies on the big screen and hear about their place in our culture.

The Digger ­ Monday, March 22

• Gallipoli
• Professor Ken Inglis (History, Australian National University)

The first of the Aussie icons being looked at is The Digger-the quintessential Australian soldier. Peter Weir's classic Australian film Gallipoli will be followed that evening by a lecture from Emeritus Professor Ken Inglis (History, Australian National University). Professor Inglis will discuss the origins of the digger and common perceptions of the icon-actual and mythical-over a century of war and peace.

The Drag Queen ­ Tuesday, March 23

• The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert
• Dr David Murray (Anthropology, University of Adelaide)

Next is The Drag Queen, represented in the hit Australian film The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, the road-movie-with-attitude which caused a near riot at the Cannes Film Festival. The evening lecture, on the nature of masculinity and the sexual identities of Australian men, will be given by Dr David Murray (Anthropology, University of Adelaide).

The Game ­ Wednesday, March 24

• Year of the Dogs
• Dr Margaret Lindley (English, University of Tasmania)

The third icon is The Game-in this case, Aussie Rules Football. One of the most extraordinary of Australian cultural phenomena, football combines balletic beauty with raw violence. The widely respected documentary The Year of the Dogs will be shown during the day, with the lecture being given by Dr Margaret Lindley (English, University of Tasmania). Her talk will explore the relationship between the "great Australian game" and the Australian community.

The Wedding ­ Thursday, March 25

• Muriel's Wedding
• Dr Catherine Driscoll (English, University of Adelaide)

Muriel's Wedding, another Australian film to achieve enormous success both locally and overseas, will be screened as part of the discussion surrounding The Wedding, the fourth Aussie icon. Dr Catherine Driscoll (English, University of Adelaide) will look at bridal culture and Australianness in her talk and asks the question, admid global media representations and the increasing diversity of cultural traditions in Australia, can there be an "Australian bride"?

The Festival ­ Friday, March 26

• 1998 Telstra Adelaide Festival (documentary)
• Ms Robyn Archer (Adelaide Festival Artistic Director, 1998 and 2000)

The final day of the week-long series examines The Festival. Ms Robyn Archer, Artistic Director of the Adelaide Festival for 1998 and 2000, will discuss the charter of the Festival and its contribution to the creative and artisitic culture of South Australia and the nation, and its place in the world scene. A documentary of the 1998 Telstra Adelaide Festival will be screened, introduced by Associate Professor Kay Schaffer (Social Inquiry, University of Adelaide).

The films will be screened at 12.30pm in the University of Adelaide's Union Theatre, followed by the lectures at 6.30pm in Napier Lecture Theatre 102. Entry is free and all are welcome

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