May 28, 2016
A crowd of about 200 packed the Nanango Cultural Centre on Friday night for the opening of the 10th annual Heritage Bank Nanango Film Festival.
The Festival, formerly known as the Big Screen Film Festival, is always a highlight on Nanango’s social calendar.
There’s always a star to to dazzle the crowd, and this year it was Michael Caton, star of TV and cinema who is well-known for his roles in everything from “The Sullivans” and “Packed To The Rafters” to his latest big-screen hit “The Last Cab To Darwin”.
The annual event is jointly sponsored by Heritage Bank Nanango and the South Burnett Regional Council.
It provides the opportunity for South Burnett residents to see quality films at a nominal price as well as rub shoulders with a celebrity on opening night.
On Friday night, guests mingled in the Cultural Centre’s annexe, sipping complimentary wines and beers and chatting while catering staff moved amongst them serving finger food.
Michael Caton was welcomed on arrival – slightly later than expected due to airport delays – by photographers and fans.
Guests moved into the main auditorium for a screening of the evening’s movie, “Eddie The Eagle”, a comedy starring Hugh Jackman about the first British skier to represent Great Britain in Olympic ski jumping.
Michael will be back at the Cultural Centre on Saturday at 11:00am for a screening of “The Last Cab To Darwin” (M) in which he plays the lead role of a Broken Hill cab driver who is told he doesn’t have long to live, and sets out on a journey to Darwin in a bid to die on his own terms.
After the screening, Michael will be answering questions about the movie and providing some “behind the scenes” stories about how it was all put together.
At 2:00pm on Saturday, the Film Festival will screen Broke (MA15+) about a disgraced athlete with a gambling addiction who tries to reform.
And then at 6:30pm, there will be a Gala Charity Night, complete with a chocolate fountain and a screening of Looking For Grace (M), an intimate, funny and moving story about chance, fate and the complexities of family life.
On Sunday, the Festival will conclude with three more new Australian film screenings: Oddball (G), a comedy about a wayward dog that saves a penguin colony; A Month Of Sundays (PG), a comedy-drama about a recently-divorced real estate agent whose life is falling to pieces; and The Daughter (M), a suspenseful drama about a man who returns to his home town for a reunion and discovers a secret that could shatter lives.
Tickets to all movie screenings are $5, except for Saturday’s Gala Charity Night ($20).
If not already sold out, tickets will be available at the door before each screening.
- Related article: Film Festival Offers Nine Top Movies
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