‘Never let it be said that we can’t take on a challenge. We are not afraid to try new things,’ said Adelaide Film Festival Artistic Director Amanda Duthie.
The Ur-model for the opening night film comes from Cannes and Venice with a red carpet, glam, stars, an A-list party… generally impeded with speeches and zapped up by a good, energetic film. In Australia the form has mutated downwards to honour Australian films with some kind of artistic or social edge, which can lead to some low key experience with a fair chance of a miss or three across a decade. But the speeches and the fun party are constants.