To celebrate the Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF), the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) will pay homage to humour, screening a documentary about 30 Rock star, Elaine Stritch as well as showcasing a program of Australian-made short films from 2 April to 26 April 2015.
The Australian premiere of Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me (2013) is a revealing portrait of award-winning showbiz legend and star of 30 Rock , Elaine Stritch screening from 2 April to 26 April 2015. For over six decades, her name has been synonymous with Broadway, television, film, cabaret and more recently as Jack Donaghy’s fast-talking, acid-tongued mother, Colleen on the hit TV series 30 Rock.
Making her Broadway debut in 1946, Elaine Stritch starred in countless landmark productions including William Inge’s 1995 play, Bus Stop, which earned her the first of five Tony® nominations. Crossing the Atlantic, she also performed in the West End and in prime time television and sitcom films. A triple Emmy Award® winner, Stritch was inducted into the American Theatre of Hall of Fame in 1995.
Director, Chiemi Karasawa offers audiences a candid insight into the life of an uncompromising, bold talent as she prepares for, and performs her show, At Home at the Carlyle. The one-woman cabaret takes audiences across the US and features interviews with 30 Rock co-stars Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin, alongside Broadway and Hollywood legends, Nathan Lane, John Tuturro, and the late James Gandolfini. Triumphant and brave, Elaine Stritch: Shoot Meis a tribute to the tenacity and courage that comes with a life led on the stage and in the spotlight.
For the first time ever, ACMI is also collaborating with MICF to present the cream of the crop in contemporary Australian shorts. In another festival first, this year ACMI’s cavernous subterranean space will be transformed into a comedy hub for MICF (25 March to 19 April 2015). Gallery 1 will play host to some of the Festival’s most popular live performances. See acmi.net.au/micf for more information.
Comedy Films at the ACMI
Thursday 2 April – Sunday 26 April 2015
Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Melbourne
acmi.net.au/micf
