Alexandra's Project

Alexandra's Project
Alexandra's Project
	Theatrical film poster
Directed by	Rolf de Heer
Written by	Rolf de Heer
Produced by	Rolf de Heer; Domenico Procacci ; Julie Ryan
Starring	Gary Sweet ; Helen Buday
Cinematography	Ian Jones
Edited by	Tania Nehme
Music by	Graham Tardif
Production; companies	Vertigo Productions Pty. Ltd.; The Australian Film Commission; Fandango Australia; Hendon Studios; Palace Films ; The South Australian Film Corporation
Distributed by	Palace Films ; 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Release date	8 May 2003(Australia);
Running time	103 minutes
Country	Australia
Language	English
Box office	A$844,494 (Australia)

Last updated May 23, 2025

Alexandra's Project is a 2003 Australian drama thriller film written and directed by Rolf de Heer and starring Gary Sweet and Helen Buday.

Plot

Upon returning home from work on his birthday, Steve, a middle class husband and father of two, finds the house dark and his family not home. He notices a chair, his television set, and a video tape obviously set out for his viewing. He turns the TV and VCR on, and begins to watch a tape made for him by his wife, Alexandra. The first clip shows his wife and children wishing him a happy birthday, but after the kids leave the room, Alexandra begins a striptease, and it appears to be nothing more than a birthday gift. As it progresses, however, it becomes clear that the tape is designed to humiliate and torture Steve for marital problems that Alexandra has been stewing about for years. As part of her 'show', Alexandra feigns breast cancer, has sex with their neighbour, and tells Steve that neither she nor their two children are ever coming home.^[1]

Cast

Gary Sweet as Steve
Helen Buday as Alexandra
Bogdan Koca as Bill
Jack Christie as Sam
Samantha Knigge as Emma
Eileen Darley as Christine
Geoff Revell as Rodney
Philip Spruce as Taxi Driver
Nathan O'Keefe as Man at Door
Peter Greena as Chairman
Martha Lott as Female Worker
Cindy Elliott as Female Worker
Gemma Falk as Female Worker
Nicole Daniel as Female Worker
Duncan Graham as Male Worker
Michael Ienna as Male Worker

Production

De Heer originally wanted to make the film so he could use a single location and use up various fragments of ideas he had accumulated.^[2]

Release

The film's world premiere was 14 February 2003 as part of the Berlin International Film Festival ^[3] and was released regularly as Cinema release on 8 May 2003 in Australia.

Reception

Box office

Alexandra's Project took $844,494 at the box office in Australia.^[4]

Critical reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has rating of 53% based on 19 reviews, with an average 5.56/10 rating.^[5] The Cultural Post gave it three out of five stars.^[1]

Accolades

Award	Category	Subject	Result
AACTA Awards (2003 AFI Awards)	Best Film	Rolf de Heer	Nominated
		Domenico Procacci	Nominated
		Julie Ryan	Nominated
	Best Actress	Helen Buday	Nominated
	Best Editing	Tania Nehme	Nominated
	Best Original Music Score	Graham Tardif	Nominated
	Best Sound	James Currie	Nominated
		Rory McGregor	Nominated
		Nada Mikas	Nominated
		Andrew Plain	Nominated
Berlin International Film Festival	Golden Bear	Rolf de Heer	Nominated
Chicago International Film Festival	Gold Hugo for Best Feature		Nominated
FCCA Awards	Best Director		Nominated
	Best Original Screenplay		Won
	Best Film		Nominated
		Domenico Procacci	Nominated
		Julie Ryan	Nominated
	Best Actor - Male	Gary Sweet	Nominated
	Best Actor - Female	Helen Buday	Nominated
	Best Supporting Actor - Male	Bogdan Koca	Nominated
	Best Editing	Tania Nehme	Nominated
Golden Trailer Awards	Best Foreign Dramatic Trailer		Nominated
Inside Film Awards	Best Direction	Rolf de Heer	Nominated
	Best Actress	Helen Buday	Nominated
	Best Sound	James Currie	Nominated
		Nada Mikas	Nominated
		Andrew Plain	Nominated
Montreal World Film Festival	Golden Zenith for Best Film from Oceania	Rolf de Heer	Won
Valladolid International Film Festival	Golden Spike	Rolf de Heer	Nominated
Valladolid International Film Festival	Best Actress	Helen Buday	Won

Home media

Alexandra's Project was released by Fandango Australia / Palace Films as a DVD in 2003.

References

1 2 Khoi Do, Anh (10 September 2010). "Alexandra's Project (2003)". The Cultural Post. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
↑ Andrew L Urban, "DE HEER, ROLF: ALEXANDRA'S PROJECT", Urban Cinefile accessed 11 November 2012
↑ Alexandra's Project - Berlinale 2003
↑ "Film Victoria - Australian Films at the Australian Box Office" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 February 2011. Retrieved 9 October 2010.
↑ "Alexandra's Project (2003)". Rotten Tomatoes.

External links

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[CP-1] 1 2 Khoi Do, Anh (10 September 2010). "Alexandra's Project (2003)". The Cultural Post. Retrieved 2 December 2013.

[2] Andrew L Urban, "DE HEER, ROLF: ALEXANDRA'S PROJECT", Urban Cinefile accessed 11 November 2012

[3] Alexandra's Project - Berlinale 2003

[4] "Film Victoria - Australian Films at the Australian Box Office" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 February 2011. Retrieved 9 October 2010.

[5] "Alexandra's Project (2003)". Rotten Tomatoes.

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