Mull (film)

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Mull
Directed by Don McLennan
Written by
  • Bron Nicholls
  • Jon Stephens
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyZbigniew Friedrich
Edited byZbigniew Friedrich
Music byMichael Atkinson
Production
company
Ukiyo Films
Distributed byInternational Film Management World Releasing Inc
Release date
  • 1988 (1988)
Running time
92 minutes
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
BudgetA$3 million [1]

Mull is a 1988 Australian drama film directed by Don McLennan. The film is based on the popular 1986 book, Mullaway by Bronwen 'Bron' Nichols. [2]

Contents

Plot

A sixteen-year-old teenage girl (Nadine Garner) is forced to care for her family, when her mother (Sue Jones) finds out she is dying of Hodgkin’s disease. The family consists of her father (Bill Hunter) a reformed alcoholic and recently born-again Christian, her heroin-dabbling closet gay older brother (Craig Morrison), and two trying younger siblings (Bradley Kilpatrick and Kymara Stowers) all packed into a rented flat in the Melbourne bayside suburb of St Kilda. She also has to deal with her pregnant Greek best friend (Mary Coustas), her yearnings for her brother’s lover (Juno Roxas) and her gay former schoolteacher plus his lover.

Cast

Main cast [3]
Actor/actressCharacter
Nadine Garner Phoebe Mullens
Bill Hunter Frank Mullens
Sue Jones Deborah Mullens
Craig MorrisonSteven Mullens
Bradley KilpatrickAllan Mullens
Kymara StowersJodie Mullens
Dominic Sweeney Jim
Juno Roxas Guido
Esme Melville Fanny
Gerard Maguire Dr. Graham
Mary Coustas Helen
Monty MaizelsDon
Nick Giannopoulos George
David CameronLarry
Bruce LangdonPaul
Vince Jones jazz singer

Production

The film's budget was $3 million but McLennan says only $1.7 million went on the film, the rest went into fees. [1]

Awards

Mull received six nominations at the 1988 Australian Film Institute Awards: 'Best Film', 'Best Director' (McLennan), 'Best Actress' (Garner), 'Best Supporting Actress' (for both Jones and Coustas) and 'Best Costume Design' (Jeanie Cameron). Nadine Garner winning the 'Best Actress' award. [4]

The film was also screened at the 33rd Regus London Film Festival in 1989. [5]

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References

  1. 1 2 David Stratton, The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry, Pan MacMillan, 1990 p363-364
  2. Nichols, Bron (1986). Mullaway. Ringwood, Victoria: Penguin Books. ISBN   0-14-008440-1.
  3. "Full cast and crew for". IMDb . Retrieved 23 April 2010.
  4. "Former 'Henderson Kid' Nadine Garner is now one of nation's brightest talents". The Age. Sydney. 25 April 1989. p. 12. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
  5. "33rd Regus London Film Festival". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009. Retrieved 23 April 2010.