Standing Up for Sunny

Last updated

Standing Up for Sunny
Standing Up for Sunny Movie Poster.jpg
Theatrical movie poster
Directed by
Written by Steven Vidler
Produced byDrew Bailey
Jamie Hilton
Michael Pontin
Starring RJ Mitte
Philippa Northeast
Sam Reid
Matt Nable
CinematographyMark Bliss
Edited byDany Cooper
Music byCaitlin Yeo
Production
companies
See Pictures
Spectrum Films
Ticket to Ride
Distributed by Madman Entertainment
Release date
Running time
105 minutes
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish

Standing Up for Sunny is a 2019 Australian film comedy written and directed by Steven Vidler, and starring RJ Mitte, Philippa Northeast, Sam Reid and Matt Nable. It won the 2020 AACTA Award for Best Indie Film.

Contents

Synopsis

An isolated man with cerebral palsy is railroaded into helping an unassertive comedienne, and finds love and acceptance through stand-up comedy. [1]

Cast

Production

Filming took place in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia in 2018.[ citation needed ]

Release

The film premiered at the Sydney Film Festival in June 2019. [2]

It was also shown at CinefestOZ to a packed audience in September 2019. [3]

The general release date was 5 December 2019. [4]

Reception

Standing Up for Sunny received favourable reviews from Australian critics.

Andrew F. Peirce of The Curb said, "It’s so rare to see a film that shines this brightly, and it’s so rare to see one that gives people with disabilities the chance to be funny". [3]

Matthew Eeles of Cinema Australia called the film, "Tender, clever and very, very funny". [5]

Julian Wood at Filmink said, "The film is certainly amiable, and the low budget gives it a sense of immediacy and authenticity". [4]

Isobel Sanby at Newsworthy gave the film four stars and stated, "What Standing Up for Sunny communicates is that it is not just representation on screen that needs to be addressed, it is accessibility holistically". [2]

Awards and nominations

Standing Up for Sunny won the 2020 AACTA Award for Best Indie Film in the 10th AACTA Awards. [6]

Related Research Articles

<i>Les Patterson Saves the World</i> 1987 Australian film

Les Patterson Saves the World is a 1987 Australian comedy film starring Barry Humphries as his stage creations Sir Les Patterson and Dame Edna Everage.

Osamah Sami is an Australian stage and screen actor, writer, and stand-up comedian, born in Iran of Iraqi origin. He is known for his book Good Muslim Boy, and the film Ali's Wedding.

Funny Things Happen Down Under is a 1965 Australian-New Zealand musical film directed by Joe McCormick. It stars Olivia Newton-John, Ian Turpie and Howard Morrison, and is best remembered today for being Newton-John's first film.

<i>The Reckoning</i> (2014 film) 2014 Australian film

The Reckoning is an Australian crime thriller feature film written and directed by John V. Soto and starring Luke Hemsworth, Viva Bianca, Jonathan LaPaglia, Hanna Mangan-Lawrence, and Alex Williams. The film premiered at the British Independent Film Festival in London on 10 May 2014, where it won Best Director and Best Music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Reid (actor)</span> Australian actor (born 1987)

Sam Reid is an Australian actor. He is known for playing Lestat de Lioncourt in Interview with the Vampire (2022–present), Dale Jennings in The Newsreader (2021–present), and Father Ignatius in Lambs of God (2019). He was nominated for the AACTA Award for Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama for the latter two roles. Reid also played John Davinier in Belle (2013) and Sergeant Klintoff in The Drover's Wife (2021).

Mark Leonard Winter is an Australian actor, known for performances in film, television and on stage.

<i>Koko: A Red Dog Story</i> 2019 film directed by Aaron McCann and Dominic Pearce

Koko: A Red Dog Story is a 2019 Australian family documentary film directed by Aaron McCann and Dominic Pearce, written by Aaron McCann and Dominic Pearce, and starring Jason Isaacs, Felix Williamson and Sarah Woods. It is a spin-off to the 2011 film Red Dog, detailing the life of Koko, who was cast as Red Dog in the original film.

<i>H Is for Happiness</i> 2019 film directed by John Sheedy

H is for Happiness is a 2019 Australian family film directed by John Sheedy, written by Lisa Hoppe, and starring Daisy Axon, Wesley Patten, Richard Roxburgh, Emma Booth, Joel Jackson, Deborah Mailman, Miriam Margolyes, Alessandra Tognini.

<i>Rams</i> (2020 film) 2020 Australian film directed by Jeremy Sims

Rams is a 2020 Australian comedy-drama film directed by Jeremy Sims, written by Jules Duncan, and starring Sam Neill, Michael Caton, and Miranda Richardson. It is based on the Icelandic drama film Rams (2015) by Grímur Hákonarson.

<i>Nitram</i> 2021 film by Justin Kurzel

Nitram is a 2021 Australian biographical psychological drama film directed by Justin Kurzel from a screenplay by Shaun Grant. The film revolves around the life and behaviors of a mentally distressed young man called "Nitram", and the events leading to his involvement in the 1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania. The film stars Caleb Landry Jones, Judy Davis, Essie Davis and Anthony LaPaglia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CinefestOZ</span> Annual film festival in Western Australia

CinefestOZ is an annual film festival that takes place over five days in the South West region of Western Australia. IndigifestOZ is a section of the festival devoted to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander filmmakers. The CinefestOZ Film Prize of A$100,000 is the richest film prize in the country.

Benjamin Gilmour is a German Australian author and filmmaker, best known for writing and directing the film Jirga (2018).

The Curb is an Australian website focused on Australian films. It is based in Perth, Western Australia.

<i>Monolith</i> (2022 film) 2022 Australian film

Monolith is a 2022 Australian science-fiction thriller film directed by Matt Vesely from a script written by Lucy Campbell, and produced by Bettina Hamilton. Described as high-concept science fiction, it stars Lily Sullivan, the only on-screen actor in the film, as a journalist uncovering a mystery.

<i>Moon Rock for Monday</i> 2020 Australian independent film

Moon Rock For Monday is a 2020 Australian independent film written and directed by Kurt Martin.

A Savage Christmas is a 2023 Australian comedy drama film directed by Madeleine Dyer, and starring Darren Gilshenan and Helen Thomson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippa Northeast</span> Australian actress (born 1994)

Philippa Northeast is an Australian actor, known for her role as Evelyn MacGuire in the soap opera Home and Away from 2013 until 2017. After leaving Home and Away, Northeast starred in the 2019 romantic comedy film Standing Up for Sunny with RJ Mitte. She also starred in the Hallmark television film A Royal Runaway Romance (2022). In 2023, Northeast played the recurring role of Lily in the Australian comedy series In Limbo. She was also cast as Kay Walters in the second season of The Newsreader, and joined the supporting cast of Network 10 drama Paper Dolls. She plays Susie Lawson in the 2024 neo-Western series Territory. In addition to acting, Northeast has been the ambassador for skincare range Wotnot Naturals and the Ration Challenge.

Christmess is a 2023 Australian Christmas film written and directed by Heath Davis. It stars Hannah Joy, Steve Le Marquand, and Darren Gilshenan.

The AACTA Award for Best Indie Film is an award presented by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) since 2018.

<i>The Rooster</i> (film) 2023 Australian film

The Rooster is a 2023 Australian comedy drama film directed by Mark Leonard Winter and starring Hugo Weaving, Phoenix Raei, and John Waters.

References

  1. ↑ "Standing Up for Sunny". IMDb.
  2. 1 2 Sanby, Isobel (20 September 2019). "Breaking good: 'Sunny' is a gem you should find". Newsworthy.
  3. 1 2 Peirce, Andrew F. (26 September 2019). "Standing Up for Sunny Cinefest Oz Review - A Genuinely Hilarious Treat of a Film". The Curb. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  4. 1 2 Wood, Julian. "Standing Up for Sunny". Filmink.
  5. ↑ Eeles, Matthew (23 May 2019). "Review: Standing Up For Sunny". Cinema Australia.
  6. ↑ "Winners & Nominees". AACTA. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.