MY BRILLIANT CAREER

Reaching international screens the same year as George Miller’s MAD MAX, this period piece played a key role in popularizing the Australian New Wave around the world. Viewers were enchanted with its breathtaking views of the Australian landscape (mainly New South Wales), while feminists found a new heroine in the fiercely independent Sybylla Melvyn (Judy Davis), who rejects marriage to find work she considers more meaningful. Producer Margaret Fink discovered the 1901 book when it was republished in 1965, and she spent 14 years trying to get the film version made. Although she did not set out to do so, she compiled a crew that contained a surprisingly large number of women, including director Gillian Armstrong, writer Eleanor Witcombe, the production and costume designers, the production supervisor, the bookkeeper and the accountant. With only her second feature (the first Australian color film shot in 35mm to be directed by a woman), Armstrong established herself as a major new talent, as did leading lady Davis and New Zealander leading man Sam Neill, in his first Australian film. (Note adapted from TCM Classic Film Festival.) DIR Gillian Armstrong; SCR Eleanor Witcombe, from the novel by Miles Franklin; PROD Margaret Fink. Australia, 1979, color, 100 min. RATED G

In Memoriam: Sam Neill (1947–2026)

Run Time: 100 Minutes

Opening Date: Sunday, November 01, 2026

Genre: Drama

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