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Fatty Finn returns to the silver screen

Australian silent film classic The Kid Stakes is set to engage new and old fans alike as it screens with a new live original music score in Sydney next month.

The special screening will be held by the Australian Film Institute | Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AFI | AACTA) in collaboration with the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), which has digitally remastered the 1927 black and white classic.

Award-winning pianist and composer Jan Preston will perform her own score for the film as a live accompaniment. Preston will be joined by percussionist Mike Pullman on a range of traditional instruments, including kazoo, tin drum and snare.

One of the last silent films to be made in Australia, The Kid Stakes is today hailed by critics as one of the greatest comedies of the silent era. It was adapted from Syd Nicholls’ Fatty Finn comic strip, arguably marking the first live action film to ever have been made from a comic.

Shot almost entirely in Potts Point and Woolloomooloo, The Kid Stakes offers unique insights into life in these harbourside suburbs during the depression era years of the 1920s.

The screening will be hosted by multi AFI award-winning producer Anthony Buckley and will include a panel discussion with composer Jan Preston along with former Lord Mayor of Sydney Lucy Turnbull, cinematographer John Seale, Sydney Film Festival co-founder David Donaldson and NFSA curator Gayle Lake.

AFI | AACTA CEO, Damian Trewhella, said he hopes the film is the first of many NFSA treasures which AFI | AACTA will screen for its members over the coming years.

“AFI | AACTA’s burgeoning screen culture and industry development member program continues to deliver a diverse array of Australian screen productions, celebrating contemporary and classic Australian stories.

“Nearly 4,000 people have seen great Australian films, television premieres and documentaries via our member program this year alone, which connects the public with the screen industry.

“Partnering with the industry is critical to the growth of our member program, and we’re delighted to bring Australian silent screen classic The Kid Stakes to new and old fans alike in collaboration with the NFSA.”

THE KID STAKES (1927) – Screening with Live Original Music Score and Panel Discussion
Event Cinemas Bondi Junction, Monday August 10, 2015
Pre-reception from 5.30pm, screening commences at 6.30pm
Tickets are now available via the AFI | AACTA website and are complimentary and exclusive to screen fans, practitioners and professionals via AFI | AACTA membership.