Somersault (film)
Encyclopedia
Somersault is an Australian independent film
, written and directed by Cate Shortland
and released in September 2004. The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard
section at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival
. It also swept the field, winning every single feature film award - thirteen in total - at the 2004 Australian Film Institute Awards
.
Exploring the themes of teenage sexuality and emotion, Somersault is about a 16-year-old girl named Heidi (played by Abbie Cornish
) who runs away from her Canberra home to the ski fields of Jindabyne
in New South Wales
. There she meets Joe (played by Sam Worthington
), the son of a local farmer, and tries to form a relationship with him, despite his difficulty in expressing his emotions. He also seems to be unsure of his sexual orientation
, while having better than average luck meeting girls.
The soundtrack is written and performed by Australian band Decoder Ring
. Some scenes were shot at the Ryrie homestead at Michelago, New South Wales
.
Awards held on 29 October at Regent Theatre
, Melbourne
, Somersault made history by winning a record 13 awards, out of its 15 nominations. The film picked up the following awards: Best Feature Film - producer, Anthony Anderson; Best Direction
- Cate Shortland; Best Original Screenplay - Cate Shortland; Best Actress in a Leading Role
- Abbie Cornish; Best Actor in a Leading Role - Sam Worthington; Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Lynette Curran; Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Erik Thomson; Best Editing - Scott Gray; Best Cinematography - Robert Humphreys A.C.S.; Best Sound - Mark Blackwell, Peter Smith and Sam Petty; Best Original Music Score - Decoder Ring; Best Production Design - Melinda Doring; Best Costume Design - Emily Seresin.
Somersault was also a big winner at the 2004 Film Critics Circle of Australia (FCCA) Annual Awards where it picked up five awards: Best Film; Best Director (Cate Shortland); Best Actress (Abbie Cornish); Best Cinematography (Robert Humphreys); Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Lynette Curran).
The film also dominated the publicly voted Lexus IF Awards
, taking out six of its eight nominations. It won awards in the following categories: Best Director (Cate Shortland), Best Music, Best Cinematography, Best Script, Best Feature Film and Best Actress for Abbie Cornish.
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
, written and directed by Cate Shortland
Cate Shortland
Cate Shortland is an Australian writer and director of film and television.She was born 10 August 1968 in Temora, New South Wales. She graduated from the Australian Film Television and Radio School, where she received the Southern Star Award for most promising student.She has created several award...
and released in September 2004. The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's Official Selection. It is run at the Salle Debussy, parallel to the competition for the Palme d'Or.This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob...
section at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival
2004 Cannes Film Festival
The 2004 Cannes Film Festival started on May 12 and ran until May 23. The Palme d'Or went to the American film Fahrenheit 9/11 by Michael Moore.-Jury:* Quentin Tarantino, President * Emmanuelle Béart * Edwidge Danticat * Tilda Swinton...
. It also swept the field, winning every single feature film award - thirteen in total - at the 2004 Australian Film Institute Awards
Australian Film Institute Awards
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award, known as the AACTA Award , is an accolade presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts . The awards recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry and television industry, including directors,...
.
Exploring the themes of teenage sexuality and emotion, Somersault is about a 16-year-old girl named Heidi (played by Abbie Cornish
Abbie Cornish
Abbie Cornish is an Australian actress. She is well known in Australia for a number of film and television roles, particularly her award-winning lead performance in 2004's Somersault, and internationally for her role as Fanny Brawne in Bright Star and her appearance as Sweet Pea in Sucker Punch.-...
) who runs away from her Canberra home to the ski fields of Jindabyne
Jindabyne, New South Wales
Jindabyne is a town in south-east New South Wales, Australia that overlooks Lake Jindabyne near the Snowy Mountains, in Snowy River Shire. It is a popular holiday destination, especially in winter, due to its proximity to several ski resorts throughout the Kosciuszko National Park, including...
in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. There she meets Joe (played by Sam Worthington
Sam Worthington
Samuel Henry J. "Sam" Worthington is an English born, Australian actor. After almost a decade of roles in Australian TV shows and films, Worthington gained Hollywood's attention by playing Marcus Wright in Terminator Salvation and the lead role, Jake Sully, in James Cameron's science...
), the son of a local farmer, and tries to form a relationship with him, despite his difficulty in expressing his emotions. He also seems to be unsure of his sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
, while having better than average luck meeting girls.
The soundtrack is written and performed by Australian band Decoder Ring
Decoder Ring
Decoder Ring is an experimental electronic-rock crossover group from Australia.-Biography:Decoder Ring was formed in 2001, in Sydney, Australia. The original line-up consisted of Matt Fitzgerald Geoff Towner , Pete Kelly , Kenny Davis Jr &...
. Some scenes were shot at the Ryrie homestead at Michelago, New South Wales
Michelago, New South Wales
Michelago is a small settlement in the Monaro region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Cooma-Monaro Shire, approximately 54 km south of Canberra on the Monaro Highway. It was founded in the 1820s, on the main route from Sydney to the Snowy Mountains...
.
Awards
In the 2004 AFIAustralian Film Institute
The Australian Film Institute was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry...
Awards held on 29 October at Regent Theatre
Regent Theatre, Melbourne
The Regent Theatre is a 2162 seat theatre in Melbourne, Australia. It is listed by the National Trust of Australia and is on the Victorian Heritage Register.-History:...
, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Somersault made history by winning a record 13 awards, out of its 15 nominations. The film picked up the following awards: Best Feature Film - producer, Anthony Anderson; Best Direction
Australian Film Institute Award for Best Direction
The Australian Film Institute Award for Best Direction is an award in the annual Australian Film Institute Awards.-Previous winners:*1971 – Homesdale *1972 – Stork...
- Cate Shortland; Best Original Screenplay - Cate Shortland; Best Actress in a Leading Role
Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
The Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role is an award presented annually at the Australian Film Institute Awards. The award has been presented annually since 1971.-History:...
- Abbie Cornish; Best Actor in a Leading Role - Sam Worthington; Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Lynette Curran; Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Erik Thomson; Best Editing - Scott Gray; Best Cinematography - Robert Humphreys A.C.S.; Best Sound - Mark Blackwell, Peter Smith and Sam Petty; Best Original Music Score - Decoder Ring; Best Production Design - Melinda Doring; Best Costume Design - Emily Seresin.
Somersault was also a big winner at the 2004 Film Critics Circle of Australia (FCCA) Annual Awards where it picked up five awards: Best Film; Best Director (Cate Shortland); Best Actress (Abbie Cornish); Best Cinematography (Robert Humphreys); Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Lynette Curran).
The film also dominated the publicly voted Lexus IF Awards
Inside Film Awards
The Inside Film Awards is an annual awards ceremony and broadcast platform for the Australian film industry, a format created by Australian Producer Andrew Dillon...
, taking out six of its eight nominations. It won awards in the following categories: Best Director (Cate Shortland), Best Music, Best Cinematography, Best Script, Best Feature Film and Best Actress for Abbie Cornish.
Cast
- Abbie CornishAbbie CornishAbbie Cornish is an Australian actress. She is well known in Australia for a number of film and television roles, particularly her award-winning lead performance in 2004's Somersault, and internationally for her role as Fanny Brawne in Bright Star and her appearance as Sweet Pea in Sucker Punch.-...
as Heidi - Sam WorthingtonSam WorthingtonSamuel Henry J. "Sam" Worthington is an English born, Australian actor. After almost a decade of roles in Australian TV shows and films, Worthington gained Hollywood's attention by playing Marcus Wright in Terminator Salvation and the lead role, Jake Sully, in James Cameron's science...
as Joe - Hollie AndrewHollie AndrewHollie Andrew is an Australian actress.- Career :Andrew starred with Abbie Cornish and Sam Worthington in the AFI Award winning Somersault where Andrew herself was nominated for an AFI as best supporting actress in her role as Bianca in [2004]...
as Bianca - Olivia Pigeot as Nicole
- Lynette CurranLynette CurranLynette Curran is an Australian actress best known for her roles in Australian television series and films. Between 1967 and 1974 she was a regular in soap opera Bellbird. She also acted in the film version of the serial, Country Town ....
as Irene - Damian De MontemasDamian De MontemasDamian De Montemas is an Australian actor who plays Brian Alexander on Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities and Jason Kennedy in the first two series of The Secret Life Of Us....
as Adam - Leah PurcellLeah PurcellLeah Purcell is an Australian actor, director and writer.-Biography:She is a film, television and theatre actor, singer, director and playwright. She is the youngest of seven children of Aboriginal and white Australian descent. Her father was a butcher and a boxing trainer...
as Diane - Nathaniel DeanNathaniel DeanNathaniel Dean is an Australian actor and NIDA graduate, with a range of television credits that include: Home and Away , Always Greener , Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars , All Saints , Rain Shadow , Underbelly and Rush .He plays NickScandlon in WildboysDean is also an Australian movie actor, with...
as Stuart - Anne Louise Lambert as Martha
- Erik ThomsonErik ThomsonErik Thomson is an actor known for playing Hades in the television series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Dr. Mitch Stevens in All Saints and Dave Rafter in Packed to the Rafters...
as Richard - Ben TateBen TateTate was drafted in the 2nd round in the 2010 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans. Most projected Tate to be picked somewhere in the early to middle of the second round, and recognizing his value at pick 58, the Texans aggressively traded up to draft him...
as Sean
Further reading
- Film Critics Circle of Australia (November, 2004). FCCA Annual Awards for Australian Film. Press Release.