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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'NITRAM looks at the events leading up to one of the darkest chapters in Australian history in an attempt to understand why and how this atrocity occurred. Currently in production in Victoria.'
Source: Stan.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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The Tough Love of Judy Davis in “Nitram”
2022
single work
essay
— Appears in: Los Angeles Review of Books , 30 November 2022; 'NITRAM WAS QUIETLY released in late March of this year in the United States to select theaters and streaming services, but it did not get the attention it deserved, particularly for one of its lead actors, Judy Davis. The filmmakers seem to know the gravity of what they possess in her work here: the trailer for Nitram showcases a monologue that Davis delivers 40 minutes into the movie. Davis’s character, identified only as Mum, is in a hellish situation. When Davis takes a pause and looks off to the side during this monologue, she seems to be confronting the most confounding evil directly, with a measure of disgust and anger. But the particular evil she is up against is so finally beyond explanation that the challenge in her face fades a bit. The defensive set of her mouth tightens into a look of grief, and her eyes take on a wondering quality.' (Introduction) -
From Nitram to The Stranger : Daniel Morcombe Film Reignites Debate about ‘profiting from Pain’
2022
single work
column
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 4 August 2022;'The family of a murdered Australian child want audiences to boycott film about the case. What’s the line between art and exploitation?'
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'Nitram' : Portraying a Killer
2022
single work
review
— Appears in: Quadrant , March vol. 66 no. 3 2022; (p. 98-102)
— Review of Nitram 2021 single work film/TV -
This Could Be Anywhere
2022
single work
review
— Appears in: History Australia , vol. 19 no. 1 2022; (p. 177-178)
— Review of Nitram 2021 single work film/TV'Nitram is a work of art, and deserves to be examined on these terms. It also demands engagement with the story it tells. But before doing either, it is important to consider what a radical and confronting act it is to make a film that explores the sources of an event that continues to throb with trauma. This film is about the Port Arthur massacre of 28–29 April 1996. Although it occurred a generation ago it is far too soon for many Tasmanians to consider the event historical, or to believe there is any merit in making a film about it. Nitram has appeared on only two screens in southern Tasmania, and has not been publicised in the state out of sensitivity for the community.' (Introduction)
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Nitram and The Newsreader Dominate the AACTA Awards, as Actor David Gulpilil Ridjimiraril Dalaithngu Honoured
2021
single work
column
— Appears in: ABC News [Online] , December 2021;
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An Eye on the Outlier
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: The Monthly , October no. 182 2021; (p. 56-59)
— Review of Nitram 2021 single work film/TV -
Depths of Sorrow
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 9-15 October 2021;
— Review of Nitram 2021 single work film/TV 'Scrupulously avoiding exploitation, Justin Kurzel’s Nitram allows space for the aspects of violence that escape comprehension. By Christos Tsiolkas.' -
Nitram Review : New Film about Port Arthur Perpetrator Is Uncomfortable Viewing, but Not for the Reasons You Might Expect
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: The Conversation , 28 September 2021;
— Review of Nitram 2021 single work film/TV'A film about the perpetrator of Australia’s worst mass shooting was always going to be controversial. After 25 years, Tasmania’s Port Arthur massacre — in which 35 people were killed and scores more injured — is still raw for many Australians.'
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‘It’s Still Really, Really Raw’ : Port Arthur Massacre Film Nitram Premieres in Hobart to Half-empty Cinema
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 15 October 2021;
— Review of Nitram 2021 single work film/TV'The controversial film’s first Tasmanian screening was described as ‘like going to a funeral’. How will it be received in a town that won’t speak the killer’s name?'
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'Nitram' Review : Story of Port Arthur Massacre Perpetrator Claims Urgency but Lacks Insight and Coherence
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: ABC News [Online] , October 2021;
— Review of Nitram 2021 single work film/TV 'There is a scene early on in Nitram, Justin Kurzel's bull-headed portrait of the man responsible for the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, in which leading man Caleb Landry Jones (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) leans on a car horn for an interminable 30 seconds.' -
Film About Earlier Life of Port Arthur Gunman, Nitram, Still 'Too Raw' For Many Tasmanians
2021
single work
column
— Appears in: ABC News [Online] , September 2021;'It's been a quarter of a century since the worst massacre in modern Australian history.'
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Aacta Awards 2021 : Nitram Dominates Ceremony as Stars Pay Tribute to David Gulpilil
2021
single work
column
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 8 December 2021; -
The Sad Age of Home Cinema
2021
single work
column
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 18 December - 7 January 2021; 'Through the second year of the pandemic, watching big films on the small screen became ever lonelier. By Christos Tsiolkas.' -
Nitram and The Newsreader Dominate the AACTA Awards, as Actor David Gulpilil Ridjimiraril Dalaithngu Honoured
2021
single work
column
— Appears in: ABC News [Online] , December 2021; -
From Nitram to The Stranger : Daniel Morcombe Film Reignites Debate about ‘profiting from Pain’
2022
single work
column
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 4 August 2022;'The family of a murdered Australian child want audiences to boycott film about the case. What’s the line between art and exploitation?'
Awards
- 2022 winner New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards — Betty Roland Prize for Scriptwriting
- 2021 winner AWGIE Awards — Film Award — Original
- 2021 nominated Film Critics Circle of Australia — Best Screenplay - Original or Adapted
- 2021 nominated Film Critics Circle of Australia — Best Film
- 2021 winner Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards — Best Direction in Film