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.
| Standing Up for Sunny | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical movie poster | |
| Directed by | |
| Written by | Steven Vidler |
| Produced by | Drew Bailey Jamie Hilton Michael Pontin |
| Starring | RJ Mitte Philippa Northeast Sam Reid Matt Nable |
| Cinematography | Mark Bliss |
| Edited by | Dany Cooper |
| Music by | Caitlin Yeo |
Production companies | See Pictures Spectrum Films Ticket to Ride |
| Distributed by | Madman Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 105 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
Synopsis
editAn isolated man with cerebral palsy is railroaded into helping an unassertive comedienne, and finds love and acceptance through stand-up comedy.[1]
Cast
edit- RJ Mitte as Travis
- Philippa Northeast as Sunny
- Sam Reid as Mikey
- Matt Nable as Male Interviewer
- Barry Humphries as himself
- Ella Scott Lynch as Felicity
- Italia Hunt as Gordo
Production
editFilming took place in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia in 2018.[citation needed]
Release
editThe 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
editStanding 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
editStanding Up for Sunny won the 2020 AACTA Award for Best Indie Film in the 10th AACTA Awards.[6]
References
edit- ^ "Standing Up for Sunny". IMDb.
- ^ a b Sanby, Isobel (20 September 2019). "Breaking good: 'Sunny' is a gem you should find". Newsworthy.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ a b Wood, Julian. "Standing Up for Sunny". Filmink.
- ^ Eeles, Matthew (23 May 2019). "Review: Standing Up For Sunny". Cinema Australia.
- ^ "Winners & Nominees". AACTA. Retrieved 26 February 2024.