World Premiere Of Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line To Open Sydney Film Festival 2024

World Premiere Of Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line To Open Sydney Film Festival 2024
B&T Magazine
Edited by B&T Magazine



The 71st Sydney Film Festival has announced that it will present the World Premiere of Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line for its Opening Night Gala on Wednesday, June 5, at the State Theatre, followed by a post-screening celebration in the Sydney Town Hall.

The Hardest Line tells Midnight Oil’s trailblazing story for the first time ever on film. Contrary. Passionate. Outspoken. Across their 45-year career, ‘The Oils’ helped shape modern Australia with anthems like US Forces, Beds Are Burning, Blue Sky Mine and Redneck Wonderland. Featuring unheard interviews with every band member, unseen live and studio footage, alongside signature moments like the outback tour with Warumpi Band, their Exxon protest gig in New York and those famous “Sorry” suits at the Sydney Olympics, this film traces the singular journey of Australia’s quintessential rock band.

“We are thrilled to present Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line as the opening film for this year’s Sydney Film Festival,” said Sydney Film Festival director Nashen Moodley. “This documentary not only chronicles the formidable journey of one of Australia’s most influential bands but also captures the spirit of an era that reshaped our cultural and political landscapes. It’s a fitting tribute to their legacy and a profound reflection on their impact that continues to inspire audiences around the world”.

“There is no other rock band in the world like Midnight Oil. For half a century they were fearless, contrary, and totally original. When Australia was creaking under the weight of its own myths, they told us the truth. Their songs pinpoint the fault-lines in our culture, they rage against the strange and dangerous times we’ve lived through, and they offer hope. After following them for seven years, we thank ‘The Oils’ and we feel we have an important film to share. We are all excited to unleash Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line as the Opening Night of the Sydney Film Festival,” said writer, director, and executive producer Paul Clarke.

“Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line is a film for our time. Observant of Australian politics and culture, and fearless in calling out environmental and racial issues, ‘The Oils’ maintained their relevance for over 40 years by writing and performing music with global resonance. Featuring timeless anthems, we cannot wait for audiences to witness the power and the passion behind the legend that is Midnight Oil,” said Beyond’s Mikael Borglund, executive producer.

“With strong management, a tough crew and a sabre-tooth lawyer, bands can often dwell in a kind of mobile Faraday cage – the lightning striking all around, while the musicians remain high and dry in a studio, on a stage or wedged inside a Tarago. Thus it was for Midnight Oil: rarely were we able to focus on the horizon and see the ‘Big Picture’, if there was such a thing. So a film such as The Hardest Line is as much a revelation as a chronicle. Perhaps at last we can frame the last 50 years, make some collective sense of it, wrap it in a box marked ‘the Luckiest Band Ever,’” said Midnight Oil’s drummer Rob Hirst.

Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line is a Blink TV and Beyond Entertainment feature documentary. Principal production funding from Screen Australia and Australian Broadcasting Corporation in association with Screen NSW. Financed with support from Sony Music Entertainment and Sony Music Publishing. Australian theatrical distribution by Roadshow Films. Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line is written and directed by Paul Clarke, produced by Carolina Sorensen, and executive produced by Mikael Borglund, Paul Clarke and Martin Fabinyi.




Please login with linkedin to comment

sydney film festival

Latest News

TV Ratings (06/05/2024): The Farmer Is Back And He Wants A Wife
  • Media
  • TV Ratings

TV Ratings (06/05/2024): The Farmer Is Back And He Wants A Wife

It was a good night for lovers of farming and love last night as all-new Farmer Wants a Wife hit the screens. The show was welcomed back with open arms and open eyes by the Aussie viewing public, picking up a total TV national reach of  2,260,000. Seven News was the show with the highest reach […]

The Growth Distillery Unveils The New Rules Of Influence
  • Advertising

The Growth Distillery Unveils The New Rules Of Influence

The Growth Distillery, in collaboration with Ogilvy and Kantar, released The Influence Codes, a ground-breaking research and insights program into ‘influence’, one of the world’s most powerful, least understood and rapidly changing human forces. The deep dive explores the seismic shifts in technology, society, and globalisation that are reshaping the landscape of influence, revealing how […]

Whittaker’s Launch New Brand Platform, ‘Hello Chocolate Lovers’ Via Bastion Shine
  • Campaigns

Whittaker’s Launch New Brand Platform, ‘Hello Chocolate Lovers’ Via Bastion Shine

Whittaker’s has launched its new brand positioning and creative platform via Bastion Shine, which celebrates Chocolate Lovers and their love of Whittaker’s. The new brand positioning, Hello Chocolate Lovers, encapsulates Whittaker’s unique way of making chocolate and will ensure the brand continues to build on their leadership position in New Zealand and strengthen its momentum […]

Tyro Shows They Are ‘Into Business Big Time’ With New Brand Campaign Via Howatson+Company
  • Campaigns

Tyro Shows They Are ‘Into Business Big Time’ With New Brand Campaign Via Howatson+Company

Tyro has revamped its brand identity and launched a new brand campaign illustrating how industry-obsessed they are about their core customers with bespoke solutions across payments, banking and lending. ‘Into business big time,’ created by Howatson+Company, brings to life this customer obsession by highlighting Tyro’s dedication to supporting Aussie merchants in running and growing their […]

IAB Study Finds 66% Of Advertisers Have Five Or Less Years Experience With Affiliate & Partnership Marketing
  • Marketing

IAB Study Finds 66% Of Advertisers Have Five Or Less Years Experience With Affiliate & Partnership Marketing

At an event at the NSW Teacher’s Federation Conference Centre last Tuesday night, a panel of IAB experts, including Are Media’s Jane Huxley and Lauren Leisk, unpacked the 2024 Affiliate & Partnership Industry Review research, discussing how major publishers are embracing affiliate opportunities. The research was designed and conducted in April 2024 by the IAB Australia […]

Melbourne, Australia - August 6, 2015: A woman walks past an Optus store on Bourke St. Optus is the second largest telecommunications company in Australia.
  • Marketing
  • Media

Optus Names NBN boss Stephen Rue As New CEO

Optus has named co-boss of NBN Stephen Rue as its new CEO just 6 months after the telco was rocked by an outage impacting 10 million customers. Rue, who has previously held positions at News Corp, will commence the Optus role in November. Former CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin left late last year following the outage. […]

Indy Enigma Delivers Signage For NSW’S First Purpose-built Surf Park
  • Campaigns

Indy Enigma Delivers Signage For NSW’S First Purpose-built Surf Park

Enigma, one of Australia’s largest full-service independent agencies, today unveiled a bespoke placemaking campaign for URBNSURF – Sydney’s new, world-leading, purpose-built surf park. The creative team behind Enigma’s Property & Place division has developed a unique set of wayfinding and environmental graphics and signage for URBNSURF Sydney, ahead of its opening at Sydney Olympic Park […]

JCDecaux Secures All Major Bus Advertising Contracts Across Sydney 
  • Advertising

JCDecaux Secures All Major Bus Advertising Contracts Across Sydney 

JCDecaux has been awarded the Transport for NSW (TfNSW) bus advertising contract for all buses in the Sydney Metropolitan regions. Lead image: Ben White, general manager. Winning the competitive tender process marks a significant expansion of JCDecaux’s current bus advertising contracts across Sydney. It extends JCDecaux’s Transit reach across the whole of Sydney Metropolitan regions […]

CommBank Launches The Brighter Side TV On 10 And 10 Play
  • Marketing
  • Media

CommBank Launches The Brighter Side TV On 10 And 10 Play

CommBank has today unveiled The Brighter Side, a new television series to be broadcast on 10 and 10 Play to inform and empower Australians with practical tips and bright ideas to help them take control of their financial future. The Brighter Side showcases a diverse range of stories to inspire Australians to make their money […]

IMAA Announces Next Female Leaders Of Tomorrow Programme
  • Media

IMAA Announces Next Female Leaders Of Tomorrow Programme

The IMAA is celebrating the success of its inaugural Female Leaders of Tomorrow programme for providing a real-world solution to address the gender pay gap at senior levels* with events in Sydney and Melbourne. It has also announced its new 2024-25 programme. The 2023-24 programme’s 16 mentees and mentors, along with mentee leaders, IMAA directors […]

QMS Boosts NSW Billboard Network With Australian Turf Club Agreement
  • Advertising

QMS Boosts NSW Billboard Network With Australian Turf Club Agreement

Leading digital outdoor company QMS today announced a further expansion of its NSW network, signing a new agreement with the Australian Turf Club to manage key assets at Sydney’s iconic Rosehill Gardens Racecourse. The agreement, which was secured as part of a competitive tender process, takes effect on 3 June 2024 and covers six locations […]

VMO Signs Deal With Stockland Shopping Centres.
  • Advertising

VMO Signs Deal With Stockland Shopping Centres.

VMO has secured an exclusive agreement with Stockland to manage the operations of 22 large format digital screens, strategically positioned throughout nine Stockland town centres across Australia. These centres include Stockland Piccadilly in Sydney’s CBD, Stockland Merrylands, and Wetherill Park in Western Sydney, Stockland Green Hills in the Hunter region, Stockland Shellharbour on the south […]

Day Management Appoints Paramount’s Tim Wall As Head Of Talent And Publicity
  • Media

Day Management Appoints Paramount’s Tim Wall As Head Of Talent And Publicity

Day Management has appointed Tim Wall in a newly-created role of head of talent and publicity. Wall will be responsible for managing and overseeing Day’s broad and impressive portfolio of talent, including Day’s most-recent coup, the highly sought-after breakout star of Married At First Sight Australia, Lucinda Light. Wall was previously senior publicist at Paramount […]

Image lead story Poppet’s Postive Party Celebrates First Birthday At New HQ
  • Advertising

Poppet’s Postive Party Celebrates First Birthday At New HQ

On Friday night, the new Poppet HQ was filled with free-flowing drinks and plenty of laughs at the production company’s 1st birthday party. After a prolific year, there was plenty to celebrate with Poppet’s industry friends and partners. Founded by Nat Taylor with senior producer Beth Malcher leading the production team, Poppet has experienced a […]

Enjoy A Hahn Solo… And May The Fourth Be With You
  • Campaigns

Enjoy A Hahn Solo… And May The Fourth Be With You

This May the fourth Hahn will celebrate alongside Star Wars fans rewarding their passion via a giant Hahn travelling solo through the sky. It’s the one day of the year when all sci-fi fans rejoice and giggle to themselves and Hahn in partnership with Thinkerbell, UM and Affinity is celebrating with an out of this […]