The Office Picnic is a 1972 Australian comedy film directed by Tom Cowan. It was entered into the 8th Moscow International Film Festival.
Plot summary
A group of public servants go on an annual picnic. Two of them, Peter and Elly, disappear.
Cast
- John Wood as Clyde
- Kate Fitzpatrick as Mara
- Philip Deamer as Peter
- Gaye Steele as Elly
- Ben Gabriel as Mr Johnson
- Max Cullen as Jim O'Casey
- Anne Tait
- Francis Flannigan
- Bryon Kennedy
- Graham Richards
- Elaine Smith
Production
Cowan got the idea to make the film while walking through the bush during shooting of a documentary in the Victorian countryside. He says he was also influenced by the novels of Patrick White and the films of Antonioni.
The film was shot on 35mm using a budget in part funded by the Experimental Film and Television Fund. It started in January 1972 but the money ran out during filming and there was a hiatus until filming resumed in April. The shoot took fifteen days in all.
Release
The film was successfully previewed at Toorak and for a time it looked as though it would be distributed by British Empire Films but in the end most commercial screenings were arranged by the director.
References
External links
- The Office Picnic at IMDb
- The Office Picnic at Oz Movies
