TRIBUTE TO NICOLE KIDMAN. With impressive skill and delicacy, director Garth Davis knocks it out of the park with Lion, an unforgettable tale of lost-and-found family identity. The film recreates the amazingly true (and truly amazing) story of Indian-Australian businessman Saroo Brierley’s extraordinary quest to find his birth mother and siblings, from whom he was separated at the age of five by thousands of miles and eventually, by several continents. Outstanding performances by Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire, MVFF 2008) as Saroo, and Nicole Kidman as Sue, his adoptive mother, the film’s excellent cast is rounded out by Rooney Mara as Saroo’s girlfriend and David Wenham as his adoptive father. Also playing a significant role is the virtual geographical mapping program Google Earth, without which Saroo’s search might have come to quite a different conclusion. Under Davis’s expert direction, Lion roars with emotional power and purrs with the contented joy of finding oneself at home, at last.
Our Tribute program will feature an onstage conversation with Nicole Kidman, a screening of Lion, and the presentation of the MVFF Award in recognition of a career that exemplifies the art of great acting.