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SAFC celebrates 50 years of Storm Boy with ABC’s Film Club
26 August 2026
A near capacity crowd turned out last night for a special 50th anniversary screening of Storm Boy, presented by the SAFC in partnership with 891 ABC Adelaide and The Mercury for ABC’s Film Club.
Released in 1976, Storm Boy is one of Australia’s most beloved and enduring films. Filmed in South Australia’s spectacular Coorong and around Goolwa and Port Elliot, Storm Boy was one of the first films produced by the South Australian Film Corporation following its establishment in 1972, going on to inspire and entertain generations of children.
Based on Colin Thiele’s classic novel, Storm Boy tells the moving story of young boy Mike (Greg Rowe in his debut role), his friendship with First Nations elder Fingerbone Bill (legendary Yolngu actor David Gulpilil AM in one of his earliest and most iconic film roles), and their shared bond with orphaned pelican Mr Percival. Directed by Henri Safran and produced by Matt Carroll, Storm Boy was a commercial and critical success, winning the 1977 AFI Award for Best Film, and firmly establishing South Australia as a leader in the nation’s screen industry.
Images courtesy of the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
With special guests including Deputy Premier and Minister for Arts The Honourable Kyam Maher MLC and members of the SAFC Screen Circle alongside 891 ABC Adelaide competition winners, last night’s event was the fourth ABC Film Club screening to be co-presented with the SAFC, following 50th anniversary screenings of Sunday Too Far Away and Picnic at Hanging Rock last year, and a 45th anniversary screening of Peter Weir’s Gallipoli for Anzac Day this year.
891 ABC Adelaide’s Deb Tribe hosted a Q&A panel before the screening with acclaimed SA director Scott Hicks, who had his first on-set experience as a runner on Storm Boy, and Adelaide Zoo Director Chad Crittle, a former bird keeper and trainer who cared for some of the pelicans in both the original Storm Boy and the 2019 remake. Viewers can catch the full Q&A along with Storm Boy on Channel 44 on Friday, 18 September at 7.30pm, with a repeat on Sunday, 29 September at 4pm, and streaming on CTV+.
Storm Boy is also available to stream for free alongside many other South Australian and Australian classics on Brollie, the streaming platform of Umbrella Entertainment.
And South Australians can see the film on the big screen on Sunday, 13 September at The Mercury, with a special double feature of Storm Boy and Picnic at Hanging Rock co-presented by the SAFC. SAFC friends and SA screen industry members can use promo code SAFC$10 for discounted tickets.
See photos from last night’s event below:
