Book Club at the NFSA: He Died with a Felafel in his Hand

Name: Book Club at the NFSA: He Died with a Felafel in his Hand
Start: 2024-08-11T13:00:00+10:00
Location: NFSA Canberra

Schedule

Sun Aug 11 2024 at 01:00 pm

UTC+10:00

Location

NFSA Canberra | Canberra, CT

You're invited to Book Club at the NFSA in partnership with Canberra Writers Festival - a new series of screenings and discussions exploring how culturally significant books have been adapted and reimagined as films.
In He Died with a Felafel in his Hand, author John Birmingham draws on his colourful experiences as a share-house tenant, having lived with over 80 different people across 13 Australian share houses. This independent autobiographical novel was adapted into a long-running stage play, as well as Richard Lowenstein’s 2001 tragicomedy.
The film follows Danny (Noah Taylor), who moves from share house to share house and city to city, failing to escape the quicksand of problematic housemates, destructive behaviours and unsavoury conditions that typify share-house life.
Through its keen observation of drug use, sexuality and stark economic realities, He Died with a Felafel in His Hand embodies many of the characteristics of Australian grunge literature, its wry humour offering an almost satirical take on an otherwise deeply realist genre.