Excerpts from a remarkable collection of visual diaries created by Jim between 1960 and 2000 were on display, invoking memories, reflections, and inviting Jim’s thoughts on his legacy and the future of the arts.

Following the conversation, there was a screening of the documentary Strange Journey: The story of Rocky Horror. Made by Richard O'Brien's son Linus O'Brien, this documentary enjoys intimate access to its creator Richard O'Brien and other major players such as Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon and Lou Adler. The documentary explores what makes the play and film so singular: its groundbreaking and transgressive themes, iconic performances and epic songs that took over popular culture.  

Watch the event recording

About the speakers

Jim Sharman AO

The stage and screen work of Australian director and writer, Jim Sharman, spans decades and eighty productions including early international and era-defining musicals Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar and The Rocky Horror Show. Jim co-wrote the screen adaptation and directed the international cult movie hit The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Jim has directed countless premieres by writers as diverse as Louis Nowra, Stephen Sewell, Dorothy Hewett and Sam Shepard, and staged radical interpretations of classics, by Shakespeare, Strindberg, Lorca and Brecht. Notably, Jim revived and premiered the stage work of Patrick White, including Season at Sarsparilla, A Cheery Soul, Big Toys, Netherwood and the movie The Night the Prowler. He also directed Richard Meale's opera of Voss from David Malouf's libretto based on Patrick White's novel.

A NIDA graduate and Churchill Scholar, Jim was Artistic Director of the influential Lighthouse Theatre Company and the 1982 Adelaide Festival of Arts. Jim’s memoir Blood & Tinsel, charting the cultural progression from sideshows to opera houses, was published by MUP in 2008.

Jim is the recipient of a Helpmann Award winner for Best Director and also received the JC Williamson Centenary Lifetime Achievement award. He was recently appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to the performing arts.

Hannah de Feyter

Hannah de Feyter is an Assistant Curator at the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia. She works on a variety of creative and cultural projects, including the flagship digital restoration program NFSA Restores which digitises, preserves and shares cult and classic Australian films; and Sounds of Australia, the archive's annual capsule of iconic Australian sounds. 

Hannah's work involves collaboration with many other cultural institutions, including a recent retrospective exhibition of filmmaker Mary Callaghan's work with Wollongong Art Gallery, and a partnership with Transport Heritage New South Wales to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of beloved Australian rail film A Steam Train Passes. Hannah has also inquired into and presented the early work, influences and achievements of Australian performer, writer, arts advocate and festival director, Robyn Archer AO.

Hannah has presented NFSA Restores titles both nationally and internationally, including at the Deutsche Kinemathek, Harvard University, the Cambodian International Film Festival, and the Asian Film Archive in Singapore.

Hannah is the former co-director of the Stronger Than Fiction Documentary Film Festival and currently programs Third Run Cinema, an occasional social film series. She is serving her second term as a member of the ACT Minister's Creative Council.

This event is presented in partnership with the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.