CANBERRA.- Visitors are being left in awe with the National Portrait Gallery and National Film and Sound Archive of Australia’s star-studded exhibition, Starstruck: Australian Movie Portraits.

Starstruck explores the striking, beautiful portraiture emerging from 100 years of Australian movies.

Curators of the show Ms Penelope Grist, Assistant Curator at the Portrait Gallery, and Ms Jennifer Coombes, Curator at the NFSA had a wealth of items to draw on for the exhibition.

‘Starstruck features 275 items, predominantly drawn from the NFSA’s superb collection. There are portraits of beloved Australian actors such as Hugo Weaving, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Toni Collette and Cate Blanchett and photography from iconic films like Australia, Moulin Rouge!, RED DOG and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,’ said Ms Grist.

‘The faces and fashions may change, but our fascination with movies is still as strong as it was 100 years ago. Starstruck takes you on a journey that all generations can enjoy together - whether they are revisiting the classics or discovering them for the first time, there is something for everyone,’ said Ms Coombes.

Director of the National Portrait Gallery, Mr Angus Trumble, expects Starstruck to encourage visitors to think about the portraiture in the form of stills photography.

‘We are always trying to push the boundaries of thought around portraiture through our exhibitions. By bringing the Portrait Gallery and NFSA together our curators have uncovered the often overlooked stills photographers who operate between the real world of filmmaking and the fictional world being created on film. The portraits they take lie in an extraordinary realm between real and fictional,’ said Mr Trumble.

National Film and Sound Archive CEO, Mr Jan Müller, believes Starstruck is a wonderful way to share a century of movie portraits with film lovers, fashionistas, and history buffs.

‘Collecting, preserving and sharing Australia’s audiovisual history is the NFSA’s reason for being, and this exhibition is the perfect example of how we can bring it out of the vaults and make it relevant and fun to contemporary audiences,’ said Mr Müller.

‘This partnership with the National Portrait Gallery has truly brought out the best talent and expertise from both organisations. We hope audiences in Canberra and around the country will enjoy Starstruck, and look forward to their feedback via #StarstruckAU.’

Starstruck is on display at the National Portrait Gallery until 4 March 2018.

Starstruck: Australian Movie Portraits will tour to venues in South Australia, regional New South Wales and Queensland.