Priscilla Queen of the Desert director Stephan Elliott on the movie that changed his life
The roaring success of the 1994 film was followed by years of bad luck that included a near-fatal skiing accident for its director. As the musical based on the cult classic wows Hong Kong audiences, the filmmaker shows an unusual degree of restraint
Stephan Elliott is learning to keep his mouth shut.
The Australian film director and screenwriter responsible for the 1994 cult classic The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Deserthas earned a reputation for telling it like it is – both on and off screen.
We are in the Foreign Correspondents’ Club, sunlight streaming in through the windows from Lower Albert Road. Elliott’s minder, the affable press director from the Australian consul general’s office, has taken the hint and shifted to the other side of the bar.
Elliott is fresh off the plane from Sydney and drinking his tea strong – double bags. He’s excited about the coming week, which will see a screening of Priscilla (on October 5) and a documentary about the making of the film, Between a Frock and a Hard Place (October 4) – both part of Pink Season HK, Asia’s largest LGBT festival. What’s more, the musical based on the movie has started a four-week run in Hong Kong. And soon he will be whisked off to the mainland – with his partner, Wil Bevolley – courtesy of the Australian consulate in Hong Kong.
“I’ve stopped over in Hong Kong a million times, but they were literally just stopovers,” Elliott says. “When they asked me about this trip I said, ‘Yeah, I’d like to come and explore.’ It’s the first brand new territory in a while – I’m looking forward to being woken up a bit.”
It has been just 10 days since Elliott wrapped up production of his latest movie, Swinging Safari, which is due for release in Australia in January. The comedy-drama, which follows the mayhem that ensues when a blue whale washes up on an Australian beach in the 1970s, is so fresh, he says, he hasn’t had the chance to work out what he wants to say about it, yet.
